Probiotics & Prebiotics: What’s the Difference?
Probiotics and prebiotics are both big topics in nutritional supplements and vitamins, and both provide important nutritional value for staying healthy. They’re often confused with each other as they sound similar, but provide different health benefits to the body.
What are Probiotics and Prebiotics?
Probiotics – These are living bacteria that are found in certain foods and supplements
Prebiotics – These are types of fibre that feed the good bacteria in your stomach
We have 100 trillion bacteria living in our stomach and intestines, but poor diet, too much alcohol, antibiotics, hormones and stress can all upset the natural balance of bacteria in our gut. An imbalance means there are too many bad bacteria and not enough good bacteria. It’s important to have both probiotics and prebiotics in your diet to ensure you have the right balance of bacteria to keep your microbiota in tip top condition.
Why is it important to keep a healthy stomach?
The good bacteria in your stomach protects against bad bacteria and fungi that might enter your stomach, aiding your immune system.
Other benefits of keeping a healthy stomach are:
- Prevents gut and digestive tract diseases such as Crohn’s disease
- Effective digestion
- Brain health
- Heart health
- Healthy sleeping
- Improved mood
Through making sure you get enough probiotics and prebiotics into your system on a daily basis you ensure that you have the right balance of bacteria to reap the benefits of a healthy gut.
What foods contain Probiotics?
Some foods contain probiotics that naturally contain the good bacteria for your gut. One of the easiest foods to add to your diet that provides a lot of good bacteria is natural plain yoghurt.
Other foods that contain probiotics are fermented foods such as:
- Sauerkraut
- Keifir
- Kimchi
Which have all become increasingly popular in our modern cuisine culture. When eating fermented foods make sure they are not processed as this kills off the good bacteria needed for a healthy gut.
What foods contain Prebiotics?
Lots of food naturally contain prebiotics, as prebiotics are a type of fibre found in fruits and vegetables. People are unable to digest these types of fibres but the good bacteria in your gut can.
Foods which contain probiotic fiber include:
- Jerusalem artichokes
- Berries
- Oats
- Bananas
- Leeks
- Garlic
And the list goes on. There are lots of different foods that contain prebiotics but making sure you get enough fruit and vegetables in your diet can ensure you are getting enough probiotics.
Probiotics and Prebiotics are essential nutrients for a healthy lifestyle, and a must in any diet.
fourfive Biotic LGG can help
If you are looking for an easy way to include a biotic in your diet, our Biotic LGG contains two strains of naturally occurring bacteria found in different parts of the gut, both of which are paramount for optimised digestive health. It’s the perfect partner to aid your health and wellness journey.