What are Probiotics and Where Can You Get Them?

Created by: Kristen Carli, Dietetic Intern

Probiotics, prebiotics and gut health are trendy topics at the moment! Do you know what these are or how they benefit your health? What does the research say about these functional foods?

What Is Gut Health and Why Is It Important?

Thousands of different types of bacteria live in your intestines. These make up your microbiome. It is ideal to have a good balance of healthy and unhealthy bacteria for good gut health. Having a healthy gut may prevent against intestinal disease, protect heart health, control blood sugar, and help create neurotransmitters. 

What are Probiotics and Why Do We Need Them?

Probiotics are “good” bacteria that live in your gut. These bacteria are responsible for balancing out your gut flora. You naturally have these bacteria in your gut, but you may seek out more. 

Good food sources of probiotics are fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, and aged cheeses. Look for food labels that say “contains live and active cultures”. 

What are Prebiotics?

Prebiotics provide the fuel for the probiotics. Prebiotics are composed of fiber that humans cannot digest. Once the fiber makes its way into the gut, prebiotics are fermented by probiotics. 

Prebiotics are found in plant foods. Some examples are bananas, onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, and edamame.

Get Prebiotics and Probiotics From Food First

Although both are available in pill form, it is not necessary to take these gut helpers as supplements. You can easily find them naturally in food. Incorporate more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fermented foods into your diet to intake a mixture of both probiotics and prebiotics that can help balance your gut flora. However, if you struggle to get enough probiotics from food alone, follow this link or this link or our recommended probiotic supplements. 

Material adapted from eatright.org, healthline.com, & foodinsight.org