Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hi Bev - Check the label details - there are about 5 grams of Acacia in a tablespoon BUT - of those 5 grams, 4.5 grams are the fiber. The remaining .5 grams are a combination of water and other trace particles from the Acacia plant. In other words, almost (but not quite!) all of the Acacia is soluble fiber. Where you would really notice this type of difference is in something like Citrucel or Metamucil, where they've added sugar. The amount of fiber per gram of the stuff will be a lot smaller percentage, because the bulk of what's in the bottle is all sugar.

So, when you're calculating your actual fiber intake, use the 4.5 grams per tablespoon figure.

As for using within 6 months of opening, we had to put some type of guide for this on the label. The typical industry standard for this is 6 months, so we went for this. Honestly, if the stuff is unopened, it would probably last just about forever. Same thing if it's open but kept in an air tight jar. It does not have to be kept cool or out of light, though it probably wouldn't hurt to not store it for months in direct sunlight. What really matters here is that it's kept dry, because it will absorb moisture from its surroundings (it's soluble fiber, remember!). I don't think freezing would do anything - just keep it in a nice dry sealed container in a kitchen cupboard and I can't imagine that you wouldn't use it all up long, long, long before you saw any changes in the product due to age.

- H

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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!

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