Prebiotics & Probiotics: Essentials for Digestion, Immunity and Wellbeing

Introduction

Encouraging a healthy microbiome, by consuming prebiotic and probiotic foods, is essential in order for us to maintain good gut health, and so overall health, immunity and wellbeing. A microbiome is the environment in which microorganisms like fungi, bacteria and viruses live. In our case, the environment is the human body! There is another term, microbiota, which you might hear, and this refers to the microorganisms found in a specific area in our body. We actually have microbiota in several areas such as our gut, mouth, lungs, skin, urinary tract and, in females, our vagina.

Why is our microbiota important?

The gut microbiota is considered to be the most important for several reasons, including the fact that this is where most of our immune system operates and we also make some of our important “happy” neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine in our gut. So, in addition to our physical health, it is vital for our mental wellbeing.

We can really influence a flourishing microbiota by including prebiotic and probiotic foods in our diet. So that are they?

Probiotics

Well let’s start with probiotics, which are live microorganisms. You will often hear them being referred to as good or beneficial bacteria. They contribute to the balance of the trillions of bacteria, fungi and viruses living in our digestive tract and help to keep the bad or harmful bacteria in check and under control.

Probiotics help us to break down our food and enable us to absorb more of the nutrients we need. They can also help to reduce the symptoms of digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bloating, and constipation, but you need to know which strains to take if you have any issues.

A flourishing gut microbiota can help us to fight infections, because it supports our immune system. There is also an important connection between our gut and our brain and studies have shown that a balanced gut may help to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress.

We can increase our beneficial bacteria by eating fermented food daily, such as natural yoghurt with live cultures, kefir (dairy or non-dairy), kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh and miso. Of course, always introduce new foods slowly to make sure that they agree with you especially if you have any histamine or gut issues. We can also support a healthy gut by managing our stress, exercising, eating a diverse range of whole foods with great fibre (which the microorganisms love to eat), sleeping well and avoiding or limiting alcohol and smoking.

We can also use supplements with common strains like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. However, as I mentioned earlier, the strain that you need will depend on your issues, so it is good to get advice.

Prebiotics

In addition to increasing the number of good bacteria in our gut, we can also feed them by eating prebiotic foods. Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers which the good bacteria in our gut love. If you have a garden, you will likely spread fertiliser or nutrients on your plants to help them along. Well prebiotics help the garden in your gut to thrive. This in turn supports our digestion and nutrient absorption. So, in this way, they also really important to encourage a healthy environment and healthy immune system. They contribute to managing blood sugar levels and fibre helps us to feel full.

So, you might say, if they feed our good gut bacteria, don’t they also feed our bad bacteria? Nature is so amazing and ensures that good bacteria contain an enzyme which enables them to break down the fiber and feed on it. Most harmful microorganisms don’t contain these enzymes and so they feed on harmful food like sugar and too much processed food!

Prebiotic foods include Bananas (especially unripe bananas), onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, whole grains like oats, barley, beans, lentils, chickpeas, apples (especially the skin, washed well of course), cacao, flaxseeds, seaweed and avocado.

Summary

As you can see, probiotic and prebiotic foods have individual benefits but they work better as a team. Prebiotics feed probiotics, helping them to thrive in your gut, which in turn means that we can absorb our food better, enjoy a healthier immune system and feeling of well-being. FYI there are some great Irish producers of probiotic food including 4 Hands Food Studio, Cultured Food Co and Synerchi. Just remember to get advice if you have any health issues about what foods you may need to be careful with.