Butterscotch Fibre “Poop” Bites
Don’t worry, these balls are not made out of poop. The reason for calling them “poop” bites are because they contain fibre which can help with promoting a bowel movement. Constipation, or not having at least ONE bowel movement per day, is so common and there can be numerous reasons such as:
an increase in progesterone during pregnancy
Hypothyroidism
Serotonin deficiency
Medications
Food sensitivities
SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) and other gut dysbiosis
Poor nutrition and lack of dietary fibre
Often in clinical practice, when my clients complain of constipation, I start with a diet review to see how much fibre they are getting and then assess digestive symptoms and look for hormone imbalances and other potential causes. Many people, especially children, don’t consume enough fibre, particularly roughage from vegetables. The adequate daily intake for fibre in women is about 25g and in men it is about 38g. Sometimes, individuals may complain of increased digestive symptoms like gas and bloating if they eat too much fibre and this can then provide insights into potential dysbiosis or SIBO which require functional digestive testing. If you are experiencing constipation and would like a naturopathic assessment to identify if it’s a lack of dietary fibre or something more that is going on, I am accepting new patients and you can book an appointment by clicking here.
These “poop” bites contain lots of soluble fibre which can help promote bowel movements. If you experience increased bloating or gas from these, consider speaking with your healthcare professional or naturopathic doctor as it may be an indicator of SIBO.
Butterscotch Fibre “Poop” Bites Recipe
Ingredients:
Makes 10 Balls.
2 tbsp Pure Le Natural Psyllium Fibre Husks
1 tbsp brown flax seeds
¾ cup gluten-free or regular rolled oats
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
2 tsp cold-pressed virgin coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp maple syrup
A bit less than ¼ cup Hershey’s Chipits Gluten-Free Butterscotch chips
Method:
1. In a food processor, add the psyllium husks and flax seeds and pulse until the mixture is ground.
2. Place the psyllium mixture in a mixing bowl. Add in the rolled oats.
3. Add in the natural peanut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix everything until combined.
4. Place the mixture back into the food processor and process until the oats are broken down into smaller pieces. They all don’t need to be chopped up or ground but just having them in smaller pieces can minimize too many big chunks and have the mixture blended a bit more.
5. Add the mixture back into the mixing bowl and add the butterscotch chips. Mix to combine everything. It may be easier to mix everything in with clean hands instead of a mixing spoon at this point.
6. Form into 1 tablespoon-sized balls.
7. You can keep them in the fridge to keep them firm otherwise the peanut butter and coconut oil will soften the balls if they are left at room temperature.
8. Leave out for about 5-10 minutes before serving so they become soft.
The ground flax and psyllium combined with the rolled oats, coconut oil, peanut butter, and vanilla extract.
How to consume this health food: Typically consume 1-2 fibre ball per day when feeling constipated - more may increase urgency or feeling bloated.
Flax, oats, and psyllium are considered soluble fibre meaning they form bulk and can help slow down transit time in instances of diarrhea. They can also help with constipation because of adding bulk to the stool but you should consume enough water to help stool pass. Another benefit of soluble fibre is that it can help to lower cholesterol because it binds bile in the gut preventing the bile salts from being recycled. This enables the liver to take in more cholesterol from the blood to make new bile salts aiding to lower blood cholesterol.
Fibre can also increase satiety and slow down the absorption of glucose into the blood preventing a blood sugar spike and allowing for a more gradual rise in blood sugar. This allows for a more gradual rise of insulin and can help to prevent the fatigue, anxiety, shakiness, headaches that come from a blood sugar crash.
For the Science/Health Nerds: When blood sugar spikes really fast, it creates an insulin surge which then drops our blood sugar levels making us feel hungry and leads to sugar cravings. This creates a vicious cycle. Once the drop in blood sugar occurs, this leads to a subsequent rise in cortisol, which is our stress / blood sugar hormone, to help increase blood sugar. This triggers release of insulin. Too much insulin can have negative effects in the body such as contributing to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, weight gain, and inflammation/metabolic disorders.
Protein (amino acids) also trigger insulin release but not as much as glucose. Healthy fats don’t trigger insulin release and this is why keto diets which are high in fat with minimal net carbs (carbs minus fibre) can lower insulin levels. Always speak to your healthcare professional such as a naturopathic doctor to know if the keto diet is for you though. Including protein, healthy fats, and fibre in your meals and snacks can be a good way to minimize insulin secretion, balance blood sugar, and prevent sugar crashes which will help you have more energy in the day. These balls have the fibre; Flax, peanut butter, and coconut oil provide the healthy fats; The protein content is minimal with only some coming from the peanut butter so I wouldn’t consider these protein balls but more “energy balls”.
The only sweetness is from the maple syrup, and if you choose to include the butterscotch chips, there will be some sugar in those. The only reason I really included the butterscotch chips is to make them a bit more palatable for kids as without it, it may be too ‘earthy’ of a taste and this can be a great way to help kids increase fibre because vegetables are often not a fan favourite when it comes to kids. In my clinical practice, I see so many children dealing with constipation and when reviewing their diet, there are mostly grains and carbs but no vegetables and increasing dietary fibre sometimes is alone to help improve bowel movements in kids. Prolonged constipation can contribute gut dysbiosis (microbial imbalance) or even SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).
For the adults, I recommend leaving the butterscotch chips out to minimize your sugar consumption! Sorry!
Nutrition Facts (per ball): 115kcal | Total Carbs: 9.6g | Total Fibre: 3.6g | Total sugar: 3.9g | Total Fat: 7.3g | Total Protein: 3.3g
