Tried Benefiber ~ Guar Gum
#4144 - 03/26/03 08:26 AM
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Karin
Reged: 02/11/03
Posts: 483
Loc: Southern California
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I tried about 1/2 teaspoon of Benefiber and had a bad reaction to it. Stomach pains, gas and diarrhea. I called my friend who is a pseudo expert on foods and she told me that the ingredient in Benefiber (GUAR GUM) causes those side effects in some people. I looked in some items I had in the cupboard and they had Guar Gum in them also. So, anyone who has a reaction to Benefiber, keep a look out for Guar Gum as an additive in prepared foods. I liked the way it didn't taste and didn't gel up, but too bad for me! Back to Psyllium.
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How much Benefiber did you take? You'll want to intro in slowly into your diet. 1 tsp in the am and 1 tsp in the pm until you get up to 1 tbs am and pm. Maybe if you take a lower dosage until your body gets used to that type of fiber it could work for you. I agree - I love the clear, non taste of Benefiber. I can not take Metamucil or Citrucel - it just makes me nauseous! Good luck!
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I only used about 1/2 teaspoon to start just in case. Good thing I did or I'd have been worse. I think guar gum may be a trigger for me and it's in so many foods that I've been eating. I'm going to have to check all my ingredients now to see if those foods have bothered me.
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Karin - I tried Benefiber and got terrible gas but no D. But it seems that guar gum as an additive doesn't bother me. Maybe the amount we took of Benefiber was way more than the GG they put in as additives.
Sharon
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Sharon
"Anything Chocolate"...that is all!
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FYI
Guar gum
Source
Guar gum (E412, also called guaran) is extracted from the seed of the leguminous shrub Cyamopsis tetragonoloba, where it acts as a food and water store.
Structural unit
Guar gum is a galactomannana similar to locust bean gum consisting of a (1®4)-linked b-D-mannopyranose backbone with branchpoints from their 6-positions linked to a-D-galactose (i.e. 1®6-linked-a-D-galactopyranose). There are between 1.5 - 2 mannose residues for every galactose residue.
PS> I know a lot of oatmeal brands put guar gum along with oat bran in their oatmeal
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-Angela
Healed in Jesus' Name 
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Sharon: I'm concerned if it is a guar gum intolerance as it's in so many things. My egg replacer, the fat free cookies I just bought...lol. Since I only took about 1/2 teaspoon, I think I could be more sensitive than usual. Costco took it back w/o any problems. My friend who's Celiac told me most of the gluten free recipes don't use it because so many are sensitive, they use Xanthum Gum instead.
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Good post, thanks. Maybe that's why some of those who are guar gum sensitive can't eat oatmeal all of the time. Check the ingredients and see if you have problems with only certain kinds that add guar gum. Interesting thought!
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