Prebiotics and probiotics: What you need to know

As part of our focus this month on digestive wellbeing, we’re looking at two gut health boosters that are secret weapons for your overall wellbeing – probiotics and prebiotics.

Most of us have heard of probiotics but prebiotics may be a less familiar term. Let’s dive into what each of these key players does and how they work together to support your gut.

Powerhouse probiotics
Probiotics are a combination of live, beneficial bacteria that naturally live in our bodies. We host two kinds of bacteria — good bacteria and bad bacteria. Probiotics are made up of good bacteria that help keep our bodies healthy and working well.

They restore the natural balance of bacteria in your gut when it's been disrupted by an illness or treatment and can help treat illnesses such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and infections such as diarrhoea or gastric upset.

What’s the best way to increase probiotics in our gut?

The two common ways we increase our intake of probiotics are by eating foods that contain good bacteria or by taking a probiotic supplement.

Some of the probiotic-rich foods you can add to your diet include:

·       Yoghurt with live cultures

·       Kombucha

·       Sourdough bread

·       Buttermilk

·       Tempeh

·       Fermented pickles

·       Kimchi

·       Miso soup

Wherever possible, we should try to get our probiotics from food, rather than taking a pill, as that will provide the additional benefits that you get from eating a balanced, varied diet.

But sometimes our bodies need an extra boost, particularly if we have been unwell. Talk to your pharmacist, naturopath or other health expert about whether you would benefit from taking a probiotic supplement and which strain would be most effective.

Prebiotics – the perfect partner

Prebiotics are high-fibre foods that serve as “food” for probiotics, allowing them to function properly and effectively. Think of it like this: probiotics introduce beneficial bacteria into the gut; prebiotics provide the fuel that helps those bacteria thrive.

The most common way we can feed our good gut bacteria is by eating everyday wholefoods that are high in fibre. Having Te Atatu Toasted cereals for breakfast or using them in recipes and baking are a great start – our mueslis are full of wholefood ingredients such as seeds, nuts, oats and grains.

Other everyday prebiotic-rich foods include:

·       Garlic

·       Onions

·       Leeks

·       Asparagus

·       Jerusalem artichokes

·       Bananas (especially slightly underripe)

·       Apples

·       Lentils

·       Chickpeas

·       Beans

Aim to include a variety of these foods in your diet – different fibres feed different microbes.

Supporting your gut isn’t about choosing probiotics or prebiotics – it’s about having a diet that allows this dynamic duo to work in tandem to deliver you the greatest health benefits.