6 ms·

Effects of a diet based on inulin-rich vegetables on gut health and nutrition

47 points by msapaydin 7y ago

lawlessone 7y ago
which vegtables?
- chabes 7y ago
  From the introduction: “ITFs mostly occur in plant roots, such as Jerusalem artichokes, leeks, or salsify, where they act as a storage and stress-preservative polymer” More details: “..subjects were instructed to consume a hot meal for lunch and a soup for dinner, prepared with ITF-rich vegetables to ensure an uptake of at least 9 g of fructans per day (mean intake of 15 g/d)“
- adrianN 7y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inulin#Natural_sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inulin#Natural_sources
- vincentpants 7y ago
  maybe these? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inulin#Natural_sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inulin#Natural_sources
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- kurthr 7y ago
  The entire dietary schedule is at the end of the paper... but: 'ITFs mostly occur in plant roots, such as Jerusalem artichokes, leeks, or salsify' I also saw garlic, celery, and scallions in there, but artichokes are definitely an odd one (not a root), while the apparently similar asparagus is missing.
  - twic 7y ago
    Jerusalem artichokes are indeed a root, or a tuber to be precise: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke They're not closely related to globe artichokes, which is perhaps what you were thinking of. Jerusalem artichokes are a kind of sunflower, and globe artichokes are a kind of thistle.
- john-tells-all 7y ago
  "chicory root contains the highest concentration of inulin ... Vegetables such as sugar beets, leeks and asparagus all contain adequate concentrations of inulin. Onions and garlic are also home to a healthy supply of inulin, as are dandelion root, elecampane root and a variety of herbs. Bananas and wheat contain inulin, too." from https://www.prebiotin.com/foods-provide-inulin/ https://www.prebiotin.com/foods-provide-inulin/
  - semi-extrinsic 7y ago
    If you have digestive problems, some of these are good and some can be very bad (e.g. asparagus if you have any restrictions).
asaph 7y ago
> Only flatulence episodes were reported during the dietary intervention Never fails to make me chuckle...
- benj111 7y ago
  I'm trying to parse that sentence. As opposed to episodes of something else? Was something reported before or after the intervention? Is that all they were told to report? Is it good? What???
  - wutbrodo 7y ago
    In the context of the rest of the sentence, it means that only flatulence and not other symptoms like intestinal discomfort were reported.
- adamredwoods 7y ago
  They may be indicating a possible digestive intolerance. Raw onion and garlic is difficult for me to digest (allium intolerance?), cooking helps but still can be difficult in high quantities.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
StavrosK 7y ago
> The volunteers showed greater satiety, a reduced desire to eat sweet, salty, and fatty food, and a trend to increase hedonic attitudes towards some inulin-rich vegetables. This is odd, because whenever I eat garlic or onion I start craving sweets for hours afterwards.
- dan00 7y ago
  Do you have issues with fructose? Because carving for sweets is a typical symptom and garlic and onion can be problematic if you have a fructose intolerance.
  - StavrosK 7y ago
    I don't think so, I eat (and like) fruit fine? I'm not sure what the symptoms would be, but I generally like fruit (and they satisfy for my sweet cravings very well). EDIT: I misread your comment, I thought you meant craving sweets after onion/garlic is a symptom of fructose intolerance. EDIT 2: I read it again and I'm now not sure if you mean that or not :P
    - dan00 7y ago
      > EDIT 2: I read it again and I'm now not sure if you mean that or not :P Yes, I meant it. If you can eat fruits without issues, then you most likely shouldn‘t have a fructose intolerance.
dcolkitt 7y ago
One of the easiest ways to add inulin to your diet is to make heavy use of garlic to your regular meals. Garlic contains one of the highest concentrations of inulin of any common vegetable. It also has a flavor that enhances nearly all savory dishes. Before cooking anything dice up a lot of garlic ahead of time. Then heat up a little bit of oil in the pan, add in the garlic and let it sauté until it just starts to brown. Then add in whatever you were planning on cooking. Don't be afraid to add more garlic. More garlic almost always equals more flavor. This is a big reason why Italian cuisine is so consistently delicious. It's not unusual for me to use 15-20 cloves of diced garlic when making dinner for two.
- radicalbyte 7y ago
  I always use 3-4x as much garlic as recipes ask for and add some onion powder. Then I don't need to add any extra salt above the stock cube (4g salt for one evening meal for four people).
