Probiotics, also known as beneficial bacteria, have
hit the mainstream market with gusto, and can now be found not only as
supplements in health food stores but also are added to popular foods like
yogurt, protein bars, kefir and even ice cream.
With revenues of $1.3 billion, and about 150
companies already devoted to the probiotics market in North America
alone, the stage is set for these functional foods to really take off.
In case you haven’t heard, probiotics are most
widely known for optimizing the microflora in your gut, thereby enhancing
digestive health.
But they have also been highlighted as beneficial
for a laundry list of other health conditions, from diabetes and mental health
issues to obesity.
While recognition for probiotics is growing strong,
their lesser-known “cousins,” prebiotics, are much less talked about — but they
deserve their own fair share of the limelight.
What are prebiotics?
Prebiotics are non-digestible substances that
stimulate the growth and/or activity of beneficial microorganisms like
probiotics in your digestive tract.
In other words, prebiotics “feed” the probiotics in
your gut, allowing them to flourish. When probiotics and prebiotics are taken
together, they are called “synbiotics,” which work synergistically to enhance
the probiotics’ beneficial effects.
There is some evidence that prebiotics may,
directly or indirectly, benefit your immune system, as well as improve gastrointestinal health and possibly enhance
the absorption of minerals like calcium and magnesium. Their primary role,
however, at least as it’s been discovered so far, is to promote the growth of
beneficial bacterial, allowing you to reap their full protective benefits to
your health.
In addition to improving your digestive health,
emerging evidence suggests enhancing the proliferation of probiotics in your
gut, which prebiotics have been proven to do, may benefit:
·
Immune response
·
Diarrhoea (including antibiotic-associated diarrhoea)
·
Respiratory infections
·
Inflammatory bowel disease
What are the Best Prebiotic
Foods?
The dietary fiber inulin (or fructan) is one of the
most common types of naturally occurring prebiotics. Inulin is found in many
root vegetables, including:
·
Asparagus
·
Garlic
·
Leeks
·
Onion
·
Artichokes
·
Jicama root
Another common source of prebiotics, which is often
added to supplements and prebiotic-fortified foods, is FOS, or
fructo-oligosaccharides.
Both Jerusalem artichokes and chicory root are excellent
natural sources of FOS, if you would like to get them from dietary sources
instead of supplements. Bananas and whole grains also contain some prebiotics.
By making sure you are giving your body’s
beneficial microorganisms proper “food” (prebiotics stimulate the growth of
more than just probiotics, per say), you can help support the living
“ecosystem” in your gut, and ensure the bacteria your body needs to thrive will
overpower those that cause disease.
For another effective way (perhaps the most effective
way) to eliminate harmful bacteria — and parasites — from your body, check out
the five-step process outlined in this absolutely FREE book somecall the “natural health bible”
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