综合膳食纤维辅助饮品

Oligosaccharide

Prebiotics are food ingredients that enhance the actions of probiotics in the digestive tract, especially Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Inulin (a nondigestible fiber) is a prebiotic that helps promote the growth of these “good” bacteria in the colon. It serves as food for these organisms. The Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria actually digest the inulin for us and then increase as much as 5 to 10 times in volume. A synergistic relationship is developed where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. In keeping with their commitment to bring you the healthiest yoguts available, Stonyfield Farm has added inulin to several of its yogurt lines. Inulin’s advantages in increasing the benefits of the probiotics as its merits in its own right make this a unique and beneficial offering.

A Natural Dietary Fiber

While inulin is not well known as a supplement or functional food (food that provides health benefits beyond basic nutrition), it is a natural substance that is found in more than 35,000 plants and vegetables throughout the world. Because it is a natural plant product that humans have been widely exposed to, the risk of allergic reaction or intolerance to its addition to foods is minimized significantly.

On average it’s estimated that Americans eat less than 3 grams of inulin per day. Sources include 69% from wheat, 23%from onion, 3%from banana, 3%from garlic and 2% from other sources like artichokes, asparagus, and raisins.

Historically, humans have eaten significantly large amounts of inulin. The highest food concentrations occur in dahlia tubers, burdock roots, chicory roots and greens; foods that are not traditionally eaten in large amounts currently. Sixteenth century Europeans consumed about 35 g of inulin daily, while 19th century Central and South Americans consumed up to 100 g daily.

Because inulin is a soluble fiber, it helps maintain normal bowel function, decreases constipation, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, and helps normalize blood sugar levels. Everyone would benefit from more fiber in his or her diet. This is particularly true for diabetics. Inulin doesn’t raise blood sugar or require insulin to metabolize it. Despite its similarity in spelling to insulin, inulin has no connection with the hormone. Inulin has been called a fat substitute as well as a sugar substitute, but it’s not an artificial chemical. In fact, its slightly sweet taste and smooth texture improves the eating experience of low fat and fat free food. Research is demonstrating that the nutritional value of inulin goes beyond what is typical of most classical fibers.

Calcium Absorption Booster

On average, we only absorb about 30% of our ingested calcium. Most people don’t realize this. While our Recommended Daily Intake is 1000 mg, we need to ingest that amount to provide ourselves with about 300 mg that we actually absorb and use. During the human growth stage, there is a higher absorption rate. The absorptive ability of the intestine decreases with age however. Other factors also positively affect the absorption of calcium, like the presence of vitamin D, magnesium and phosphorus. These encourage absorption. The negative effects of phytate and