Gut Love: 3 Facts About Prebiotics Your Tummy Will Adore

  If you’re a regular reader of ours, you know how important it is to give your gut some love. Often, we talk about supporting good digestive health by incorporating probiotics into your daily regimen. But just as important as probiotics are prebiotics. In fact, the two work in synergy to keep your gut happy and healthy. New survey data, reveals that nearly 60% of Americans are more familiar with probiotics than with prebiotics, and about a third of Americans confused the two altogether. To clear up the confusion, we’re going to share some facts about the importance of both probiotics and prebiotics—and how they can help you to help your gut. Fact 1: Prebiotics are the food for probiotics. There are trillions of bacteria swimming around in your large intestine, and not all of them are good for you. The good bacteria, you probably have heard by now, are called probiotics. They help you to digest food and stimulate the growth of even more beneficial bacteria in the gut, which helps keep your immune system strong and balanced. Prebiotics are a specific type of fiber that play a supporting but vital role in feeding those probiotics. Prebiotics are not bacteria, but rather nondigestible compounds which serve as food sources for the healthy bacteria in your gut delivering benefits to your microbiome. They travel down to your lower digestive tract and become a food source for the healthy bacteria in your gut. During digestion, prebiotic foods are fermented in the gut to produce compounds like short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that provide critical energy to the cells of the intestines. SCFAs are also associated with inhibiting the growth of colon cancer cells and supporting healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Fact 2: Most Americans don’t get enough fiber in their diets, so adding a supplement to your daily routine can be a good alternative. It’s always best to try to get your nutrients through the food you eat. But, according to one study, only 5% of Americans consume the recommended daily amount of fiber. That’s a pretty sad statistic, which is why we sometimes suggest a fiber supplement to many people who aren’t getting 21 to 38 grams of fiber in their diet each day, in addition to upping their intake of high-fiber foods. Even better than supplementing with fiber is supplementing with a product that includes fiber with prebiotic benefits—which helps nourish the growth of the good bacteria that naturally exist in your gut while fighting off harmful bacteria. A fiber powder can be super easy to add into your daily wellness routine. You can stir it into a smoothie or just add to water in the morning or sprinkle it into a recipe. It’s that simple. Fact 3: Stress can wreak havoc on your gut health, but prebiotics can help. How can prebiotics possibly help reduce stress, you ask? Well, it comes down to the mind-gut connection, which is the relationship between our digestive system and brain. The connection between the two is super tight and communication between them can impact everything from emotions and moods to decision-making and behavior. According to a recent study conducted by the University of Surrey, young women who took a prebiotic supplement once a day experienced reduced anxiety, better gut health and improved mental well-being. In our current world, managing stress and anxiety couldn’t be more important.

4 Easy Ways to Improve Your Digestive Health

For years, I’ve been telling you to listen to your body. Digestive health is no different, it’s all about listening to your gut. What’s your gut telling you, and what should you be doing to be your most nutritious self? And I’m not just talking about reducing bloating, constipation, or indigestion. Gut health affects everything from your immune system, to your weight, to your brain function, so it’s really important to focus on what’s going on in your belly, or shall I say what’s going IN your belly? Here’s how to get things moving as regular as your morning commute.   4 Easy Ways to Improve Your Digestive Health Incorporate fermented foods These are foods like kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi. These foods begin with a live active culture and are fermented, giving them similar benefits of probiotics supplements. Eat Fiber Many fibers are considered prebiotics. This means that they feed the good bacteria already present in your gut. But different fibers feed different bacterias, so it’s important to get these prebiotics from multiple sources and from a variety of foods. Translation: eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.  Eat Frequently It’s much more beneficial for good digestion to eat consistent small meals throughout the whole day rather than just eating a few large meals intermittently. It will keep your digestive tract regular which is something we all can appreciate. My most successful weight loss clients also are those that eat consistently throughout the day. Drink lots of fluids. Our bodies need water for skin health, immunity and energy, but also to push things along through digestion. So while we need the bacteria for gut health, we also need the fluids to keep everything moving as it should. And there are other aspects of a healthy life to consider, too. Managing stress, exercising regularly, and even getting enough sleep will all affect your digestive health. If you’re thinking, “Hey! I’m already doing those things right, and I’m still not right!” then a probiotic might be just what you need. You can even take a probiotic as a bit of an “insurance policy” to make sure that you’re balancing the bacteria in your gut everyday, no matter what.  Just make sure that you’re taking one with the right strain for you and your body. There are a lot out there on the market available to you, and you want to make sure it will address your specific needs.

