Sowing the seeds
In this week’s blog we are sowing the seeds for good gut health. We want to plant the idea that including seeds in you diet several times a week can reap rewards in terms of gut and general health.
Nuts and seeds feature in our free Best Ever Poop plan. If you haven’t had chance to check that out yet, you can find it here.
Seeds are highly nutrient dense, and a great source of both soluble and insoluble fibre. You need at least 25g of fibre a day for regular poops, more if you want the heart health and longevity benefits that fibre can bring. Seeds are a great way to get you closer to your target.
Read on for the low FODMAP serving sizes of different seeds and their fibre content. We’ll take you through the specific health benefits of the different types of seeds and then focus in on our absolute favourite - chia seeds and provide recipes and tips for how to enjoy them whether you have IBS-C or IBS-D.
Low-FODMAP Seed Servings
There are some generous low-FODMAP serving sizes across the board and if you add a good sprinkle of seeds to your salads or muesli you are unlikely to have any problems. The fibre in seeds tends to non-fermentable or only moderately fermentable, so unlikely to cause bloating.
Nuts and seeds are often lumped together because they have a similar nutrient profile and similar earthy flavours. Both are rich in heart friendly polyunsaturated fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals, which is probably why the evidence shows that eating around 15g nuts and seeds per day decreases the risk of coronary heart disease by around 20% compared with no or low nut and seed intakes. Find out more about low FODMAP servings of nuts here.
Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds are a good source of many vitamins and minerals, but are especially high in vitamin E, copper, and selenium.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and plays a role protecting cells from the damaging effects of free radicals, which have been linked to health conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Enjoy them in our gut-friendly muesli or our raspberry and coconut protein balls.
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds have a beautiful nutty flavour. I love them roasted with a little soy sauce and spices, or simply tossed in a hot pan. They have the closest thing to a bacon flavour I’ve found in the plant world. Delicious! And unlike bacon, the fats are good for cardiovascular health.
They are a good source of minerals – especially heart friendly magnesium. They are also a great source of copper and iron, two minerals needed for red blood cell production, and zinc, a nutrient that plays critical roles in immune function, and much more.
Sesame Seeds
These are lovely toasted in a pan and then tossed on top of a stir-fry. They are also great in tahini. I like to use a little to add depth of flavour to a hummus. Check out our variety of hummus recipes starting here.
We are a little confused about why you can have a 2 tbsp of tahini and only 1 tbsp of sesame seeds, perhaps because tahini has oil added, but in any case both serving sizes are likely to be plent.y.
Sesame seeds are also great for heart health. They help to lower overall cholesterol in two ways – sesame seeds are rich in plant compounds known as phytosterols that bear a physical resemblance to cholesterol and block absorption of cholesterol in the gut. They are also a source of healthy fats, mainly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which can lower overall cholesterol levels when they replace saturated fats in the diet.
Further cardiovascular benefits come from the magnesium found in sesame seeds and the fibre. Magnesium helps to relax blood vessels and improve blood flow. Lower blood pressure can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Each teaspoon of sesame seeds contain a gram of fibre. Fibre been linked to a lower risk of heart disease by helping to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
Flaxseed or Linseed
The nutrients in flaxseed (golden or brown) include lignans, antioxidants, fibre, protein, and polyunsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3.
The insoluble fibre in flaxseeds is moderately fermented in the gut, whilist the insoluble fibre in other seeds is not fermented.
However, the Monash team still recommend linseed as a low FODMAP source of fibre that may help with constipation, abdominal pain and bloating in IBS. One tablespoon is low FODMAP. We’d recommend using ground flaxseed to make all the nutrients available and perhaps starting with just a teaspoon and build up.
Alternatively, try our Cranberry and Seeds Protein Bars that contain a little linseed in the mix.
Chia Seeds
Chia seeds originated in Central America and were a key component of the Aztec and Mayan diets. Today they are grown across the globe including in Australia. They come in black and white forms and both have a similar nutrition profile.
They are a rich source of fibre. Two tablespoons provides a whopping 9.8 g of fibre. The fibre in chia seeds is non-fermentable, which means it won't cause lots of gas or bloating that can be problematic for people who suffer from IBS.
Chia seeds contain both soluble and insoluble fibre. The soluble fibre in chia seeds forms a gel that attracts water during digestion. This bulks up and softens the stool making it very easy to pass. Great if you have constipation.
It is best to soften the seeds in a liquid such as water, yoghurt or coconut milk before eating, and as with all fibre, drink plenty of additional water. Eating them dry could worsen constipation or even pose a choking risk. One of our favourite recipes is a Kiwi Chia Pot - this is a good one to enjoy as both green and gold Kiwi fruit come into season over the next few weeks. You can also make them with strawberries.
What if you have IBS-D rather than IBS-C? We’ve talked to a few dietitians in our network and opinions differ. Some think that there shouldn’t be a problem. The gel-forming properties of the soluble fibre should help improve firm up poop. Others are a little concerned that the insoluble fibre in the husks of the chia seeds may act to speed up movement through the gut. A good compromise is to blitz or grind the chia seeds to break up the husks, and start with a small serve and see how you go.
We tried a blended chocolate chia pudding, which was delicious. The recipe below serves 2, but is very rich, so you may want to split into 4 - thoroughly blitz:
4 level tbsp chia seeds
1 level tbsp cocoa powder
1 to 2 tbsp maple syrup
250 ml coconut milk
1/2 tspn vanilla essence
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Pour into jars and leave in the fridge to set for 4 hours. Serve with a few berries or chopped nuts.
Another alternative if you have IBS-D is to go for psyllium instead. Psyllium is the husk of seeds of Plantago ovata, a herb grown mainly in India. This also absorbs water and forms a gel.
In the Superflora mix
Do you want a quick way to add seeds to your diet? We’ve include a little ground flaxseed, ground chia seeds and psyllium husk in the gentle fibre blend added to our Superflora gut-friendly shakes.
All of shakes are certified low FODMAP by Monash University.
Written by: Dr Mary Webberley, Chief Scientific Officer at Noisy Guts. Mary has a background in biology, with two degrees from the University of Cambridge and post-doctoral research experience. She spent several years undertaking research into the diagnosis of IBS and IBD. She was the winner of the 2018 CSIRO Breakout Female Scientist Award.