Clear explanations of nutrition concepts such as protein, fiber, glycemic response, energy density and nutrient quality.
Galactooligosaccharides, or GOS, are short oligosaccharides made mainly from galactose. Most commercial GOS are produced from lactose using beta-galactosidase enzymes that build new galactose-containing linkages. Human enzymes digest these structures poorly, so much of the ingredient reaches the colon, where bifidobacteria and other microbes can use it.
Isomaltulose is made from one glucose and one fructose molecule, just like sucrose, but the two sugars are connected by a different bond. Intestinal sucrase-isomaltase breaks that bond more slowly, so glucose and fructose enter circulation more gradually. Unlike low-calorie rare sugars, however, isomaltulose is absorbed almost completely and ultimately provides about the same energy as ordinary sugar.
D-tagatose is a rare monosaccharide closely related to fructose. It tastes much closer to sucrose than most high-intensity sweeteners, while only part is absorbed and metabolized in the conventional way. FDA recognizes an energy value of 1.5 calories per gram in the United States. Because tagatose also supplies bulk and participates in browning, it can behave more like sugar in food formulation than stevia or sucralose.
Resistant dextrin is a starch-derived glucose polymer in which processing creates bonds that human digestive enzymes cannot easily break. Unlike conventional maltodextrin, a substantial fraction reaches the colon. Because it is soluble, stable, and low-viscosity, manufacturers can add several grams to drinks or foods without creating a thick gel. FDA recognizes the resistant dextrin/resistant maltodextrin category as dietary fiber.
Maltodextrin is a carbohydrate made by partially breaking down starch from corn, potato, rice, wheat, or other sources into shorter glucose chains. It dissolves easily, is only mildly sweet, and works well for adding body, carrying flavors, drying ingredients, and providing rapidly available carbohydrate. Unlike resistant dextrin, ordinary maltodextrin is readily digested and can raise blood glucose quickly.
Polydextrose is a highly branched glucose polymer manufactured so human digestive enzymes cannot easily break most of its bonds. It supplies bulk with little sweetness and relatively little energy, making it useful for adding fiber and replacing part of the sugar or fat in bars, desserts, drinks, and lower-calorie foods. In the colon it is fermented relatively slowly and can influence microbial activity and bowel function.
Soluble corn fiber is a corn-starch-derived ingredient processed to create glucose linkages that human digestive enzymes do not readily break. Although the name may sound similar to corn syrup or ordinary maltodextrin, a substantial fraction resists small-intestinal digestion and reaches the colon. Its neutral taste and low viscosity let manufacturers add several grams of fiber to beverages, bars, and dairy products without making them thick.
Oat beta-glucan is a soluble fiber that forms viscous solutions in the gut. That viscosity helps explain its well-studied relationship with modest reductions in LDL cholesterol. Meta-analyses of randomized trials commonly use at least 3 g/day and find significant decreases in LDL and total cholesterol. The amount of oats needed to provide 3 g varies because beta-glucan concentration differs among products.
“Fibermixxing” is a recent label for looking not only at total fiber grams but also at the types and food sources providing them. The term gained visibility in 2026 as a follow-on to fibermaxxing. The scientifically useful part is that dietary fibers differ in viscosity, fermentability, solubility, and structure, so psyllium, oat beta-glucan, inulin, resistant starch, and bran are not physiologically interchangeable.
Allulose, also called D-psicose, is a monosaccharide structurally related to fructose that occurs naturally in small amounts in selected foods. Much of it is absorbed but very little is metabolized for energy, so it contributes far fewer calories than sucrose. In the United States, FDA allows a value of 0.4 kcal/g and permits allulose to be excluded from Total Sugars and Added Sugars while remaining in Total Carbohydrate.
Monk fruit, or luo han guo, is Siraitia grosvenorii, a fruit native to southern China. Concentrated extracts contain mogrosides, the compounds responsible for intense sweetness. FDA reports that extracts can be roughly 100–250 times sweeter than sucrose depending on mogroside content. Because only a tiny amount is required, many tabletop monk-fruit sweeteners contain far more erythritol or another bulking ingredient than actual extract.
Polenta is a preparation: a thick porridge made by cooking ground grain in water. Today the word usually means medium- or coarse-ground yellow or white corn. A package labeled “polenta” may therefore be ordinary cornmeal milled to a useful particle size for the dish. The meaningful differences are usually grind size, whether germ and bran remain, and whether the product was precooked.