Probiotics vs. Prebiotics: Naturally change your microbiome with these 10 foods

Health

Feb 23

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are the actual beneficial bacteria that make up your microbiome. One of the main qualities for assessing a probiotic is how well it makes it to its destination i.e. the gut. It is a long journey for the tiny bacteria — including GI juices, detergent salts, and pH changes all meant to aid in digestion. Only quality bacteria are able to finish the marathon and make it through the harsh environment of our bodies to repopulate our intestines and gut.

What are prebiotics?

Prebiotics, often plant fiber, serve as primarily the food source keeping your beneficial bacteria alive. You can imagine after such a long journey, living in a harsh environment, and aiding in the hard work of digestion, our tiny bacteria are hungry! That is where prebiotics come into the picture. A good prebiotic source is not easily broken allowing it to reach the gut, giving our gut bacteria a chance to feast on a high fiber food source.

Why are plants the best natural prebiotic source?

Plants have a tough outer cell wall — tough enough to avoid complete digestion on its journey to our gut. Not to mention plants and bacteria have a symbiotic relationship, meaning they evolved together and aid in each other’s survival.

What is the microbiome?

The microbiome is the total makeup of microbes (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses) that live in or on the human body. The microbiome can be found on the skin, glands, saliva, and more. When most people speak on the microbiome they are speaking of the gut microbiome which is the make-up of organisms that reside in our gut or GI tract.

The Microbiome Island - our guts ecosystem

More evidence is showing that our microbiome is unique to every individual, even when comparing twins. Think of our bodies like a group of islands, which start out with the same species of animal and plant life, that then over the years evolve distinct traits to meet the environment of each island (thanks, Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and his love of studying finches!) Our gut bacteria and microbiome operate in the same way. With such a unique microbiome for each individual it is important to find the diet and routine that works for you.

Balancing the microbiome - creating a healthy ecosystem

A balanced microbiome means increasing the number of good bacteria while decreasing the number of bad bacteria. The microbiome can be changed in many ways and in as little as 24 hours. One of the ways to balance the microbiome is by consuming probiotics and prebiotics on a daily basis.

What can a balanced microbiome do for you?

Help your weight (1,2 3)

Help your heart (4)

Improve IBS/IBD & leaky gut (5, 6, 7, 8)

Heart Health & Cholesterol (9 ,10)

Brain Health & Anxiety (11)

Mental Health & Depression (12, 13, 14)

Improve mood (15,16)

Probiotic foods

Kimchi
Kombucha
Kefir
Miso
Pickles

Honorable mentions: yogurt (dairy-free), sauerkraut, tempeh

What about probiotics in pill form? While it won’t hurt, not everyone needs probiotics in pill form, especially when you are incorporating one probiotic and one prebiotic natural food source with every meal. However, those who struggle with IBS/IBD and other gut-related issues may find they need additional help. For example, I began to notice a major positive shift in gut health when I began incorporating the pill form probiotic Visbiome into my daily regimen. Expensive, yes. Worth it, yes.

Prebiotic foods

Bananas (slow carb)
Oats (gluten-free)
Asparagus
Garlic (anti-microbial?)
Onion

Honorable mentions: Jerusalem artichokes, beans & legumes, flaxseeds, dandelion greens, apples

Gut sensitive people should watch out for certain prebiotics such as beans & legumes, and apples as they contain lectin, a protein known to cause gut distress and leafy greens, high in fiber but less than ideal for those who already struggle with digestion.

Whealthy tip: Incorporate at least 1 probiotic and 1 prebiotic with every meal.

Sourcing:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3067243/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677729/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5385025/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27149163/

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature05414

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26616538/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734998/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18461650/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515351/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734998/