Whether you’re ready to take your wellness up another notch or pivot to something a little different, one thing that can benefit us all: gut health.
If you’ve ever gone down the rabbit hole of gut health, you know how quickly things get confusing. There are so many factors and still a lot of room for research. As with most nutrition-related topics, information is not black and white. Factor in marketing that tells you to “buy this product” or “follow this gut health regime”, and it can be even more difficult to know where to start.
Let’s take it back to the basics, starting with probiotics and prebiotics.
Prebiotics vs. Probiotics
You’ve heard of them, but what’s the difference? Do you need to supplement one or the other? Both?
Probiotics
You have billions of microbes living in your gut: bacteria, viruses, fungi, and more. Sounds gross, but all of these play an important role in gut health, which affects the entire body. Some microbes promote disease, while others fight it; in the end, balance is key.
Probiotics are the “good guys” when it comes to balance in the gut. These bacteria help fight the disease promoters and maintain balance.
How to get more probiotics
You can get probiotics from food or from a supplement. Some food sources include:
Yogurt
Kefir
Miso
Tempeh
Kombucha
Kimchi
Sauerkraut
As more people prioritize gut health, some wellness brands have started fortifying their products with probiotics. When shopping for yogurt or anything fortified with probiotics, be sure to look for “live and active cultures” on the label.
Taking a supplement is the most convenient way to increase your probiotic intake. Again, look for “live and active cultures” and at least 1 billion Colony Forming Units (CFUs) per dose.
But do you NEED more?
It depends. Increasing your probiotic intake (through food or a supplement) can indeed play a beneficial role in immune health, metabolic function, cancer prevention, brain function, allergies, and more.
Some conditions, lifestyle factors, and medications decrease beneficial bacteria in the gut. Taking probiotics may help to ease symptoms from some of those conditions.
Examples include:
GI conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis
Antibiotic use
Stress
Lack of diversity in the diet (ex: not eating many fruits and veggies)
Smoking and/or drinking
Generally, healthy people are just fine eating probiotic-rich foods regularly to support gut health. But if you’re on a mission to optimize your gut health, it doesn’t hurt to look into trying a supplement.
Prebiotics
These are compounds that “feed” the good bacteria in the gut so they can flourish and fight off harmful microbes. When broken down, they create short-chain fatty acids, which provide energy to the cells that line your colon, protect against digestive disorders, and fight inflammation. Prebiotics don’t stop their work in the gut. The “food” they produce also travels through the bloodstream to benefit organs all throughout the body.
How to get more
You can find prebiotics in:
Almonds
Flaxseed
Legumes
Bananas
Oats
Garlic
Asparagus
Seaweed
…and more! However, the concentration in food isn’t very high. In some cases, it might be helpful to take a prebiotic supplement.
Do I need more?
Are prebiotics really worth your time, or just another trend? Again, it depends. Prebiotics can lower inflammation, support the immune system, and improve your mood. If you eat a varied diet with plenty of fiber, a prebiotic supplement probably isn’t necessary. If you want to boost your prebiotic intake for gut health, a supplement is safe to try.
A good place to start for gut health
“Gut health” has turned into a trendy buzzphrase in nutrition, but this is one trend we can definitely get behind. If nothing else, knowing the basics about probiotics and prebiotics can motivate you to incorporate more variety and more plant-based foods into your diet. Which, for most of us, will be all that is necessary. Don’t let gut health overwhelm you!
If you decide to try a supplement, start slow and talk to your health care provider so they can guide you in choosing the best strain and dose for your specific needs.
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