The lowdown on pre and probiotics with The Gut Stuff
We’ve all heard about the microbes that help us maintain a healthy gut but it can be complex to get your head around. One common question is, what’s the difference between prebiotics and probiotics and what do they do? We asked gut health experts The Gut Stuff to take us through the facts. These helpful […]
We’ve all heard about the microbes that help us maintain a healthy gut but it can be complex to get your head around. One common question is, what’s the difference between prebiotics and probiotics and what do they do?
We asked gut health experts The Gut Stuff to take us through the facts. These helpful microbes kinda sound the same, but they鈥檙e different, and you need BOTH for a healthy gut.
probiotics
A probiotic = a live microorganism that when eaten/drunk in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host (you!).
Probiotics can be in food and drink form or in supplement form but not all probiotics are created equal 鈥 different strains have different effects, and some might have no effect at all, it all depends on the individual and if there is a particular issue at hand.聽 For example, one brand of Greek yogurt contains live cultures: Bifidobacterium, lactobacillus Bulgaricus, Streptococus, whereas another contains: Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, S Thermophilus, L Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casdei. Diversity is key for gut health!聽
what foods contain probiotics
Foods containing probiotics (live bacteria) include live yoghurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, miso and kombucha. Make sure you check on the back of the label to see if the product has been pasteurised (for shelf life and to get rid of potentially harmful bacteria) that bacteria has been added back in. Just like yoghurt, try getting a mix of different types across the course of your week (we like to experiment and make our own sauerkraut as it鈥檚 cheap and super easy).
probiotic supplements
It鈥檚 tough to decipher facts versus expensive marketing jargon to work out which products are efficacious. We鈥檇 advise focusing on the different STRAINS of bacteria in a product and researching a bit about what that particular strain is good for. Science is rapidly evolving around the use of specific strains for certain conditions. There is no one-size-fits-all all.
Steer clear of anything promising to 鈥渃ure鈥 or 鈥渢reat鈥 鈥 probiotics are not medicines, not yet at least.
what's the plus of probiotics
Although probiotics aren鈥檛 medicines, they鈥檙e similar to medicine in how you take them, e.g. they should only be considered in specific circumstances. Think of it this way, if you had arthritis you wouldn鈥檛 start taking medication to treat diabetes right? Same applies with probiotics. Everyone’s guts look different, and so far the research doesn鈥檛 support taking a generalised probiotic to support 鈥榞eneral鈥 gut health – following tips and tricks like eating a wide variety of plant-based foods is the best way to do this.
All of this being said, this is an exciting area of research, with more and more studies showing where they could be beneficial. There are several areas of health, that probiotic supplements have been studied and found they may improve symptoms of or help to prevent the following health conditions:
鈥 Atopic dermatitis
鈥 Antibiotic-associated diarrhoea
鈥 Irritable Bowel Syndrome
鈥 Hypercholesterolemia
It鈥檚 important to note probiotics are not a replacement for medicine or any other guidance for these conditions. As this is an emerging area of research, more research is needed to be conclusive, and may not be applicable for everyone – always speak to your healthcare provider first.
prebiotics
Fun fact, fibre is a prebiotic food. The official definition (ahem) of a prebiotic = a specific type of fibre and are the food for good bacteria.
Prebiotics as we now know, are essentially a type of dietary fibre that feeds specific beneficial microbes (clever guys!). BUT, whilst prebiotics are dietary fibres, it doesn鈥檛 mean all dietary fibres are prebiotics – couldn鈥檛 be that simple could it!?
How come? Fair question, the main reason is that not all dietary fibre can be eaten by our gut microbiome (how fussy!), therefore, it wouldn鈥檛 be classed as a prebiotic. PLUS to get the prestigious title of prebiotic, it will have had to have been shown to have health benefits in several scientific trials (no easy feat).
what foods contain prebiotics
Gut news, they鈥檙e found in over 35,000 plant species, so no shortage! Some great sources of prebiotic foods include; onion, garlic, leeks, bananas, asparagus, artichokes, olives, plums, apples, plus wholegrains like oats, bran and nuts such as almonds.
what's the plus of prebiotics?
Yet, another reason to love fibre, prebiotics can change the composition of your gut microbes by stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria. Plus research has shown a link between higher prebiotic intake and certain health benefits, including; improved blood sugar control and appetite, to improved immune functioning.
For most of us we don鈥檛 need to 鈥榯ake鈥 a prebiotic, instead, it is recommended we take advantage of the delicious naturally occurring prebiotics in food to feed our gut microbes.
But remember if you need a little helping hand, especially with hitting your fibre goals (of 30g fibre a day!), The Gut Stuff high fibre pop contains a whopping 10g of prebiotic fibre (thats 1/3rd of your daily intake).
You can sip like you give a sh*t with two free cans of Gut Stuff fibre pop included while stocks last with every 24 pack of 葫芦影业 cans.
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