We’ve heard that the way to someone’s heart is through the stomach, and the way to better health may be there, too. While pre- and probiotics have been around for several years, marketing has helped to make them very popular wen discussing gut health. Let’s discuss some of the benefits and some of the sources that can be added to the diet.
Our digestive system is made up of several different bacteria that we call microbiota. This bacterium is important for digesting food and absorbing nutrients. It also plays a role in immunity, the creation of vitamins, and it is suggested that it may play a role in mental health. Several health conditions like Type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s Disease, and obesity can be linked to our gut bacteria.
So, a happy gut, or a gut with good bacteria, can mean improved health. Several factors can impact our microbiota, including our diet. Factors such as low fiber intake, excess processed foods, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep and high stress levels can all affect gut health. They can lead to high levels of unwanted bacteria, and this is where probiotics can help. A part of their tasks include making sure that our bacteria is balanced, favoring the good bacteria.
Prebiotics for Gut Health
Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that feed the good bacteria in your gut. This means that they can help increase the amount of good bacteria that is available. Some of the benefits of prebiotics include improved GI function, reduced risk of obesity, type 2 DM and metabolic syndrome and increased mineral absorption and bone health.
Sources of prebiotics include high fiber foods such as:
Factors such as low fiber intake, excess processed foods, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep and high stress levels can all affect gut health.
Factors such as low fiber intake, excess processed foods, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep and high stress levels can all affect gut health.
Probiotics for Gut Health
Probiotics are live bacteria that are similar to the good bacteria that naturally live in your gut. They are able to replace the healthy bacteria that has been lost. Some of the benefits of probiotics include improved digestion and immunity and decreased inflammation and cancer risk. I think it’s beneficial to try and include both in our diet to ensure optimal gut health.
Sources of probiotics include:
Adding pre- and probiotics can be done by making some adjustment to our diets. An easy start is to increase fiber intake. Try making oatmeal a breakfast option, adding beans and nuts to meals, or increasing fruits and vegetables. When increasing fiber in the diet, start slowly and make sure you stay hydrated! Also, consider adding fermented foods and beverages to the diet like yogurt, kefir and Kombucha.
If adding a supplement, consider finding a probiotic that also has prebiotics. Also, if choosing prebiotics that are not naturally found in foods, look for some of the following ingredients, as several foods have been mislabeled:
While diet is very important, don’t forget to also work on the other behaviors that also impact microbiota (exercise and stress management). So, now that we know why we want these pre- and probiotics in our routine, let’s cheers (with kombucha or kefir, of course) to improved gut health!
Michelle Maxwell is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. She received her B.S. in Dietetics and M.S. in Nutrition and Food Science from The Florida State University.