What are indigestible carbohydrates?

“Carbohydrate” is an umbrella term that includes everything from table sugar to the cellulose found in wheat bran. We are well adapted to make use of carbohydrates for energy and have enzymes that chop up large carbohydrates into their individual sugar subunits. This is why eating a meal with lots of starch, such as pasta or pizza, will lead to an increase in blood sugar.

Foods containing digestible carbohydrates can be placed on a spectrum of ‘simple’ to ‘complex’ based upon the types of carbohydrates they contain and what other molecules are in the food. For example, a soda simply containing carbonated water, color, flavor, and sugar will fall at the extreme ‘simple’ end of the spectrum because the sugars in the drink are small and will be rapidly absorbed into the blood. Whole wheat bread, on the other hand, is a complex carbohydrate: Even though it contains starch, which will be broken down into sugar and absorbed, the other molecules (like protein and indigestible carbohydrates) and its structure ( literally being trapped in part of the grain) make it difficult for digestion enzymes to access the carbohydrates. This delays the release of sugar from complex carbohydrates.

Indigestible carbohydrates, often lumped together under the term ‘fiber’, are fundamentally different from digestible carbohydrates. Indigestible carbohydrates cannot be turned into glucose and absorbed because our bodies lack the enzymes necessary to digest them.

For this reason, consumers are encouraged to read the Nutritional Information panel and do some simple math: Subtract the grams of ‘fiber’ from the grams of total carbohydrate. The remaining amount is the net digestible carbohydrate. In other words, this is the amount of carbohydrate that will be digested and turned into glucose.

Consider this example...

A 60g serving of white bread contains 28g of carbohydrates and 1g of fiber (indigestible carbohydrate), meaning that it provides 27g of digestible carbohydrates.
 

The same 60g serving of whole wheat bread contains 28g of carbohydrates and 4g of fiber (indigestible carbohydrate), meaning that it provides 24g of digestible carbohydrate.

Eating the serving of whole wheat bread gives you the same sense of fullness with 11% fewer digestible carbohydrates.

 

Some indigestible carbohydrates, known as prebiotics, offer added benefits. These fermentable fibers fuel the healthy bacteria in our gut microbiome, which then produce nutrients and factors that influence how our body processes food. Prebiotic fermentation can increase levels of GLP-1, a potent blood sugar lowering hormone.

Eating a high-fiber diet can help individuals manage high blood sugar in three different ways

First, by letting you eat the same serving size of food while consuming fewer digestible carbohydrates. Second, by releasing glucose more slowly and, therefore, increasing blood sugar levels more gradually. Third, by promoting a healthy gut microbiome, which interacts with your body to help it respond more effectively to rising levels of blood sugar. Increasing the abundance of indigestible carbohydrates in your diet is therefore an effective, all-natural strategy for helping to keep blood sugar levels within a healthy range.

MSPrebiotic delivers the highest concentration of unmodified Resistant Starch (RS2) and is the only supplement-grade source available on the market. This patented natural prebiotic comes from gently dried, peeled potatoes, labels as dietary fiber and is grown, processed and packaged in Canada. Supported by over a decade of clinical research demonstrating increases in endogenous healthy bacteria, increases in butyrate, and metabolic improvements.

“I had never thought to use a product like this before and I could not be happier with the results. I constantly struggle with a variety of different foods and digesting them properly but this has helped out substantially! Tasteless but so effective I have now been able to improve my digestion and gut health all in one.”

– Paige P.

What people are saying about us

“I tried this product, and let me first say whenever I need a quick bite to eat and I eat fast food my stomach feels terrible for days everything I’ve tried often still makes me feel that fast food feeling. I have tried many other products but this one is quite good. I would recommend it among its peers a top 5 brand. anyway with sometimes you can just use two scoops but most of the time a scoop or two a day and you’re good. overall I’d recommend this product good value but thank you.”

– Kimberley C.

“I already take Probiotics and recently learned that the combination of these with Prebiotics are actually quite good for your health! The fact that MSPrebiotic is tasteless makes it easy to be incorporated in my smoothies and morning protein shakes. I had some minimal bloating and discomfort the first days but I feel much better now..”

– Nadiatou F.

“I noticed a difference in just a few days. As I got into my 30s, I was becoming more sensitive to dairy. It was getting to the point where I can’t even have real cream icecream without cramps and trips to the washroom. After trying this I’ve been able to start having cream in my coffees again. I think after awhile I can even try the good ice-cream again. I would definitely recommend this. It gave me hope that one day I can enjoy my favourite foods again..”

– Angel D.

What is Resistant Starch?

Metabolism of starch into sugar requires that our body’s enzymes be able to access and cut the starch molecules. The starch molecules are readily available in most of the foods we eat, with digestion of the starch starting in the mouth and finishing in the small intestine. Many of our cooking methods break up granules of  starch, helping our digestive enzymes get better access to the starch. Ripening of fruits like bananas can also make the energy in starch more accessible. But a small amount of starch in our diet remains inaccessible to the body’s enzymes and is never digested – this is known as Resistant Starch. 

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