Why you need prebiotics and probiotics + their natural sources

Make sure you're eating both probiotics and prebiotics to keep your digestion in good shape and to prevent diseases.

By: Upneet Pansare | | Updated: October 11, 2018 8:33 am

Keep your digestion in good shape © Shutterstock

Both probiotics and prebiotics are essential to our body and help it to function properly by preventing diseases and promoting good health of all the organs. This is why these need to be a part of our diet. Probiotics refer to ‘good bacteria’ or ‘helpful bacteria’ that live in microorganisms and are beneficial to our health. Our digestive tracts house 400-500 types of good bacteria that reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and promote a healthy digestive system. Lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria are the most abundant strains of bacteria in the human digestive tract and are most commonly used as probiotics. Probiotics are good for the following reasons: They have been shown to alleviate lactose intolerance, to enhance immunity, to help in the treatment of diarrhoea and Crohn’s disease, prevent and treat vaginal yeast infection and urinary tract infection, reduce incidences of cancer especially bladder and colon cancer, prevent and treat eczema in children, reduce the severity of cold and flu and prevent pouchitis (inflammation of intestines).

Here are some natural sources of probiotics:
Fermented soy milk
Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage)
Kimchi (fermented vegetables)
Kefir or kewra (fermented product made from goat’s milk and kefir grains)
Kombucha tea
Miso soup (a traditional Japanese soup)
Olives stored in brine
Home-made pickle

Prebiotics are certain types of non-digestible fibres that probiotic bacteria feed on, such as the fibres found in many plant sources like asparagus, oatmeal, and legumes as well as in breast milk. Our digestive system that houses a large bacterial population helps the body fight against harmful microorganisms. Prebiotics act as a fuel for the bacterial growth and activity.

Here are some natural sources of prebiotics:
Garlic
Leeks
Onion
Asparagus What flour what bran
Banana
Almonds

Published: October 11, 2018 8:29 am | Updated:October 11, 2018 8:33 am

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