Prebiotics & Probiotics-A Beginner's Course

I recently had a friend ask me how to get more probiotics in her diet without eating dairy. Being a yogurt lover, I never really considered alternative ways to get probiotics into my diet. Don't worry there are other options out there! So I was inspired to go ahead and put together a nice little post summarizing the world of pre & probiotics as I know it today.

As you may have heard me say a million times, the science of nutrition is changing so quickly! Not too long ago we were vaguely aware of the differences of "good" and "bad" bacteria not to mention the vast amount of them in our gut, specifically our colon. As the research is revealing the importance of a healthy gut we should mention the ways it can become less than optimal. Damage to our gut flora (bacteria) can be done from a lot of things. The common ones are poor diet, antibiotic use, chronic NSAID use, and other GI infections like food poisoning. So let's get down to the nitty gritty.

Prebiotics

Here is a simple statement: Prebiotics (food) feed probiotics (bacteria). Prebiotics come from different types of carbs, mostly fiber that humans cannot digest. The scientific names for them are inulin, fructooligosaccharides(FOS), and galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS). I know you don't care for the long names but you will be surprised to hear that they are fairly easy to get into your diet.

Prebiotics are typically found in higher amounts in high-fiber fruits and vegetables which makes sense as fiber is fermented in your gut. Garlic, asparagus, onions, flax seeds and artichokes are common foods that have higher concentrations of prebiotics. You can even get them in smaller amounts from bananas, whole wheat, and sweet potatoes according to this article.

Probiotics

The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (AND) defines probiotics well. "Probiotics are the "good" bacteria — or live cultures — just like those naturally found in your gut. These active cultures help change or repopulate intestinal bacteria to balance gut flora". These bad boys have been proposed to have many benefits such as resolving diarrhea/constipation, increased immune function, clear skin, and even be involved in weight loss. Although you can find a study to support anything you want if you really look for it, it is important to know the research is still young and needs to be considered carefully.

Probiotics are commonly found in fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, and kimchi among others. You may be thinking like me and say "I'll stick to my yogurt". However, not all yogurt is made the same. Look for words like "live and active cultures" to ensure the benefit of good bacteria. If the specific type of bacteria is named look for Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, Escherichia, Enterococcus, Bacillus, and Saccharomyces.

I have heard of others taking "shots" of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar to boost probiotic intake. I'm not too sure how effective this is. Below is a cute picture I found from Thryve. I'm not an advocate of drinking raw milk. The cons outweigh the pros on that one.

Supplements

This is a common question I have been asked about. Unfortunately, probiotics aren't regulated well. Depending on the claim a bottle may make will determine whether it can be produced. Natren has a short and sweet article discussing the difficulties in probiotic regulation. To make things a little more difficult, no adequate intake has been defined so knowing the amount to take (amount defined as CFU's). This article has a list of common supplements recommended from a dietitian more familiar with the differences if you're considering supplementing. As always please consult your physician before starting a regimen.

Final Thoughts

The future is exciting for this particular field in the nutrition world. A hospital I interned at actually made it protocol to add a supplement to those who had C-diff because they believe it helped. So before we go crazy with supplements let's stick with increasing our intake of fruits and vegetables and pairing our pre and probiotic foods to try to maximize these potential benefits! As always send me an email at palacios.nutrition@gmail.com if you have any additional questions!