Prebiotics and Probiotics?

Two terms that have flooded the health industry in the last few years are “prebiotics” and “probiotics.”  However, very few people actually know what these words mean.  In fact, these two terms are often used so loosely that they are often thought to be the same thing.  This notation couldn’t be more from the truth!  In this article I will dispel the misinformation on these terms and sort through the confusion that often leaves individuals more lost than before.

What are Prebiotics?

Did you know that your gut is composed of millions of tiny microscopic organisms that eat and poop just like you?  Sounds disgusting right? Well, it depends how you look at it.  These organisms control who you are as a person.  They can influence your mind, body and actions.  For this reason, its vital that you keep these organisms healthy and happy.  Healthy gut microorganisms equates to a healthy you.  However, fast food and processed garbage is not going to keep these little guys healthy.  You need to incorporate certain foods into your diet that have been shown to maintain healthy gut bacteria.

So, the question remains, what are prebiotics?  Prebiotics are simply food that help maintain and fuel growth of your gut bacteria.  It’s important to remember that not all food is considered a prebiotic. When looking to increase your prebiotic foods, think FIBER. For example, a huge piece of steak is an awful choice when looking to increase prebiotics.  On the other hand, store bought bread, which does have some fiber, is probably even a worse choice.

So what foods do you need to incorporate?  Well, In my Ebook, The Stress Free: Regenerating The Adrenals With Natural Foods And Herbs I go into great detail on what foods and herbs to incorporate into your diet to maintain and favor the growth of gut bacteria.  However, one herb that I really love to use to feed gut bacteria is Burdock Root.  This root contains beneficial fiber as well as plant compounds that can improve gut health tremendously.  I like to take some burdock root tea before bed as it has soothing qualities.  If you would like to know more about prebiotics and what foods are good choices, check out my Ebook HERE.

Oregon’s Wild Harvest Burdock – 90 vegetarian caps, 1350mg organic burdock root

What Are Probiotics?

So now that you have an understanding of what prebiotics are, now lets look at probiotics.  In simple terms, probiotics are the actual living organisms themselves that are found in your gut.  when you incorporate the right prebiotics into your diet, your probiotics will naturally increase.  However, without the right prebiotics, taking store bought probiotics are useless as they will not have the right food to maintain and grow. Furthermore, I don’t suggest taking store bought probiotics as most of the organisms found in these pills are dead.  My suggestion for increasing probiotic content in the gut is to incorporate cultured food into your diet.

So, what are cultured foods?  Check out my YouTube video HERE where I show you how to make your own cultured food.  Also, if you want to know more, you can always check out my Ebook HERE. The biggest thing to remember is this: Always using living organisms when trying to increase probiotics.  Cultured Foods are full of living organisms, which is why they make such a great choice for building up the gut flora.

Putting It All Together

Although this is just a basic run down on prebiotics and probiotics, you should have a better understanding of what they are all about.  Again, I cover this subject deeply in my Ebook for those of you who want more information.  However, always remember this, probiotics build the gut flora and prebiotics maintain the gut flora.  One can not exist without the other.  They work in synergy together.

---

Affiliate Disclosure This website contains affiliate links, which means The Natural Man may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. You will pay the same price for all products and services, and your purchase helps support The Natural Man Website!