Prebiotics are a form of fiber that helps promote the growth of good bacteria in your gut. They're found naturally in some foods, but you can also take them as supplements.
Prebiotics have been shown to help prevent a host of illnesses and conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and diabetes. Prebiotic fiber supplements may also help with weight loss.
What are prebiotics?
You may have heard of probiotics, which are live microorganisms that are good for you and can help support a healthy digestive system. But what about prebiotics?
Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that promote the growth of good bacteria in your gut. They're considered an essential part of a healthy microbiome because they provide food for good bacteria (also called probiotics). The word "pre" means "before," so think of prebiotics as the building blocks or fertilizer that allow your probiotic garden to thrive.
What foods contain prebiotics?
Foods that contain prebiotics include:
fruits and vegetables, like bananas and asparagus
legumes, such as lentils and soybeans
whole grains, such as rye and barley
cultured dairy products like yogurt and kefir
Prebiotic benefits
Supporting a healthy gut.
Promoting weight loss.
Regulating blood sugar levels.
Boosting immune function and reducing inflammation.
Helping to alleviate allergies and asthma symptoms, as well as eczema flare-ups.
Prebiotics and weight loss
To put it simply, prebiotics are a type of fiber that promotes the growth of good bacteria in your intestines.
You might be familiar with probiotics, which are essentially bacteria that you ingest to promote healthy gut flora. Prebiotics—or “pre-biotics”—are foods that contain naturally
occurring fibers (such as inulin) that also feed beneficial bacteria.
These prebiotic fibers make their way through our digestive system and into our colon where they get broken down by resident microbes like Bifidobacterial and Lactobacillus species. These microbes then use these plant-derived carbohydrates as fuel to help them grow and flourish in our guts, improving digestion along the way.
Therefore it's possible for someone without any digestive issues or diseases related directly to their microbiome—like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)—to benefit from eating more foods containing these types of substrates instead of taking supplements made specifically out of them."
If you’re still wondering what prebiotics are and why they’re important, we hope that this article has helped you understand the concept better.
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The Natural Candida Cleanse
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