Heather's Tummy Fiber™ Supplement Acacia is a natural, pure, organic, soluble dietary fiber produced from the gum of the Acacia tree (also known as gum arabic). Acacia is a natural plant water-soluble fiber that has been harvested for millenia in Africa; its recorded dietary use dates back to the Egyptian pharaohs.

Clinical studies have shown that soluble fiber, as part of the diet:

• Helps soothe and regulate bowel motility
• Relieves abdominal pain and cramping by stabilizing intestinal contractions
• Alleviates BOTH diarrhea and constipation

Heather's Tummy Fiber™ Acacia also:

• Increases good gut flora - it's considered a prebiotic, and significantly bifidogenic
• Has excellent gastrointestinal tolerance
• Slows down colonic fermentation (decreasing gas and bloating)
• Is completely safe and healthy for daily, lifelong use
• Is a traditional remedy for pregnancy/post-partum nausea & bowel dysfunction
• Is safe for use in children
• Has no gluten, sugar, salt, artificial sweeteners, citric acid, or yeast

Pure soluble fiber supplements are helpful not just for IBS, but also for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis, plus diverticulosis and diverticulitis.

Soluble fiber will not compromise normal bowel function at all once it gets your IBS symptoms under control - it will simply keep things in that normal state. A soluble fiber supplement is meant to keep your GI tract running smoothly, comfortably, and pain-free on a day-to-day basis, now and forever. Heather's Tummy Fiber™ is is NOT a drug, it is NOT a laxative, it is NOT an anti-diarrheal medication. Acacia is simply an organic, prebiotic soluble fiber supplement with absolutely nothing else added, and it normalizes bowel function naturally in the same manner as soluble fiber foods. It is considered a medical food for the dietary management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Heather's Tummy Fiber™ Acacia Supplement is certified and guaranteed organic:

• without pesticide
• without fertilizer
• harvested through farming which respects the environment
• traceability of each batch demonstrated from the orchard to the customer
• certified by ECOCERT F - 32600, organization ruled by European norms

• As part of the diet, regulates bowel motility
• Relieves IBS constipation AND diarrhea
• Dietary soluble fiber; not insoluble fiber
• Certified organic by QAI ~ Kosher certified
• Has a prebiotic effect; increases good gut flora
• Has no additives, fillers, colors, or flavors
• Tasteless, odorless, colorless, grit-free
• Will not thicken on standing - No choking risk!

• Add Acacia to cup, then add liquid
• Or, add Acacia to moist foods
• 1 level teaspoon = 2.5 grams soluble fiber
• Start with a low dose and gradually increase
• Take 1-3 times a day

Heather's Tummy Fiber™ Supplement Frequently Asked Questions

How does Acacia organic soluble fiber work to prevent pain, constipation, AND diarrhea?

The "soluble" in soluble fiber means that it dissolves in water (though it is not digested). This allows it to absorb excess liquid in the colon, preventing diarrhea by forming a thick gel and adding a great deal of bulk as it passes intact through the gut. This gel (as opposed to a watery liquid) also keeps the GI muscles stretched gently around a full colon, giving those muscles something to easily "grip" during peristaltic contractions, thus preventing the rapid transit time and explosive bowel movements of diarrhea as well.

By the same token, the full gel-filled colon (as opposed to a colon tightly clenched around dry, hard, impacted stools) provides the same "grip" during the muscle waves of constipation sufferers, allowing for an easier and faster transit time, and the passage of the thick wet gel also effectively relieves constipation by softening and pushing through impacted fecal matter. If you can mentally picture your colon as a tube that is squeezing through matter via regular waves of contractions, it's easy to see how a colon filled with soluble fiber gel is beneficial for both sides of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome coin.

As a glorious bonus, normalizing the contractions of the colon triggered by your gastrocolic reflex (from too fast or too slow speeds), prevents the violent and irregular spasms that result in the lower abdominal cramping pain that cripples so many Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients.

