You know you should be taking probiotics for your health, but a new concept, prebiotics, might be unfamiliar. What’s the difference?Probiotics are the actual bacteria that colonize your gut and help keep your system balanced. They aid digestion and bolster the immune system. You can eat them in foods such as yogurt where they colonize your gut through digestion, or you can take supplements.Prebiotics are undigestible foods, such as the skin of an apple, that travel through your digestive system, fermenting as they go. When it reaches the large intestine, the fermentation process encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut.There are plenty of benefits when you reintroduce beneficial bacteria to your gut, but you don’t want to forget about nourishing bacteria that are already present. Prebiotics work with your natural flora to foster bacteria already living in your digestive system.
Increasing prebiotic fiber intake helps support your immune system, increase bone density, and foster brain health among many other benefits. Our modern diet of processed foods and foods high in sugar decrease the amount of beneficial fiber we get day to day. This diet causes chronic digestion issues, but it also reduces your body’s natural flora.Let’s look at a few benefits of reintroducing prebiotics to your diet.
Increasing prebiotic fiber intake helps support your immune system, increase bone density, and foster brain health among many other benefits. Our modern diet of processed foods and foods high in sugar decrease the amount of beneficial fiber we get day to day. This diet causes chronic digestion issues, but it also reduces your body’s natural flora.Let’s look at a few benefits of reintroducing prebiotics to your diet.