The Importance of Prebiotics

Probiotics, like those contained in yogurt, have been gaining in popularity in recent times. As our bodies contain more bacteria than our own cells, they're an important part of maintaining health, aging gracefully, and improving our energy levels. Now we're discovering that there's a component that is just as important as making sure we take in healthy bacteria - prebiotics, or the foods that the good bacteria thrive on in our digestive tracts. 

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Prebiotics are un-digestible plant fibers that healthy gut bacteria feed on in order to maintain their colonies. If you're consuming a probiotic, either in supplement form or foods like yogurt and sauerkraut, but not ingesting the right foods that contain these un-digestible fibers, you're potentially losing most of the benefit from taking the probiotics. 

Chances are that you're already ingesting some prebiotic-rich foods, such as bananas, but knowing which foods are the best sources of those un-digestible fibers is the first step in increasing them in your diet. 

Foods Rich in Prebiotic Fibers

• Bananas
• Raw and Cooked Onions
• Raw Garlic
• Raw Leeks
• Raw Dandelion Greens
• Raw Asparagus
• Raw Chicory Root

Notice a running theme? Raw foods are more likely to have the most prebiotic fibers, as cooking tends to change the structure of foods, making them more digestible for us. In the case of feeding the healthy gut bacteria, they're better off with the raw material. A nice variety of raw and cooked foods means both you and your gut bacteria get the best available nutrition. 

Adding things like raw dandelion greens and raw asparagus to salads is an easy way to incorporate them into your diet, while keeping bananas around helps give you a convenient option, even if you're on the go. 

As we age, our immune systems tend to weaken. This can be mitigated by taking our gut health seriously by consuming probiotics and prebiotics regularly, along with decreasing our sugar/carbohydrate intake and increasing our intake of quality fats and proteins. 

If you find yourself having trouble eating regularly or eating the right things, ACC Adult Home Care can help. Meal-preparation is one of our favorite services to provide to our clients. Leave the cooking to us and we'll ensure that you stay on a healthy routine of warm, nutritious meals. Feel free to give us a call at 440.320.3335 to see how we can help you or your loved one today.