Feeding Your Microbiome

Friendly bacteria eat prebiotic foods.

Feeding your microbiome is much like fertilizing your garden. Both need proper nutrition in order to thrive. What foods do friendly gut bacteria like to eat? Their favorite foods are called “prebiotics.” These are substances consumed by friendly gut bacteria that produce beneficial health effects for their human hosts. Prebiotics are nondigestible, fermentable types of fiber, including inulin, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), resistant starch, arabinoxylans, beta glucan, pectin and polyphenols.

Health effects

Prebiotics provide food for the microbiome. Studies show numerous health benefits for humans when friendly gut bacteria get the food they need. Prebiotics support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and reduce colonization by harmful microbes. They strengthen the gut lining and help prevent leaky gut. They improve immunity and have anti-inflammatory effects. Other benefits of prebiotics include reducing acne and other skin problems, lowering allergy risk, balancing hormones, regulating blood sugar, lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, supporting weight loss and improving mental health. In addition, they improve calcium and mineral absorption, reduce constipation and increase the production of short chain fatty acids that nourish gut cells.

Best prebiotic foods

Friendly bacteria in in the human gut need prebiotic fibers to survive, multiply and thrive. Here are some of the best sources.

Vegetables

Chicory root, Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus, garlic, onions and leeks are good sources of the prebiotic inulin. Carrots contain pectin. Mushrooms contain beta glucan.

Fruits

Bananas are rich in fructooligosaccharides. Apples, citrus and kiwi have the prebiotic pectin. Berries contain polyphenols.

Legumes

Beans, peas and lentils are good sources of galactooligosaccharides.

Whole grains

Oats and barley contain beta glucans. Cooked and cooled rice has resistant starch. Whole wheat, rye and barley are good sources of arabinoxylans.

Most whole plant foods contain some prebiotics. Eating a wide variety of plants helps encourage a diverse microbiome. Dine on as many different types of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains as you can over time. Keep trying new plant foods. Consume at least some of them raw since cooking can reduce the prebiotic content of some foods. Start with small portions of foods rich in prebiotics to give your gut microbiome a chance to adjust.

This newsletter is for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice or treatment; before adhering to any recommendations in this newsletter consult your healthcare provider.