3 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Microbiome

When you think of health and wellness, you probably think of how much you weigh, what you eat, and how much you exercise…NOT your microbiome. Your micro-what?! Your microbiome, which is a fancy word for the bacteria living in your gut (and in other spots all over your body, like in your mouth and on the skin). But you should! Yep, believe it or not, there are trillions of different kinds of bacteria living in your GI tract. We used to think these teensy-tiny bacteria were only connected to digestion and nutrient absorption, but they have a far greater impact on your overall health than originally believed. Over the past several years, scientists have found that gut bacteria affect how we feel, how much we weigh, and how well we can fight off infections. So yep, your microbiome may not sound sexy, but it certainly contributes to how sexy you feel. 3 things you didn’t know about your microbiome: Your microbiome affects your mood If you seem to always feel tired, sluggish, or just in a funk, it might be time to look inward—and by inward I mean your GI tract. Your gut bacteria influences chemicals (dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin) that send messages in your brain. Interestingly, these chemicals are actually produced in the gut and delivered back to the brain. These chemicals are super important because they help relieve stress, control your mood, and raise alertness. They’re also linked to mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. So, if your gut bacteria becomes imbalanced, it can cause a delay in the delivery of the chemicals to your brain and ultimately result in an altered mood. Bottom line, a happy gut = a happy you! Your microbiome influences your weight If you can’t lose that stubborn extra weight and you’re doing everything else right, it might have something to do with the bacteria in your gut. Research shows there are both “good” and “bad” types of bacteria located in your GI tract. When the bad bacteria outnumber the good bacteria, the imbalance can silently wreak havoc on your body and cause it to store excess fat. Some contributors to this overgrowth of bad bacteria include overuse of antibiotics, chronic stress, and a low fiber diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. The good news is there are simple things you can do to increase the number of good bacteria in your gut! Eat a high fiber diet, from whole food sources, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts. Some of my favorites are buckwheat, quinoa, beans, broccoli, raspberries, apples, figs, pears, avocados, and almonds. Incorporate foods that are considered a “prebiotic”. Prebiotics are a type of fiber that feeds the good bacteria. These nondigestible or partially digestible fibers are found in bananas, garlic, asparagus, sunchokes (aka: Jerusalem artichokes), leeks, and onions. Incorporate a probiotic! “Pro”-biotics are different than “pre”-biotics. Probiotics are good bacteria that can be naturally found in fermented foods. Probiotics are often thought of as packaged supplements, and while they can be, you can also get probiotics through food sources. The most common probiotic food is yogurt, but probiotics are also found in other fermented foods such as cheese, kefir, sauerkraut, pickles, tempeh, and miso soup. I recommend adding as much of these foods to your meals as possible or start taking a probiotic supplement daily. Your microbiome develops your immune system Believe it or not, 75-80% of your immune system resides in your gut. However, this hasn’t always been the case. Babies are actually born with a bacteria-free gut since the womb is a sterile environment. Once you’re born, your gut bacteria starts taking shape and you begin to build your immune system. You’re exposed to bacteria on a daily basis. Whether it be in the air you breathe, the food you eat, or simply by wiping your eyes or nose, you come in contact with bacteria. Your body is amazing in that it fights off the bacteria and remembers how it did it. Therefore, the more exposure you have to bacteria, the more diverse your internal ecosystem and the stronger your immune system becomes. I think we can all agree that the body is a complex system. But would you ever have guessed the bacteria in your GI tract play such a big role in your overall health? If you’ve never given much thought about the trillions of little creatures hanging out in your gut, try incorporating some probiotic foods, a probiotic supplement, and more prebiotics foods on a daily basis. You just might realize you’re happier and healthier and may even lose a pound or two! (Image: Shutterstock)