Mucilage is a slimy substance found in certain plants. It is usually formed by the plant sugars (polysaccharides). Its main functions are to store food, thicken plant membranes, store water, and help with seed germination. Mucilaginous fiber has a mending ability when it comes to humans and plays quite an important role in the body’s immune system. It does, however, also have a few drawbacks, as we shall see.
Examples of these foods include:
Although mucilaginous fiber is indeed a healthy addition to most diets, it may not be great for everyone and care should be taken when ingesting too much.
Research indicates that mucilaginous fiber has a number of health benefits.
Certain sources of mucilaginous fiber, such as the cactus family, for example, have shown a prebiotic effect on gut bacteria. There are five criteria needed for a food to be classified as a prebiotic. These are:
By increasing the good bacteria in the gut, while reducing the population of ‘bad’ bacteria, your gut’s health increases. This, in turn, has a beneficial outcome on other body systems.
Mucilaginous fiber is also beneficial for those who have either constipation or mild diarrhea. Although this may seem a contradiction, on the one hand fiber encourages bowel function – thereby aiding in cases of constipation. While on the other hand fiber’s water-absorbing properties aid in stopping diarrhea.
Up to 80 percent of the population will suffer from constipation at some point in their lives, according to the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. The most common reasons for this probably have to do with diet, not staying adequately hydrated, environmental factors, and lack of exercise.
Although most people know that fiber is great for ensuring regular bowel movements, hydration while taking in fiber is of the utmost necessity.
Mucilaginous fiber is not a ‘dry’ fiber. In fact, it has a gooey, gelatinous consistency, i.e. it has a high liquid content. This makes it great at helping with easier bowel movements.
Diarrhea, however, is typically the result of an imbalance in your body’s digestive system. It may be caused by a number of factors, including a food sensitivity, an allergic reaction to certain food, an overgrowth of certain bacteria, a lack of fiber in the diet, intestinal parasites, or even a vitamin or enzyme deficiency.
One of the worst things people with diarrhea can do is not to drink sufficient water. This leads to dehydration. Consuming foods rich in mucilage may not only help with the dehydration but also aid with the diarrhea problem.
Certain plants rich in mucilaginous fiber (such as slippery elm) soothe the membranes of your digestive system, stimulating your own gut to secrete more mucus. This, in turn, helps to combat against excessive acidity and the formation of ulcers. Slippery elm also has powerful antioxidants that help protect against inflammation.
Research has found that the mucilaginous fiber found in cactus plants can remove toxins (e.g. arsenic and bacteria) from water. It captures these toxins, forming what is known as ‘floc’, a substance easily removable from water sources. Other research is looking at mucilaginous fiber as a way of removing oil spills from seawater and even using it to clean drinking water.
What does this have to do with the human body? Mucilaginous fiber, when in the gastrointestinal tract, draws and absorbs toxins, which is then eliminated from the body through the bowel movements.
Recent research on the effect of mucilage on people with Type-2 diabetes is promising. It found that diabetics who incorporated mucilaginous fiber in their diet showed a marked improvement in their fasting blood sugar levels. Their cholesterol levels also showed a marked reduction.
Mucilaginous fiber has antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. These are all properties needed by those who have any form of digestive problems?, including those with inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS or leaky gut), peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease. People with these conditions also happen to have adrenal fatigue (for the most part), according to adrenal fatigue research. Digestive problems tend to have a strong link to a compromised immune system.
The effects of a compromised digestive system have far-reaching consequences, especially on your immune system:
There are many factors causing digestive issues. Of these, three are the most common. They are also related.
Your gut health and emotions are closely related. We know that serotonin (the feel good hormone) is secreted in the brain. What most people don't realize is that 80 percent of your body’s serotonin is secreted in the gut.
Stress has an immense effect on the gut and often leads to poor digestion and an imbalance in your gut flora. The emotional effects of stress often lead us to poor eating habits and lack of exercise, compounding the situation even further.
Stress often leads to anxiety, depression, and fatigue. Even with antidepressants, the brain is unable to make up for such a large potential deficit in serotonin.
As the name suggests, fermentation is when food and drink in the gut start fermenting, usually due to sugars and starches not being broken down as they are supposed to be. Symptoms associated with this include gas, bloating, nausea, body odor, cold hands and feet, and fatigue.
Gut fermentation is often the result of stress that causes the body to produce less stomach acid. This is known as hypochlorhydria.
The gut microbiome has many different organisms. One of these is Candida Albicans. Under normal conditions, this bacteria is quite harmless. When gut dysbiosis (imbalance) occurs, however, and there is a candida overgrowth, you are presented with myriad symptoms, including chronic fatigue, rashes, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, brain fog, and constipation.
Stress is one of the most common causes of an intestinal state of dysbiosis.
