The foods you eat, determine a lot which types of bacteria live in your gut. If you change your diet, this will also affect your gut bacteria. Foods that boost or feed your gut bacteria are referred to as prebiotics. If you want the bacteria in your gut to grow, multiply, be happy and to protect you, you need to feed it well.
The most preferred food for your gut-loving bacteria is digestion-resistant starch. These types of indigestible fibres pass through your small intestine unchanged and reach the colon, where the bacteria feed on them. The bacteria digest them and turn them into substance that feeds the cells within the colon. You can think of prebiotics as a fuel to help enhance your gut flora.
Below are some benefits of prebiotics:
Better gut health and digestion
Promote the growth of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli
Prevent constipation and diarrhoea
Lower inflammation in the body
Lower colon pH level
Better hormonal balance
Higher immune function
Lower risk of weight gain
Healthier cholesterol level
Lower risk for cardiovascular disease
Resistance starch also helps to balance post-meal blood sugar levels, elevate insulin sensitivity and lower inflammation in the colon.
Here are some prebiotic foods to include in your daily diet to naturally feed your microbiome:
Cooked, cooled potatoes (boil them or roast them, put them in the fridge and eat the following day to receive the benefits)
Green (under-ripe) bananas (ripe bananas are yellow and have brown spots on them. To get the prebiotic benefits, consume the green bananas)
Raw chicory root (use it in baking or when fermenting veggies. You can also use it as a coffee substitute)
Cassava
Raw asparagus
Dandelion root and greens (add chopped greens to salads)
Plantain flour
Potato starch
Raw or cooked onions
Raw garlic
Raw leeks
Jerusalem artichokes
Raw collards
Raw jicama
Burdock root
Cacao
Coconut
Legumes (beans and lentils)
Artichokes
Peas
Apples
Oats
Green tea
Raw honey
Konjac root
Seaweed
Also read my blog about the probiotics to learn how you can get them from food and what you need to look out for when purchasing the supplements.
If you are looking for nutritional coaching to improve your daily diet, please don't hesitate to reach out to me info@katrinpeo.com.
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