  - Marsymars 7y ago
    That's still quite a lot of salt unless you're eating 1000 Calorie portions. (Quick rule of thumb - to maintain a 2000mg sodium per day diet when eating 2000 Calories per day, you need to average a 1:1 ratio between mg sodium and Calories.)
  - stcredzero 7y ago
    I always use 3-4x as much garlic as recipes ask for and add some onion powder I've read that this tends to cause irritation of the gut, especially the onion powder.
- dantondwa 7y ago
  > Don't be afraid to add more garlic. More garlic almost always equals more flavor. This is a big reason why Italian cuisine is so consistently delicious. It's not unusual for me to use 15-20 cloves of diced garlic when making dinner for two. As an Italian with a passion for cooking, I'd like to say that too much of every ingredient is just too much. A plate is a balance of different flavors, and while garlic does enhance the flavour of a dish, I believe that a dish for two with 15-20 cloves of garlic will taste mostly... of garlic! Garlic is not just a neutral enhancer of taste (or otherwise it could be used with everything, while there are some recipes in which garlic is not an ingredient), but it's presence is quite felt. While garlic does play a big part in Italian cuisine, I think one of the reasons Italian cuisine is so delicious is that, through its simplicity, it manages to balance a few ingredients very well, allowing them all to appear and compensate each other. Adding a ton of garlic upon everything does not play well with this and probably makes every dish taste like garlic.
spenrose 7y ago
N=26. No control group eating, say, lots of low-inulin vegetables. Highlighting studies such as this one is not the right way to popularize science. This study should be of interest to other researchers. Once N is several orders of magnitude higher and lots of comparison groups have been included, then tell a general audience what's going on. PS related to "inulin-rich" is "high FODMAP".
- Luc 7y ago
  > PS related to "inulin-rich" is "high FODMAP". Not sure what you're implying here.
  - spenrose 7y ago
    Not implying, just informing, for those who may not make the connection.
- msapaydin 7y ago
  they already state those in the paper: "Our trial had some limitations, including the absence of a control group (each individual being their own control in our study), the limited number of subjects, their young age (leading to extrapolation to the aging population), and the decision to focus on hydrogen-producing individuals as an inclusion criterion. However, we can clearly conclude that, by increasing the consumption of selected vegetables, it is possible to boost the intake of fructans and thereby create a shift in the gut microbiota composition. "
  - glaugh 7y ago
    I think spenrose is saying “We shouldn’t be upvoting this” or maybe “I hope newspapers don’t report on this like it’s a clear, solid answer”, not “This paper is flawed in ways that the authors didn’t recognize”. Personally I’m fine with this being on HN because I think this audience understands issues around low N (and commentators do a good job of pointing them out), but I agree that it would be problematic if this were picked up by the New York Times or something.
viburnum 7y ago
I love garlic but it makes my stomach hurt so much that I can’t sleep. Don’t know what’s up with that.
- Mtinie 7y ago
  My wife recently developed a sensitivity to garlic and onion. Fresh garlic and onion are problematic as she feels very lethargic but dehydrated powders and granules are a no-go if she wants to sleep well at all and not feel like she woke up after a night of very heavy drinking (dehydration and headache). Interestingly if she has a glass of wine—especially a red—the effects are amplified. It’s a very strange change and makes eating out quite challenging given how ubiquitous both are in food preparation and seasonings.
  - objektif 7y ago
    Sounds like it may be related to fructose sensitivity.
- elorant 7y ago
  It's a counter indication for people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). You can try boiling it first.
- dejv 7y ago
  You might want to try cutting clove in half and remove that green/off colored part in the middle. It does help with stomach hurts.
sabujp 7y ago
tldr; eat artichoke, garlic, shallots, leeks, scorzonera/salsify and it will reduce cravings for fatty foods. side effects include gas
hootguy 7y ago
It was kind of funny that one of the results was reported as "a trend to increase hedonic attitudes towards some inulin-rich vegetables." Let's look at just a representative handful of the way said vegetables were cooked and presented: mashed Jerusalem artichoke, spinach, pumpkin cream, stuffed artichoke bottoms, tomato coulis, gratin dauphinois, green beans, shallot sauce. I would develop a "hedonic attitude" toward those if I had all the time in the world to cook like that.

