Prebiotics 101: What Are They and Where To Get Them
“Pre” biotics?
Yes! They’re the food that we feed our probiotics, the friendly gut microbes that are oh so important for good health.
Our gut microbes are alive, and they need to eat too. Their favorite foods are called “prebiotics” and include dietary fiber and resistant starch. The same fiber that keeps us feeling full slows down digestion and provides roughage that keeps us regular. Resistant starch helps promote healthy blood lipids. Both types of prebiotics (fiber and resistant starch) are linked with many health benefits.
Technically speaking, a prebiotic has three qualities:
It needs to be undigested and reach the colon intact;
It needs to be digested by our gut microbes; and,
It needs to stimulate our health-promoting good gut microbes.
Now that we know what prebiotics are let’s dive into their health benefits.
Health Benefits of Prebiotics
Prebiotic fiber helps keep us regular by bulking up our poo. It gives it substance and form, so it’s not too runny or liquid. In fact, more fiber is often recommended to help with symptoms of diarrhea. Prebiotic fiber can be thought of as a broom that sweeps food through our guts, and we’re learning even more about its health benefits beyond this role.
For example, prebiotics can also help to maintain normal bowel structure and function, and even enhance blood flow to the cells of the colon.
Those are some of the health benefits of prebiotics themselves. But we get even more health benefits when our friendly gut microbes eat and digest them.
For one thing, our gut microbes use prebiotics to make short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These SCFAs (e.g., butyrate) can feed the cells of our colon to keep them healthy. SCFAs also inhibit the growth of bad gut microbes, and can even increase mineral (e.g., calcium and magnesium) absorption. These effects are all linked to the slight acidity caused by the acids in those SCFAs.
Dietary fiber also binds to healthful phytonutrients (Phyto = plant). These phytonutrients are lost when the fiber is removed from the food. But, when we eat the prebiotic fiber, our gut microbes release these phytonutrients so we can absorb and use them.
Where to get prebiotics?
Dietary fiber and resistant starch are the main sources of prebiotics.
Prebiotic fiber is found mostly in plants; both fruits and vegetables.
Resistant starch is any starch (a type of carbohydrate) that goes through most of our digestive tract without being digested. It’s not broken down by our digestive enzymes because it’s “resistant”... until it gets to our gut microbes in the colon. Resistant starch is found in starchy foods like whole grains and potatoes.
One of the big differences between fiber and resistant starch is that all of the fiber we eat is undigestible. All of it reaches our colons. Resistant starch, on the other hand, is just a small percent of the starch we eat. Most starch is digested and absorbed along our digestive tract, and that part is not considered to be prebiotic. Only the small amount of starch that is resistant to digestion and makes it down to the colon to feed our probiotics is a prebiotic.
Prebiotic fiber is found in fibrous fruits and vegetables. It’s essentially what’s removed when we make juice - the pulp. It’s one of the reasons why eating whole fruits and vegetables is more healthy than replacing them with juice.
Great sources of dietary fiber:
Onions
Asparagus
Bananas
Berries
Pears
Resistant starch is found in:
Whole grains (e.g. oats)
Potatoes
Cornmeal
Seeds
Legumes
Green bananas
Starches can be made resistant by cooking and cooling them before eating them. The cooling process allows the starches to re-shape themselves into a structure that is harder to digest (i.e., more resistant).
Conclusion
Prebiotics are fiber and resistant starches that feed our gut microbes. And when we feed our gut microbes, they help keep our gut healthy and have other health benefits too.
Healthy Prebiotic Fiber Brownie
Do you ever juice your amazingly healthy fruits and vegetables and have a ton of leftover pulp? What do you do with it? Try this recipe for using that oh-so-healthy prebiotic fiber in a delicious way!!
