The Magic of Glucomannan

Glucomannan comes from the dried root of the konjac plant. It has historically been used in Asian cultures as a food and a medicine.

I love glucomannan but I have never recommended it to another person until now for a couple of reasons.

1. I prefer that you get your nutrition from real food rather than supplements.
2. There hasn’t been any significant medical research on it’s attributes. That said, it worked for me and perhaps it can help you as well.

This stuff really helped me when I was starting my weight loss journey. I was suffering horribly with cravings and I could not think about anything else but food. But glucomannan, totally helped me control my appetite.

Benefits:

If you have read my article:  The Least Exciting Secret to Permanent Weight Loss, you know how important fiber is for weight loss . And the best kind of fiber is viscous soluble fiber. And that is exactly what glucomannan is. Here are some of the benefits:

• Promotes weight loss by decreasing appetite. There are some people that need some extra help in controlling their cravings. And this supplement may be just the ticket to getting your portions under control. The more water you drink with them, the more bulk can be created in the stomach. This activates the stretch receptors in the stomach giving you that feeling of  fullness.
• Relieves constipation. These supplements are little viscous fiber bombs. They will help get things moving as they should and helps keep your colon healthy.
• Helps control blood sugar. Glucomannan may decrease the speed of absorption of sugar in the gut so it could benefit those with diabetes.
• Helps lower blood cholesterol. Again, it may decrease the speed of absorption of cholesterol in the gut. So, it could benefit those with high cholesterol.
• Helps lower high blood pressure. Fiber in general is great for lowering high blood pressure. So, by using glucomannan, you may be able to improve your blood pressure numbers.

Even though it is a miracle fiber supplement, it does come with some cautionary advice.

Warnings:

1. Glucomannan can be a choking hazard or cause blockages in the esophagus. When I take my 2 glucomannan capsules an hour before a meal, I take them with a full glass of water. This ensures that they make it all the way to my stomach before dissolving. This is coming from someone who has been ‘deep throating’ big honking handfuls of supplements for years.  Also, the more water you drink with them, the more they fill up your stomach.
2. Like a lot of supplements, they are not recommended for women who are pregnant or breast feeding. This is due to lack of enough research. But better safe than sorry.
3.  Also, do NOT take glucomannan for at least one hour after medication. It could affect the absorption of your pills.
4. Like any supplement or medication, you don’t want to use it indefinitely. You want your body to be able to function normally without relying on pills. So, take them for three months and then stop using them. Eat a fiber rich diet every day and you won’t need them anymore. Also, check out my article on Spirulina:  How to Stop Cravings in Their Tracks. This stuff also helps control cravings and blood sugar.
5. Always check with your doctor before taking any new supplementation.

So, if you want to give glucomannan a try, get it in its pure capsule form to save money. You can get it from some health food stores or order it online. My local health food store used to carry it but no more so I got it on Amazon at a really good price.

Lots of weight control supplements use glucomannan as their ‘secret ingredient’. But don’t be fooled by fancy advertising. Buy it in its pure form. It costs less than a third of these concoctions that have a bunch of other stuff inside the capsule as well.

I’ve got good news if you are not keen on taking supplements.

Glucomannan or konjac root is also used in cooking so you can reap it’s benefits through food as well. Keep an eye out for my next article Cooking with Konjac root.
 
Source:
WebMD: GLUCOMANNAN: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews (webmd.com)
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