Your Digestive Tract
Do I need them? The long and the short answer to this question is yes you do need both probiotics and prebiotics for balanced gut health. Ironically, both pre and probiotics don’t need to be manufactured in a plant or laboratory. Nature provides us with all types of food that when consumed creates both pre and probiotics within our digestive system.
Your intestinal tract has both “good and bad” bacteria. They are called microorganisms, also known as intestinal flora. They are found in the entire length of your digestive tract, from mouth to anus. Within your digestive tract you have approximately 5-7 lbs. of intestinal microorganisms that need to be kept in check, fed and kept healthy. I believe, in addition to a warm, damp mucous, environment, both seemingly “good and bad” intestinal flora must be fed and nurtured. All gut bacteria, including the major 4 that have been identified and the multitude that haven’t, are vying for premium gastric real-estate. If due to environmental conditions an imbalance is experienced, or the scarcity of food needed for healthy reproduction is lacking, survival mode kicks in and an internal war can occur. One strain will take over the “digestive” neighborhood. Which is what happens when people experience an overgrowth of yeast. Or idiopathic, chronic or acute digestive discomfort with a wide range of symptoms will be experienced.
It’s true that what you have eaten has resulted in your feeling bloated, gassy, nauseated etc. But, what is also true, is that an intestinal flora imbalance has occurred and that is what needs to be addressed. Not eating the so called culprit doesn’t actually take care of the root problem. Which is something going on in your gut.
The Function Of Intestinal Flora
The primary function of intestinal bacterial organisms is to support digestion and aid in maximum absorption, as in the case of the small intestine and the large intestine. The intestinal action that takes place is designed to be self-sustaining, by supporting and encouraging homeostasis, the normal growth of intestinal flora colonies, nutritional absorption and elimination and excretion. These processes are needed for your body to function correctly and maintain a balance; mentally, emotionally and physically. Your immune system can be severely compromised if the gut bacteria balance is off.
Let’s address the elephant in the room. The terms “friendly, good and or bad flora or gut bacteria” is highly misleading. You must have all types of bacterial microorganisms working harmoniously within the gut, in spite of the classification given, to create the balance needed to promote health, both physical and psychological.
Digestive tract imbalances can be caused by a multitude of things. Lack of exercise reduces tonal value of the digestive track unsettling the intestinal ecology. Stress also impacts and can cause an imbalance; primarily because our energy is reduced in the intestinal tract. The body’s response is that the intestinal floras, each colony goes into survival mode. Each one starts reproducing at the rate of warp speed for fear of the colony being killed off. And this is how an imbalance can occur. But, by far the biggest contributors to intestinal imbalance is what we choose to eat and how we choose to think and deal with the stresses of life.
Many people on a regular basis have experience “acute” SIBO (Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) that creates gas bloating, diarrhea and constipation, fatigue, irritability, lack of focus to name but a few symptoms. I used the word “acute’ because symptoms come and go. But the truth is for most people it’s a chronic condition. From there SIBO can advance into a more serious disease called, leaky gut syndrome. This is where digested food leaches directly into the blood system, without the benefit of being filtered through the digestive system. IBS and Ulcerative colitis are other inflammatory diseases of the lining of the lower small intestine. All these issues causes mal absorption of the nutrients, which leads to starvation.
Another issue with SIBO is that it increases the risk of yeast over growth, parasites, in ability to remove toxic waste from the body. It leads to Crohn’s disease, which is inflammation of the colon, and the knock on effect from that is mal absorption or nutrients, which leads to starvation and re-absorption of toxic waste, which leads to ill health. It undermines the immune system, which is the body’s natural defense against diseases and disorders.
Okay, let’s get a little more clarity around this. If you think about the sewer system where you live, and how important it is to keep it in tip top condition and functioning correctly. When the sewer system breaks down, fails or doesn’t function efficiently, it opens the population up to toxic pollutants, viral, parasitic and bacterial which are the cause of deadly pandemic illnesses and the spread of catastrophic diseases. Your large intestine/colon is your personalized sewer system. So, if your personalized elimination (sewer) system isn’t working efficiently or breaks down, you are in jeopardy of becoming chronically and seriously ill.
What Are Prebiotics?
