Gut Health: all about prebiotics

Prebiotics and probiotics have been a hot topic the past few years. But what exactly are they and should YOU be including them as part of a healthy diet? Here I will share some key information about prebiotics…Keep reading to learn more!

PREBIOTICS:

Prebiotics are fermentable food fibres that can produce a wealth of positive health benefits! Research shows that prebiotics support a healthy gut microbiome by providing an energy source for healthy gut bacteria to grow. Essentially, prebiotics are food for the gut!

Where are they found?

The good news is that you’re probably already including at least some prebiotics in your diet already. Prebiotics are found in a range of common foods…and the more variety, the more diverse your gut microbiome! More specifically, prebiotics are found in galactooligosaccharides (GOS), fructooligosacharrides (FOS) and inulin.

Some common food sources include rolled oats, wheat, rye, barley, bananas, asparagus, garlic, onion, beetroot, snow peas, lentils, cashews, pistachios and yoghurt.

What are the health benefits?

Some of the amazing health benefits of including prebiotics in your diet include: reduced inflammation, lower cholesterol, reduced symptoms associated with IBS, reduce the PH of the gut to improve gut health and bone health, prevent constipation and help to curb hunger cravings to prevent overeating!

It is important to note that in order to get the health benefits of prebiotics, you need to ingest at least 3g of prebiotics per day.

Key Tip:

My dietitian tip is to try and include a variety of different prebiotics containing foods in your diet. The more variety the healthier and happier your gut will be!