Day 9. Lots of fibre in, Lots of fibre out!

Hi people, sorry for the late post… Been busy with projects and stuff. I did record all my activities food and exercise though. See below for more details:

Ok today I wanted to mention about constipation and bloated-ness. The last couple of days I’ve started to feel a little irritable in the bowls area (By the way the “bowls” word makes me cringe… I just hate this word) but anyhows… it’s a normal thing to get these symptoms when on the Atkins diet, and some of you may not know how to get around this. Dr. Atkins book does suggest to consume --> Psyllum Husks <-- and so therefore I took a trip to the local Health Food store and bought some.

I also found some information on Psyllum Husks from Wikipedia just so you can read about it, see below:

"Psyllium seed husks expand and become mucilaginous when wet and are soluble in water, but they are indigestible in human beings. The husks are dried and chopped or powdered for use..

The characteristics of psyllium seed husks make them useful for any treatment that requires improvement or maintenance of transit time in the gastrointestinal tract, because the inert bulk of the husks helps provide a constant volume of solid material irrespective of other aspects of the diet or any disease condition of the gut. Over-the-counter laxatives and fiber supplements such as Metamucil, Serutan, Effersyllium, and Isabgol have psyllium husks as their main ingredient, in finely chopped or powdered form. The husks can be consumed as-is (with plenty of water or other fluid) with much the same effect. Psyllium can also be added to food or drink to boost the fiber content of the diet, and some cereals (Bran Buds, Heartwise) contain it.

Psyllium husks are used to relieve constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticular disease, and diarrhea. They are used as a regular dietary supplement to improve and maintain regular GI transit. Some recent research is also showing them to be promising in lowering cholesterol and controlling diabetes."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyllium_seed_husks

My experience with Psyllium Husks is a positive one, it works a treat digestive wise… however what I don’t like about it is the ingestion part. On the packaging it says about its pleasant taste, but don’t be fooled, lol! You can buy Psyllium in two forms, powdered or capsule. I choose the powered form and the first try was a little unpleasant… basically silly me filled a whole glass of water, then took a teaspoon full and tried mixing it in (As suggested by the label). To my horror it was all lumpy even though I stirred for a long time and then consuming was gross. Anyhow, here is a hint on the best way to mix this.

What you need to do is… put 1 teaspoon of husks in a cup. Add like 3 tablespoons or a drop of water and mix until it blends with the water, then just add more water to dilute it and mix some more. Voila no lumps and its a lot easier to digest ;o) I hope this helps.

Today I also resumed my jump training :o) and did two hours of rock and roll badminton, wow am feeling great, so don’t believe the myths that this diet cannot give you energy :o)