Prebiotics are “partially” non-digestible, nutrients that are naturally occurring in the food that we eat like corn, asparagus and apples that the bacteria in your colon uses as a source of growth energy. Prebiotics are carbohydrates that are related or similar to insulin and fruit sugar fructo-oligosaccharides. Prebiotics, serve as a food source for the health of gut bacteria, thus providing them with the nutrition they need to reproduce and maintain the ecology, integrity and functionality of the entire digestive tract. Prebiotics include bananas, whole grains, soy, onions, garlic, artichokes, seaweed, yams (not sweet potatoes), onions, leeks, oats, barley, apples and honey to name a few. In fact, nature provides us with what we need. This is why eating a diet that is rich in whole foods is important. FYI: Whole food are not only green leafy vegetables, tofu etc. Click the link to watch my video giving a brief overview of what whole foods are.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are organisms, which have been identified as bacteria or yeast that have a beneficial effect on both digestion and absorption and overall health. Recent studied suggest that probiotics have the ability to limit the overgrowth of bacterial organisms and yeast that may want to take over the intestines. Over colonization of bacteria in the digestive tract can happen due to stress, incorrect diet, over indulgence of sugary foods/drinks, medication side effects and the list goes on. It has recently been established that an imbalance of bacteria in the gut can lead to a suppressed immune system. Diarrhea, respiratory infections, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and intestinal infections to name but a few, can arise from an imbalance in the gut. When the immune system is compromised, it leaves the body in a weakened and vulnerable state, upping the chances of contracting and or manifesting diseases and disorders.
Many people purchase probiotics, however, there really is no need, because, once again, nature has provided probiotics in a natural form. It’s all in what you eat. If the right foods are eaten in the correct way, the body knows how to manufacture its own probiotics. Food rich in probiotics are grains, legumes and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, radish and rutabaga. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Are there foods that are a combination of both prebiotic and probiotic? Yes. They’re called synbiotics.
What Are Synbiotics?
Synbiotics are foods that are both prebiotics and probiotics. They contain both the beneficial bacteria and the food on which these types of bacteria thrive. Some common examples of synbiotics include lacto-kefir, which is a type of yogurt drink that requires live active cultures to produce it. And of course you have yogurts that contain live active cultures. There is also water kefir. The live active cultures live in a sugar water environment, whereby it literally eats the sugar to keep the bacteria strain alive. In fact, water kefir can make naturally carbonated drinks that are totally healthy for you, much like kombucha. Kombucha, for all intent and purposes is fermented tea. And in full disclosure, kombucha especially the homebrewed stuff, has a little pony kick to it. Sauerkraut, kimchi and pickled vegetables are another source of synbiotic foods. All the above mentioned are easy to prepare at home. Yogurt can be made from plant based milks like soy, coconut, almond, oats and cashew nuts and many more. Look out for that blog with a plant based yogurt recipe and YouTube video.
Don’t Be Fooled
The end of World War II catapulted us into the highly chemically processed prepackaged food era. With this has come a host of illnesses, diseases and disorders that can be traced back to our diets. Over the last decade both the food and medical industries have turned their attention to what we, in the alternative approach to health, have known for eons; gut health is paramount to our overall health. The correct balance of the intestinal flora dictates our mental, emotional and physical well-being. It also influences the ability of the body to heal itself completely. Our digestive system has been call the second brain and for a good reason too. For more in-depth information on this subject read or listen to: Brain maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain – for Life: By David Perlmutter, Kristin Loberg
Through research and development food manufactures are overcoming the challenges associated with the heat sensitivity of prebiotics and probiotics. They need both the pre and probiotics to be able to withstand the rigors of chemical and heat processing. On the shelves in the grocery stores you can find a host of prepackaged commercial foods that are now “fortified” with both prebiotics and probiotics. While on the outside this may seem like the greatest thing since sliced bread, I would advise caution. The food is still highly processed and jampacked with preservatives, and grown with every toxic “cide” to man. That would be herbicides, fungicides, pesticides etc. This is what the problem is. It’s important to do your own due diligence, by reading labels, so you know what you are consuming.
In short, naturally occurring prebiotics found in food, provide a readily available energy source that is needed to feed the probiotics, which are also known as the “friendly flora” in the digestive tract. The flora’s job, friendly or otherwise, is to maintain balance within the digestive tract. The ultimate goal is to support homeostasis and maintain a healthy immune system, and a balance mind and healthy body.
An excellent way to incorporate a daily dose of naturally occurring prebiotics and probiotics is to add a green smoothie to your diet. And if that doesn’t do it for you, eat a green leafy salad with lots of different vegetables along with an apple and fresh garlic dressing. If you want more information on how to create green smoothies, checkout my book: Green Is 4 Life: A Simple Guide To Creating Healthy Life-Giving Green Smoothies
Are there over the counter brands of prebiotic and probiotic combinations that I can take? Yes, but my first suggestion would be to try making your own smoothies, yogurt, pickles etc. If that doesn’t work for you, try BiomeMD Pre+Probiotics: 1MD Complete Probiotics Platinum – with Prebiotic Fiber | 51 Billion Live CFU, 11 Strains, Dairy-Free.
So, do I need them? Do I need prebiotics or probiotics? The short and long answers are yes. But, I’ll let you be the judge of that! Your life is all about the choices you make. Make sure you do your own due diligence.
Before making changes to your diet or adding supplements, consult your health care provider first.