Best of all, Heather's Tummy Fiber™ Supplement can be taken daily forever with no harmful side effects or risk of addiction. In fact, soluble fiber has health benefits far beyond managing IBS, as it's been shown to lower LDL ("bad") blood cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of heart disease, and minimize colon cancer risks. Soluble fiber also slows the absorption of fats and carbohydrates into the bloodstream, which improves glycemic control and helps prevent the formation of free radicals. In addition, it lowers insulin requirements, and is thus helpful for diabetics.

Clinical studies have also shown that Heather's Tummy Fiber™ Supplement has some special benefits, and advantages over other types of soluble fiber supplements. In the large intestine, Acacia fiber stimulates the development of bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria, leading to the production of large amounts of short chain fatty acids which play numerous beneficial roles in the physiology of the human body. In addition, consumption of Acacia fiber at dose levels lower than 15 grams/day caused none of the gastro-intestinal symptoms seen with other soluble fiber supplements (gas, bloating, cramps).

"How do I switch to Acacia fiber from another fiber supplement?"

If you've been taking another dietary soluble fiber supplement (Benefiber, Fibercon, Citrucel, etc.) and you're simply switching to Acacia fiber, calculate your current daily fiber supplement dosage in grams (your bottle label will have this information) and begin with the equivalent amount of grams of Acacia fiber. One level teaspoon of Acacia has about 2.5 grams of fiber; one level tablespoon of Acacia has about 7.5 grams of fiber.

"How much should I take? How often? When?"

If you're not currently taking a soluble fiber supplement, begin with a low dose of Acacia fiber (try 1/2 level teaspoon twice daily) and gradually increase. This means a level measuring/baking teaspoon - not a teaspoon that you'd use to stir a drink or eat soup. A utensil teaspoon is much larger than a measuring teaspoon. And a level teaspoon is about half of a fully rounded teaspoon. So you can inadvertently start at a much higher dose than intended if you're not using a level measuring teaspoon. As you gradually increase your dose, you can get to a maximum level of about three tablespoons a day total (divided doses are preferable). This means a measuring/baking tablespoon. You do not HAVE to get to the maximum dose, and if you stabilize at a lower dose please feel free to stay there. Take your time as you increase your dose - slow and steady is much, much better than racing to a higher dose before your gut is used to the increase in fiber.

Raise your Acacia fiber dosage level by 1/2 - 1 teaspoon at a time, every few days or every week, until your bowel function has stabilized. Diarrhea and spasms should resolve in just a few days, especially as you increase your fiber dose; constipation, particularly if it has been chronic and severe, may take several weeks. Try to gradually increase your Heather's Tummy Fiber™ until you're taking 15-25 grams daily (this is about 2-3 level tablespoons); if you stabilize at a lower dose, simply stay there. It's always best to divide your daily dosage of Acacia into two or three doses (or even four), as the whole point of taking a soluble fiber supplement is to keep your gut filled with soluble fiber at all times. This will help to prevent bowel dysfunction and abdominal pain in the first place, and with IBS it's always better to keep yourself stable and head off problems, instead of trying to resolve attacks once they've begun.

I find it most helpful to take Acacia on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning and again before meals. It provides a great soluble fiber supplement "buffer" for meals that follow, and it's a terrific way to get and keep myself stable as soon as I roll out of bed. It also gives a good safety margin when I've gone too long without eating, or when I know I'll be eating a meal that is too high in fat or insoluble fiber for digestive safety. This is most often a factor with restaurant meals, so I make a habit of taking Acacia right before I leave the house to go out to eat. If mornings are your worst time of day as they are mine, taking a fiber supplement dose just before you go to bed at night can help head off problems when you arise.

Though Heather's Tummy Fiber™ has the benefits of all soluble fiber supplements in terms of helping to normalize bowel function and motility, clinical studies have shown that it also increases good gut flora. This is why Acacia will actively help reduce bloating and gas, wherease other types of fiber supplements (particularly psyllium, inulin, and for some folks guar gum as well) can worsen these symptoms. The prebiotic effect of Acacia (this simply means that it supports the growth of probiotics - beneficial bacteria - in your gut) can show very quickly or can take several weeks of daily use. In essence, the Acacia supplement is building up the beneficial flora in your GI tract to a healthy level, and how quickly you see results from this can depend on the state of your gut flora in the first place.

