Gut Health Boost: Top 2 Superfoods – Probiotics & Prebiotics

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Gut Health 

What is the gastrointestinal tract, or gut? It digests and absorbs nutrients. Do you know that nearly 70 % of the body’s immune system is in our gut? Consequently, gut health is not only essential for the digestive system but also plays an important role in general wellbeing. There should also be strategies focusing on improving gut health, including a balanced diet of fiber-rich foods and fermented products along with plenty of fruit and vegetables. Also, non-medical factors like daily exercise, drinking plenty of fluids and reducing stress are beneficial to gut health.

 

Strategies to Maintain Gut Health

But if you want to keep your gut healthy and strong, it all begins with what’s on the plate. Emphasize on a plant-based diet composed of fruits and vegetables, using plant protein sources (legumes) along with complex carbohydrates (whole grains), is essential. This kind of diet ensures that your gut is well nourished and has plenty of fiber, as well. It also helps to ensure an easy passage through the bowel. Now add fermented foods to your meals for an added kick in the gut. These are just superheroes for your gut, fermented foods like yogurt, kefir and sauerkraut that contain probiotics. All of these are beneficial microorganisms, which help restore a healthy balance and diversity within the gut.

 

Fiber is the guide to digestive movement, and its importance cannot be overstated. Fiber such as whole grain, fruit and vegetables should provide 25-30 grams a day. Yet, based on the results of Malaysia’s National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019, only about 5% of the Malaysian adults is eating enough fruits and vegetables each day. These foods are rich sources of fiber.

 

Want to show some love for the gut? Train yourself in mindful eating, and cut back on artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners have shown to trigger irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms suh as abdominal pain. Also be sure to monitor how much of water you are drinking. Learning to deal with stress by taking positive actions like meditation and exercise, so that the gut you have can do your body good.

 

Probiotics and Prebiotics for Gut Health

Think of probiotics as tiny, helpful microorganisms that live in your gut and do good things for your body. In addition, they can help with overall gut health and resistance to infection (e.g. by helping prevent H. pylori infections) as well as reducing inflammation and possibly the symptoms of food sensitivities or allergies. They also compete for nutrients that are needed to grow and reproduce with pathogenic bacteria, as well block certain receptor sites. These are the sites where harmful bacteria can attach themselves to cause an infection.

 

Yet, probiotics can also protect you because they are able to produce substances such as lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide that act antagonistically on bacteria. Among these are bacteria of the types Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium which help to regulate acidity in your gut, also killing off harmful bacteria. Some examples of probiotic foods are tempeh, kimchi, yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, kombucha, sourdough, natto, and pickles.

 

On the other hand, prebiotics are to probiotics like food is for people. What are they? They’re in plants, and belong to the fibers or carbohydrates that your body can ‘t break down. Once these carbohydrates enter your gut and are fermented, they create substances that nurtures good bacteria. Just as fertilizer is for good soil, prebiotics are a healthy booster to the bacteria in your gut. Some prebiotics even directly prevent the attachment of these bad bacteria to the gut wall. Examples of prebiotics include banana, apple, barley, asparagus, onions and legumes. What does this mean, in simple terms? It means that probiotics are the good bacteria and prebiotics are their food that keeps them strong and thriving.

 

To sum it all up, a healthy gut spells overall health. It is because as many as 70 % of the body’s immune system resides in the gut. The best way to maintain gut health is through a healthy diet that includes plenty of fiber, fruits and vegetables. Eat more fermented foods such as yoghurt or tempeh as a probiotics source. Other practices beneficial to the gut including mindful eating, minimizing artificial sweeteners in food and drink, maintaining proper hydration levels, reducing stress through meditation or exercise. Probiotics and prebiotics can form synbiotics that are crucial for gut health.

 

Wellness Group Probio+Plus

Probio+Plus is a combination of prebiotics and probiotics which are known as synbiotics. Two main types of probiotics include Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria while prebiotics refer to Inulin and Arabinogalactan, which are the food for probiotics. Probiotics help balance the friendly bacteria in your digestive system, while prebiotics nourish the good bacteria. Synbiotic improves the survival of probiotics dueing the apssage through the upper gastrointestinal tract. Thus, it supports digestion, improves immunity, decreases inflammation, eases lactose intolerance and enhances the host’s health.

Probio+Plus

 

Reference:

Lenhart, A. & Chey, W. D. 2017. A systematic review of the effects of polyols on gastrointestinal health and irritable bowel syndrome. Advances in Nutrition 8(4): 587-596. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.117.015560

 

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ministry of Health Malaysia. National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019 Non-communicable diseases, healthcare demand, and health literacy: Key Findings. Retrived from: https://bitly.ws/37CDo

 

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