47 points by msapaydin 7y ago

lawlessone 7y ago

which vegtables?

chabes 7y ago
From the introduction: “ITFs mostly occur in plant roots, such as Jerusalem artichokes, leeks, or salsify, where they act as a storage and stress-preservative polymer” More details: “..subjects were instructed to consume a hot meal for lunch and a soup for dinner, prepared with ITF-rich vegetables to ensure an uptake of at least 9 g of fructans per day (mean intake of 15 g/d)“
adrianN 7y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inulin#Natural_sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inulin#Natural_sources
vincentpants 7y ago
maybe these? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inulin#Natural_sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inulin#Natural_sources
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
kurthr 7y ago
The entire dietary schedule is at the end of the paper... but: 'ITFs mostly occur in plant roots, such as Jerusalem artichokes, leeks, or salsify' I also saw garlic, celery, and scallions in there, but artichokes are definitely an odd one (not a root), while the apparently similar asparagus is missing.
- twic 7y ago
  Jerusalem artichokes are indeed a root, or a tuber to be precise: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke They're not closely related to globe artichokes, which is perhaps what you were thinking of. Jerusalem artichokes are a kind of sunflower, and globe artichokes are a kind of thistle.
john-tells-all 7y ago
"chicory root contains the highest concentration of inulin ... Vegetables such as sugar beets, leeks and asparagus all contain adequate concentrations of inulin. Onions and garlic are also home to a healthy supply of inulin, as are dandelion root, elecampane root and a variety of herbs. Bananas and wheat contain inulin, too." from https://www.prebiotin.com/foods-provide-inulin/ https://www.prebiotin.com/foods-provide-inulin/
- semi-extrinsic 7y ago
  If you have digestive problems, some of these are good and some can be very bad (e.g. asparagus if you have any restrictions).

asaph 7y ago

> Only flatulence episodes were reported during the dietary intervention Never fails to make me chuckle...

benj111 7y ago
I'm trying to parse that sentence. As opposed to episodes of something else? Was something reported before or after the intervention? Is that all they were told to report? Is it good? What???
- wutbrodo 7y ago
  In the context of the rest of the sentence, it means that only flatulence and not other symptoms like intestinal discomfort were reported.
adamredwoods 7y ago
They may be indicating a possible digestive intolerance. Raw onion and garlic is difficult for me to digest (allium intolerance?), cooking helps but still can be difficult in high quantities.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

StavrosK 7y ago

> The volunteers showed greater satiety, a reduced desire to eat sweet, salty, and fatty food, and a trend to increase hedonic attitudes towards some inulin-rich vegetables. This is odd, because whenever I eat garlic or onion I start craving sweets for hours afterwards.

dan00 7y ago
Do you have issues with fructose? Because carving for sweets is a typical symptom and garlic and onion can be problematic if you have a fructose intolerance.
- StavrosK 7y ago
  I don't think so, I eat (and like) fruit fine? I'm not sure what the symptoms would be, but I generally like fruit (and they satisfy for my sweet cravings very well). EDIT: I misread your comment, I thought you meant craving sweets after onion/garlic is a symptom of fructose intolerance. EDIT 2: I read it again and I'm now not sure if you mean that or not :P
  - dan00 7y ago
    > EDIT 2: I read it again and I'm now not sure if you mean that or not :P Yes, I meant it. If you can eat fruits without issues, then you most likely shouldn‘t have a fructose intolerance.

dcolkitt 7y ago

One of the easiest ways to add inulin to your diet is to make heavy use of garlic to your regular meals. Garlic contains one of the highest concentrations of inulin of any common vegetable. It also has a flavor that enhances nearly all savory dishes. Before cooking anything dice up a lot of garlic ahead of time. Then heat up a little bit of oil in the pan, add in the garlic and let it sauté until it just starts to brown. Then add in whatever you were planning on cooking. Don't be afraid to add more garlic. More garlic almost always equals more flavor. This is a big reason why Italian cuisine is so consistently delicious. It's not unusual for me to use 15-20 cloves of diced garlic when making dinner for two.

