As the bacteria living inside are known, the bacteria in your stomach never let foods go to waste. These helpful microorganisms support digestion and break down food, strengthening your immune system and reducing inflammation. But what sustains those beneficial tiny bugs? How can you make that bacterium more helpful to you? The solution is prebiotics.
Prebiotic fibre promotes beneficial gut flora, which is good for your immune system and digestion. However, not all prebiotic fibres are the same and not all dietary fibre is a prebiotic fibre. Prebiotics are helpful, and this article gathered materials on them and their advantages, ideal sources, and more.
What are Prebiotics?
When taken in sufficient quantities, probiotics live bacteria isolated from human intestines have been demonstrated to have positive benefits. Dietary supplements and meals fermented like yoghurt, kombucha, and tempeh contain probiotics. After ingestion, the bacteria must endure stomach acid and bile to reach your colon and connect with the other live microorganisms. Only then can they be said to be probiotics. They must be able to endure that atmosphere once they get there. These beneficial microbes may do more for you if you have a more comprehensive range of them.
Prebiotics serve as a food supply for the bacteria in your stomach, and they must travel to your colon without being digested. To live, the bacteria there metabolise and ferment the prebiotics. Because it generates several other helpful byproducts, this metabolism and fermentation process is good for the health of your gut.
Depending upon the prebiotic, various short-chain fatty acids are produced when it is broken down by the bacteria in your gut. Consequently, these short-chain fatty acids assist in creating mucus, inflammation, and immunity, in addition to giving your colon cells energy.
What are the Three Most Researched Prebiotics?
Galactooligosaccharides (GOS), fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) are the prebiotics that have been studied the most.
Galactooligosaccharides (Gos)
Prebiotics, known as galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), are formed of chains of connected plant sugars. Dairy products, legumes, and certain root vegetables all contain them. Prebiotics provide “good” microorganisms in the colon with nourishment. They enter the colon undigested, where they increase intestinal bulk and encourage the development of certain bacteria.
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)
Fruits and vegetables contain various plant sugars called fructooligosaccharides (FOS). They are employed as prebiotics and may also be created in a lab. FOS are broken down once they are in the colon. Then, they are broken down in the colon by healthy microorganisms. They are utilised as prebiotics because they promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. Probiotics (healthy bacteria) use prebiotics as nourishment.
Partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG)
A lesser-known prebiotic that is also quite beneficial and has a lot of research behind it. To avoid confusion with guar gum, which is digested quite differently in the body, meet partly hydrolyzed guar gum. Guar gum is a thickener and stabiliser often used in items such asguar gum Powder juice, ice cream, syrup, ketchup, and sauces. Given its high viscosity, several researchers disagree that it is a fibre.
What are Some Healthy Prebiotic Foods?
Prebiotics are kinds of natural fibre that may be found in fruits, vegetables, and legumes. You won’t need to take any supplements if you eat many prebiotic foods. Good sources of prebiotics in food include:
● Beans, peas, and other legumes
● Oats
● Bananas
● Berries
● Jerusalem artichokes
● Asparagus
● green dandelion
● Garlic
● Leeks
● Onions
● Chicory root
● Barley
● Apples
● Konjac root
● Cocoa
● Burdock root
● Flaxseeds
● Jicama
● Wheat bran
● Seaweed
Eat many prebiotic and probiotic foods since they best balance healthy and harmful gut flora.
Prebiotics provide some advantages and are crucial for preserving the health of your gut, which in turn enhances your general well-being. You may discover the optimal prebiotic sources for you and your digestion among the wide variety of prebiotic-rich foods available, including prebiotic chocolate.
What Advantages Do Prebiotics Have?
Prebiotics have several advantages that go beyond merely improving digestion. A healthy or diseased gut influences some bodily functions and your general health. According to studies, prebiotics may:
● Increase metabolism and digestion
● Aid in controlling bowel motions
● Uptake of calcium and increase in bone density
● Regulate insulin resistance and blood sugar levels
● Encourage the synthesis of hormones that help to control appetite
● Less body inflammation symptoms
● Boost your immune system
● Aid in maintaining and balancing hormone levels
● Decrease allergy risk
● Decrease cardiovascular disease risk
● Control emotions and lower stress hormone levels
● Lower amount of cholesterol
● Colon cancer risk is decreased
What’s The Difference Between Probiotics And Prebiotics?
Both prebiotics and probiotics assist in various ways to promote the good bacteria and other organisms in your gut that help you digest. Probiotics are living organisms included in certain meals and increase the microorganisms in your gut. They are often specific strains of bacteria and yeast. Prebiotics are naturally occurring dietary ingredients, not actual live things. Prebiotics provide probiotics with meals so they can develop. So, prebiotics are essential for probiotics to maintain and increase the health of your digestive system.
In Summary
Probiotics are undoubtedly something you’ve heard of before, whether through your doctor, advertisements, or even blogs on healthy living. But prebiotics—have you ever heard of them? Prebiotics are crucial to your gut health, much like probiotics. Some meals that the body cannot digest include prebiotics as an ingredient. They feed the good bacteria and other creatures that live in the stomach.