The active benefits from Heather's Tummy Fiber™ supplement in terms of a reduction in gas and bloating are separate from the fact that this fiber supplement is less likely to cause gas and bloating in the first place. This aspect of Acacia is termed its "gastrointestinal tolerance" - Acacia fiber actually slows down colonic fermentation, which decreases gas and bloating. This means that on top of the fact that you should see a reduction in gas and bloating once the prebiotic effect is in full swing, you also should not see any increase in gas or bloating when you start the fiber supplement in the first place.

"Should I take it in hot or cold liquids? In foods?"

Heather's Tummy Fiber™, like all soluble fiber supplements, needs plenty of water in order to work properly. Take each dose of Acacia fiber with an 8 ounce glass of water (more if you like), and make sure that you're drinking a bare minimum of 64 ounces of water daily. Helpful herbal teas like fennel, peppermint, and chamomile will count towards your water intake. You can also add Acacia directly to your herbal teas, or sprinkle on any moist foods, such as cereals, pastas, puddings, etc. You can add a few tablespoons of Acacia to many recipes as you cook to get extra soluble fiber in your meals. This works very well with soups, rice dishes, casseroles, hot cereals, and more.

Acacia dissolves best in cold or warm - not hot - liquids. It's very helpful to add Acacia to your empty glass first, and then add the liquid, stirring with a fork as the liquid fills the glass. If the Acacia does not dissolve completely right away, simply let the glass sit for about 30 seconds, and then stir again.

"Is Acacia high carb? Will it make me gain weight? Can I take it if I'm diabetic?"

For folks who are worried about weight gain, glycemic control, diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), or their carbohydrate intake, Heather's Tummy Fiber™ is a great way to get the benefits of soluble fiber without any carbohydrates or calories. The FDA has declared water-soluble gums such as Acacia to be a good source of soluble dietary fiber, which by definition means that they are not digested in the human gut. However, the FDA has also mandated that the caloric value of gums be declared as a carbohydrate with 4 calories per gram. The FDA is currently being petitioned by scientists on the Calorie Control Council to change this mandate, as it has been established that gums do not contribute calories as carbohydrates do, since gums are not completely metabolized in the body. In plain English, this simply means that though FDA labeling requires all dietary soluble fiber supplements, including Acacia, to list a calorie content, in reality there are virtually no calories in Heather's Tummy Fiber™ at all.

The net result of this is that with the Acacia fiber supplement you are getting all of the benefits of soluble fiber without any carbohydrates or calories. For diabetes and other diseases, there are terrific advantages to a diet high in soluble fiber. Soluble fiber slows the rate of carbohydrate absorption (this gives an advantage to taking Heather's Tummy Fiber™ right before a meal), improves regulation of blood sugar, and lowers insulin requirements. Soluble fiber also decreases LDL ("bad") blood cholesterol levels, and therefore reduces the risk of heart disease, which is a serious risk for diabetics. PCOS patients are often found to have insulin resistance, and soluble fiber can help to stabilize their blood sugar levels by slowing the absorption of food sugars into the bloodstream, and therefore decreasing the insulin secretion of the pancreas.

"Is Heather's Tummy Fiber™ kosher?"

Yes, Heather's Tummy Fiber™ is certified kosher. The certifying authority is Beth Din de Paris, an internationally approved body whose seal is accepted by almost all others ( the Orthodox Union, Circle K, CRC, etc.) in the US. Heather's Tummy Fiber™ is not certified kosher for Passover.

"How is Acacia certified organic?"

Heather's Tummy Fiber™ is certified organic right from the origin by our supplier's certifying agency, Ecocert International. One of their agents personnally goes into the Acacia orchards (which are located in the Dourbali region of Chad, in Africa) to certify each harvesting area. After harvest, the incoming bags of raw Acacia are assigned their "organic" identification, which follows the Acacia through the entire packing and shipping process. This organic traceability is carried directly from the plant to our customers.