radicalbyte 7y ago
I always use 3-4x as much garlic as recipes ask for and add some onion powder. Then I don't need to add any extra salt above the stock cube (4g salt for one evening meal for four people).
- Marsymars 7y ago
  That's still quite a lot of salt unless you're eating 1000 Calorie portions. (Quick rule of thumb - to maintain a 2000mg sodium per day diet when eating 2000 Calories per day, you need to average a 1:1 ratio between mg sodium and Calories.)
- stcredzero 7y ago
  I always use 3-4x as much garlic as recipes ask for and add some onion powder I've read that this tends to cause irritation of the gut, especially the onion powder.
dantondwa 7y ago
> Don't be afraid to add more garlic. More garlic almost always equals more flavor. This is a big reason why Italian cuisine is so consistently delicious. It's not unusual for me to use 15-20 cloves of diced garlic when making dinner for two. As an Italian with a passion for cooking, I'd like to say that too much of every ingredient is just too much. A plate is a balance of different flavors, and while garlic does enhance the flavour of a dish, I believe that a dish for two with 15-20 cloves of garlic will taste mostly... of garlic! Garlic is not just a neutral enhancer of taste (or otherwise it could be used with everything, while there are some recipes in which garlic is not an ingredient), but it's presence is quite felt. While garlic does play a big part in Italian cuisine, I think one of the reasons Italian cuisine is so delicious is that, through its simplicity, it manages to balance a few ingredients very well, allowing them all to appear and compensate each other. Adding a ton of garlic upon everything does not play well with this and probably makes every dish taste like garlic.

spenrose 7y ago

N=26. No control group eating, say, lots of low-inulin vegetables. Highlighting studies such as this one is not the right way to popularize science. This study should be of interest to other researchers. Once N is several orders of magnitude higher and lots of comparison groups have been included, then tell a general audience what's going on. PS related to "inulin-rich" is "high FODMAP".

Luc 7y ago
> PS related to "inulin-rich" is "high FODMAP". Not sure what you're implying here.
- spenrose 7y ago
  Not implying, just informing, for those who may not make the connection.
msapaydin 7y ago
they already state those in the paper: "Our trial had some limitations, including the absence of a control group (each individual being their own control in our study), the limited number of subjects, their young age (leading to extrapolation to the aging population), and the decision to focus on hydrogen-producing individuals as an inclusion criterion. However, we can clearly conclude that, by increasing the consumption of selected vegetables, it is possible to boost the intake of fructans and thereby create a shift in the gut microbiota composition. "
- glaugh 7y ago
  I think spenrose is saying “We shouldn’t be upvoting this” or maybe “I hope newspapers don’t report on this like it’s a clear, solid answer”, not “This paper is flawed in ways that the authors didn’t recognize”. Personally I’m fine with this being on HN because I think this audience understands issues around low N (and commentators do a good job of pointing them out), but I agree that it would be problematic if this were picked up by the New York Times or something.

viburnum 7y ago

I love garlic but it makes my stomach hurt so much that I can’t sleep. Don’t know what’s up with that.

Mtinie 7y ago
My wife recently developed a sensitivity to garlic and onion. Fresh garlic and onion are problematic as she feels very lethargic but dehydrated powders and granules are a no-go if she wants to sleep well at all and not feel like she woke up after a night of very heavy drinking (dehydration and headache). Interestingly if she has a glass of wine—especially a red—the effects are amplified. It’s a very strange change and makes eating out quite challenging given how ubiquitous both are in food preparation and seasonings.
- objektif 7y ago
  Sounds like it may be related to fructose sensitivity.
elorant 7y ago
It's a counter indication for people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). You can try boiling it first.
dejv 7y ago
You might want to try cutting clove in half and remove that green/off colored part in the middle. It does help with stomach hurts.

sabujp 7y ago

tldr; eat artichoke, garlic, shallots, leeks, scorzonera/salsify and it will reduce cravings for fatty foods. side effects include gas

hootguy 7y ago

It was kind of funny that one of the results was reported as "a trend to increase hedonic attitudes towards some inulin-rich vegetables." Let's look at just a representative handful of the way said vegetables were cooked and presented: mashed Jerusalem artichoke, spinach, pumpkin cream, stuffed artichoke bottoms, tomato coulis, gratin dauphinois, green beans, shallot sauce. I would develop a "hedonic attitude" toward those if I had all the time in the world to cook like that.