Many people shy away from slimy or slippery-textured foods, but these foods are rich in soluble dietary fiber, which is excellent for gut health. Geneticist Dr. Zhang Jiaming highlights that okra, Chinese yam, wood ear mushrooms, kelp, and kombu are favorites of gut-friendly bacteria. Consuming them helps stabilize blood sugar, boost satiety, and may even reduce the risk of fatty liver, irritable bowel syndrome, and colorectal cancer.
On his Facebook page, Dr. Zhang explained that these slippery foods contain soluble fibers mainly composed of pectin, plant gums, mucilaginous polysaccharides, β-glucans, and resistant oligosaccharides. These fibers absorb water to form a gel-like structure that stays longer in the intestines, serving as a key energy source for gut microbiota.
Humans can’t digest these fibers directly, but gut bacteria can. When they consume the gel-like molecules, they convert the fibers into signaling molecules known as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including acetate, propionate, and butyrate. Butyrate is particularly crucial—not only is it the primary energy source for colon cells, but it also regulates gene expression by inhibiting histone deacetylases, which helps reduce long-term activation of inflammation-related genes.
Eating slippery-textured foods can also increase satiety. SCFAs activate G-protein-coupled receptors in the gut, prompting the release of glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY), which regulate appetite, blood sugar, and gastric emptying. This is the same pathway targeted by clinical weight-loss injections, which mimic or enhance this physiological effect. Slower gastric emptying and stable blood sugar naturally contribute to a feeling of fullness.
Dr. Zhang further warned that a long-term lack of soluble dietary fiber forces gut bacteria to feed on protein and intestinal mucus instead, producing ammonia, amines, branched-chain fatty acids, and excessive secondary bile acids. This gradually weakens the intestinal barrier, triggers erratic inflammation signals, and is closely linked to insulin resistance, fatty liver, IBS, and colorectal cancer.
He recommends including a moderate, varied intake of fiber-rich slippery foods in daily meals, giving gut bacteria time to adapt. Rotate vegetables, legumes, mushrooms, and seaweed, prioritizing whole foods rather than relying on refined powders.