Stress has an immense impact on your body’s health, and it all starts with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
When your brain acknowledges a threat, in this case, stress due to one of many different factors, it sends a chemical message (from the hypothalamus) to the pituitary gland which in turn sends one to the adrenal gland, telling it to prepare itself for a fight or flight situation. The adrenal glands do this by means of increasing their cortisol production (an adrenal hormone).
The extra cortisol production puts the body in a state of readiness to meet the situation. Once the situation is over, cortisol production returns to normal. Under abnormal situations, when the stress-factor stays or even increases, the adrenals produce increasing amounts of cortisol in order to cope.
The problem with an increased, constant cortisol production is that it has a system-wide negative effect in the long run. Additionally, the adrenal glands become exhausted and cannot keep up with the demand. The end result is often adrenal fatigue with its associated symptoms, including chronic fatigue, weight gain/loss, anxiety, depression, digestive issues, bloating, gas, headaches/migraines, and certain debilitating illnesses, to name but a few.
The production of high levels of cortisol influences a number of bodily functions:
It is not only mental stress, however, that causes this state of affairs. The stress may be physical or environmental in nature as well.
Stress and the consequent production of cortisol has a marked effect on the correct functioning of the upper GI tract, compromising the absorption and use of vitamin B12 (necessary for DNA, nerve cells, and red blood cell synthesis), resulting in vitamin B12 deficiency, lower energy levels, and a weakened memory.
Due to the gut movement slowing down during stress, fermentation occurs, resulting in an overgrowth of gut bacteria. This could lead to inflammation and yeast infection.
When the gut’s ecosystem is out of balance, it results in a dysregulated response system, which in turn has a cascading effect as the cortisol levels become more unbalanced.
There is no doubt that gut health and adrenal fatigue go hand in hand. The mucilaginous fiber in the diet and its subsequent beneficial action could go a long way in helping to restore gut health.
There is a downside to this, however, as certain types of mucilage stimulate either your Th1 immune response or your Th2 response. People who have an autoimmune disease may be dominant in either one and if the wrong pathway is stimulated, you could aggravate the situation.
The type of mucilaginous fiber eaten should thus be determined by your particular problem in order not to trigger or add to a dysregulation of any sort. But for the sake of understanding how specific types of mucilaginous fiber can help with adrenal fatigue, let’s take a look at the benefits of licorice root.
There are two types of licorice root, glycyrrhiza uralensis and glycyrrhiza glabra. The latter is the one that has a lot of benefits for adrenal fatigue, and acts as an adaptogenic herb. Adaptogens are substances that can help your body adapt to stress, and in turn, helps with adrenal fatigue. We’ll talk in more detail about adaptogens below.
Licorice root has benefits directly connected to Adrenal Fatigue and some that can indirectly support adrenal fatigue recovery. Those include:
Speaking of PMS, licorice root can have estrogen-like effects, which is not ideal for women with Adrenal Fatigue as they tend to also have estrogen-dominance. That’s why it’s important to only take it under supervision.
Licorice root is not the only adaptogen that can be useful in adrenal fatigue recovery. Some others include ashwaganda, reishi mushrooms, maca, rhodiola, codyceps, and chaga mushrooms. Although they have different properties and different effects, their overall function is to help your body deal with the stress it is facing.
That can include things like boosting immunity, improving sleep, reducing anxiety, balancing hormones, increasing insulin sensitivity, fighting inflammation, fighting free radicals, increasing energy levels, and enhancing stamina.
Lectins are compounds found in some plant-based foods, such as legumes, grains, peanuts, and nightshade vegetables, as well as dairy products, and they have a special relationship to adrenal fatigue that is worth mentioning.
Lectins can loosen the tight junctions in the gut, leading to leaks in the gut lining that allow substances to enter the bloodstream that shouldn’t be there, prompting an immune response and creating inflammation. Also, lectins promote the release of histamine, and high levels of histamine will increase stress levels in the body, overworking the adrenals and aggravating adrenal fatigue.
Although it may seem a little daunting to take all of this into consideration when structuring your diet, the good thing is that with the right kind of support, your adrenal fatigue diet will be individualized to you personally, and will either allow, reduce, or avoid all of the above according to your current condition and needs.
Mucilaginous fiber, often praised for its health benefits, offers unique advantages such as promoting digestive health, soothing the gut lining, and supporting overall well-being. Its sticky, gel-like nature helps to regulate bowel movements and may even assist in managing cholesterol levels. However, it’s essential to consider your individual health needs and how this type of fiber fits into your overall diet.
Curious about how mucilaginous fiber can benefit you personally? Don’t hesitate to reach out for a free initial consultation! Give us a call at +1 (626) 571-1234 to discuss how we can tailor a plan to meet your health goals. Your journey to better health starts with a simple call!
