Whole husks are easier to swallow if you put a bit on the tip of your teaspoon, and drink it down with some water.
The powder will stick to the back of your tongue and throat, teeth and what not. You’ll need a toothpick.
I prefer the whole husks as I can add them to shakes, meals (broths), or just take them with water.
Traditionally, people use psyllium as a food thickener in eastern Europe to create density while cooking some sort of broth. But be careful. A little goes a long way and they puff up a shitload (literally and figuratively). Try some first by adding a tip of a teaspoon and take it from there.
If it helps, we in eastern Europe call psyllium indijski trputac or Indian plantain (Plantago ovata), but you can find it in any health food store, bodybuilding store or pharmacy as Psyllium or ‘psilium’ powder or husks. Just see if you want the fine powder or the husks. I like the husks because they don’t stick, but whatever works for you. Try a bit of both and see.
Yes. I used to use it to thicken my own ice cream during the summer (dark chocolate, Greek yogurt, protein powder, cocoa). Now I just use it to thicken the chocolate oatmeal I make for my toddler in the morning and eat whatever is left after him (oat bran, cocoa powder, a bit of brown sugar and a teaspoon of Psyllium husks).
Used some husks to thicken up a beef goulash along with some oat bran and regular white flour. If I were to use just the Psyllium as the thickening agent it would make everything too sticky - a consistency I’m not a fan of.
In your experience, does it help digestion when in a bulking phase?
As soon as I eat over 3000 kcals a day, I get a distended stomach. I don’t have bad digestive problems, but my gut pushes to the outside. It looks like I’m way fatter than I actually am, when I’m not pulling my stomach in. I still have easily visible abs but my stomach pushes outwards.
It’s been incredibly helpful with digestion during my gaining phase, but not for that particular issue. I can’t imagine that will be overcome, as it’s a product of simply having a lot of food in the gut. What it HAS done is reduce my bathroom trips in terms of frequency and time.
I don’t go into ketosis, but I keep my carbs low year round. It’s been good to me still. Really helpful during those times I introduce “science experiment food”.
Seriously one trainer friend of mine pretty much does this. Google ‘bullet proof’ coffee. He argues with my a lot about high fat diets being beneficial. I think to some degree there is research on high fat / low carb being good for brain health etc. But for me I know what works to develop a body builder ‘look’ and its not low carb high fat. We are all different though so I alway advise experimenting with your macros and keeping the calories in a proper range until you find what works for you.
Very familiar with bulletproof coffee, haha. I’m a fan of low carb and moderate/high fats, and have found I can get plenty lean that way…but I ALSO know that, if I were to actually prep for a comp, I’d do what my coach says.
I know Jon Andersen has competed with a low carb/moderate to high fat approach, but he’s an outlier among the more conventional approaches. Always good ole Vinny G with the steak and eggs diet too.
The Keto diet was first used medicinally in like the 1920’s (i think) to help epileptic children, and I do believe it worked quite well if memory serves.
Normally I refresh myself before partaking in a conversation such as Keto, but I’m too lazy today. I dived into Keto a bit a few years ago. I tried it and lost so much damn size, both fat and muscle that I looked horrible. For me I like high protein, moderate carbs, and low moderate fat. My macros are 40P, 35C, 25F and so far its working well. I eat the same damn thing every day but I honestly prefer it. I get ragged on when we go out to dinner with friends and I don’t drink and if I can’t find a reasonable substitute I don’t eat either. But hey, I look at food as fuel and not for enjoyment. Once you settle on that, the rest is easier.
These are my exact macro ratios too lol. I’m not super opposed to doing Keto, but I just don’t think it’s a necessity really. I mean any diet will work as long as you are in a deficit, but going Keto just removes too much from performance ability, sleep, and anabolic potential IMO. Unless the person is diabetic or has a known insulin insensitivity, Keto seems pretty pointless. Still, it works great for certain people - and I commend them for sticking to it!
The human body is a fucked up machine. Your trigger foods are what I eat to right the ship when I’m in digestive trouble, while the foods you tolerate inflate my intestines like a carnival balloon.
