-Gavin McKay, Founder & President Unite Fitness

Most people know what probiotic foods and supplements are now that the food companies, particularly yogurt companies, have begun marketing them as a major health benefit. But what is a prebiotic food? For most of us we still aren’t sure why our gut bacteria are important to our overall health, nor what we need to be doing to keep them in balance.

The SKINNY on Gut Bacteria:

Our bodies are infested with trillions of bacteria. In fact there are way more bacteria than cells in our bodies, which is kinda scary. It means that there are symbiotic and parasitic relationships depending on the type of bacteria. Bacteria generally function as convertors, they take one substance in and spit out another, which comes in handy to break down things our body doesn’t readily. However some bacteria create substances that don’t serve our health and make us feel terrible. Scientists are still determining how it all works, but they do know bacteria are strong influencers of our immune system, digestion, brain function and more.

So what can we do to keep our gut bacteria balanced and healthy?

1.Sugar Breeds Unhealthy Bacteria So Reduce It!

There are just so many ways in which sugars and processed foods that end up as sugar are hurting us. If sugar wasn’t so addictively tasty to our tongues it wouldn’t have many beneficial features. For your gut sugar provides the type of cheap, quick food for the unhealthy bacteria to explode and take over, suppressing good bacteria and reeking havoc. Think of a petri dish created to grow mold, its just sugar water basically. Just one more reason to eliminate hidden sugars in sauces, drinks, etc.

2.Eat Probiotic Foods With Healthy Bacteria

Where do these healthy bacteria come from? Well some come from the soil which has a surprisingly similar bacteria makeup as our guts, so eating plants is a great way to get them. There are some bacteria that are particularly helpful to our bodies, which are the kind that cause fermentation. So naturally fermented foods contain healthy bacteria in them, as long as they are refrigerated. Bacteria is what gives yogurt it’s tartness, Kombucha its fizz, gouda cheese its aged flavor. Humans have used bacteria to create special flavored foods that we love forever, now we know there is something even more special about them as probiotic foods.

3.Eat Prebiotic Foods To Feed Healthy Bacteria

Now that you have more of the healthy bacteria inside you from probiotic foods, they need to be fed so they can thrive and provide the health benefits to your biochemstry. Bacteria eat plant fiber as it turns out, which we know has direct healthy benefits as well. Foods that are particularly good feed for bacteria are what we call prebiotic foods. This is great motivation to increase our whole food, plant based eating including both fruits and vegetables with high fiber content. To be clear it is not grain based fiber, but fruit/veggie based so things berries, bananas, onions, and beans.