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| ingredient in products such as Metamucil. For detoxification purposes, use plain psyllium husk powder, not products that contain sugar or flavoring agents. Also, for best results, use powdered psyllium husk, not seed. |
| Note that this effective bulking agent is a potential allergen. Some nurses who prepare daily doses in hospitals or nursing homes have inhaled enough of the powder to develop serious respiratory problems. Psyllium comes from Plantago ovata, a member of the plantain family (the garden weed, not the tropical green banana) and, as with any plant, too much of it can cause an adverse reaction. When measuring psyllium husk powder, keep your face averted or wear a pollen mask. Add a teaspoon or tablespoon of powder to a full glass of juice or water, stir briskly with a spoon, wire whisk or hand blender and swallow the liquid before it gels. Follow with another glass of water. |
| Sources of soluble fiber include whole fresh and dried fruit, dried peas, lentils, beans, barley, oats and seeds. Wheat bran is an insoluble fiber, and so is the roughage found in many vegetables and other whole grains. Vegetable gums, or hydrocolloids, are widely used in the food and beverage industry, where they help keep foods moist and act as a natural preservative. Among the 15 gums approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in food are guar gum, derived from the seeds of the Indian cluster bean or guar plant and used as a thickening agent; carrageenan, a product of Asian seaweeds used as a jelling and thickening agent; cellulose gum or CMC, a chemically modified natural gum from wood pulp or cotton fiber; locust |
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