Prebiotics And Probiotics For Gut Health
A Healthy gut strengthens the immune system and prevents disease. Making good food choices involves eating a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Prebiotics and probiotics are food that provide the fiber to build good bacteria and guard health.
What is probiotic?
Probiotic are live micro organisms, especially bacteria that support for the growth of good bacteria in the gut. They are found in fermented foods and dietary supplements. There are many types of bacteria that is considered probiotics, there are two prominent types of bacteria that are common probiotics found in stores. These include:
- Lactobacillus.
- Bifidobacterium.
Probiotics are made up of good yeast. A common type of yeast found in probiotics is
Saccharomyces boulardi
These microorganisms helps in maintaining the digestive and overall health of human body.
What is prebiotic?
Prebiotics are plant fibers which serves as food for the probiotics in gut. However plant fibers cannot be digested by humans, It passes through the gut where they are absorbed by the probiotics. Hence these plant fibers support the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut.
How does it work?
Probiotics are natural combination of live beneficial bacteria and yeasts that lives in our body. There are two kinds of bacteria constantly in and on your body -good bacteria and bad bacteria.
Probiotics are the combination of good bacteria that helps keep your body healthy and proper functioning of gut.
This good bacteria helps in fighting against bad bacteria when you have too much of it, helping you feel better. Probiotics are made of good live bacteria maybe yeasts that naturally live in your body. Constantly, both good and bad bacteria are present in your body.
When you get an infection, there’s more bad bacteria, knocking your bodily system out of balance. Good bacteria helps to eliminate extra bad bacteria, returning the balance. Probiotic-supplements are useful in adding good bacteria to your body.
Probiotic foods:
- Yogurt : Homemade yogurts are a wealthy source of probiotics as it contains 250 strains of Lactobacillus bacteria. Yogurt makes bones stronger and decrease the risk of cancer.
- Cottage Cheese / Paneer : Paneer is an excellent source of probiotics. It works incredible for cardiovascular and skeletal system.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk contains vitamins and minerals such as riboflavin, phosphorus etc. It is a good carrier of carboxylic acid and lactic acid bacteria.
- Apples: Apples are rich source of dietary fiber and probiotics due to presence of millions of bacteria. Consumption of apples produces fatty acids that favors pH conditions for the growth of good bacteria in gut.
- Pickles: Preparation of pickles with sea salt, oil, herbs and spices, letting to dry under sun helps in fermentation process for the growth of good bacteria. Pickles are rich source of napthoquinone that is necessary for blood clotting. Pickles being prepared with vinegar do not contain live probiotics .
Prebiotic foods:
- Lentils : Lentils are a great source of healthy bacteria. It helps in maintaining smooth bowel movements.
- Flaxseeds: Flaxseeds are fibers that absorb dietary fat from ingested foods and promote easy bowel movements. These seeds are rich in certain antioxidants that controls the cholesterol level.
- Barley : The cereal rich in beta glucan , a type of prebiotic fiber that helps in growth of probiotics in intestine
- Onion: Onion contains Antioxidants and prebiotics that help in fast breakdown of food.
- Banana : Bananas helps to stabilize gut bacteria and fight inflammation .
Health benefits of prebiotics and probiotics
Prebiotics health benefits:
- Reduce appetite and cravings. Studies have found that supplementing with prebiotics like galacto-oligosaccharides and oligo fructose-enriched inulin may reduce appetite and cravings for specific foods, like sugary foods .
- May help reduce body fat: The combination of probiotics and prebiotics, may aid in weight loss and fat loss in people with overweight or obesity.
- Production of beneficial metabolites
- Decreases in pathogenic bacteria populations
- Decreases in allergy risk
- Effects on gut barrier permeability
- Improved immune system defense: It largely acts on the immune system for fighting against the microorganisms affecting the body.
Probiotic health benefits:
- Diarrhea : diarrhea caused by antibiotics and from Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection) has an effective benefit from probiotics
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): foods rich in prebiotic and probiotic has a sooner recovery from bowel disease.
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): symptoms due to irritable bowel syndrome is reduced and proper gut function occurs.
- Yeast infections: Balanced intake of prebiotic and probiotic reduces the infection level.
- Urinary tract infections:Urinary tract infection is more common in women Intake of prebiotic and probiotic foods gives relief of symptoms.
- Gum disease.
- Lactose intolerance.
- Eczema (atopic dermatitis): symptoms like itching over affected area are ameliorated well by probiotic foods.
- Upper respiratory infections (ear infections, common cold, sinusitis).
- Sepsis (specifically in infants).
Read more –
