Prebiotics and Probiotics

The original title for this post was “Prebiotics vs Probiotics,” but it was changed when I realized that this is not a competition and they are not sports teams. This isn’t the Prebiotic Fiber Foods vs the Probiotic Protozoa in a game with playoff implications. In fact, prebiotics and probiotics actually complement one another and work in tandem to maintain good gut health. But what are they exactly, how do they work and what are good sources for them? Continue, curious reader, continue.

Let’s start with probiotics, shall we? Probiotics are naturally occurring beneficial bacteria that live in all of us. They are part of your microbiome (didn’t know you had one, did you?) which is a diverse community of bacteria, fungi (yeasts) viruses and protozoa that work to keep our bodies healthy and each microbiome is unique. They can live in various places within the body, including the intestines, mouth, vagina, urinary tract, skin and lungs. However, for the sake of this post, we are most concerned with those that live within the intestines. To be considered a probiotic, the microbes must be able to: be isolated from their host (in this case, you), survive in your body (intestine) after ingestion, provide a health benefit and be consumed safely.

Pretty cool to think that we all have trillions of microbes hanging out inside our bodies, isn’t it? OK, you might not think the same as I, but these microbes are essential to our survival just as we are essential to theirs; a true symbiotic relationship. Probiotics help us digest food, control the “bad” bacteria within us which helps prevent disease, create vitamins, support the cells that line your intestines that helps prevent bad bacteria from entering our blood, and absorb certain medications.

Given these health benefits, it’s no wonder that many seek to increase the number of probiotics living in their gut through the simplest method, eating them. A whole nutritional branch has sprung up that provides beneficial probiotics for people to consume, including probiotic supplements. The best natural source for probiotics are fermented foods such as yogurt, pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, cottage cheese and sourdough bread and drinks such as buttermilk, kombucha and kefir (fermented dairy drink). Now that you’re an expert on probiotics, on to prebiotics.

In simple terms, prebiotics are what probiotics “eat” while hanging out in your intestines. They are special plant fibers/carbs that we cannot digest. Thus, they pass through the GI tract and eventually provide nourishment to the beneficial microbes (probiotics) located there. Many foods contain prebiotics, such as apples, asparagus, garlic, legumes, oats, onions, tomatoes, soybeans and berries. Some foods are “fortified” with prebiotics like cereals, baby formula, cookies and yogurt,  and there are also prebiotic supplements.

So, to sum up, probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that live within your intestines and prebiotics are unique plant fibers/carbs that our bodies cannot digest yet provide nourishment for probiotic microbes. Thus, to promote good gut health, both probiotics and prebiotics are required, and both can be located within various foods and drinks that we consume. Probiotics provide us with health benefits and prebiotics help them accomplish that task. Make sense? I hope so or my blog posting days may be over.