Food For Your Good Bacteria

from health and fitness

The human digestive system is populated by millions of bacteria. We will learn in this article, that some of these are good bacteria and some are bad. By keeping the good bacteria alive, we can manipulate bacterial colonisation in our gut. lust as the saying goes, 'The more the merrier', the more good bacteria we have, the better bacterial colonisation we have! One of the ways to do this is to take probiotics, a viable microbial dietary supplement. However, the lesser known approach is to consume prebiotics. Unlike the living micro-organisms of probiotics, prebiotics are indigestible carbohydrates or fibres that feed the desired bacterial strains and stimulate their rapid growth. So, prebiotics are really the food for probiotics! Prebiotics do not hydrolyse, nor can they be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. They can only be fermented by good bacteria (probiotics). Here are three types of prebiotics you need to know about:

Inulin

Everybody knows about fibres, but few have heard of inulin. You will be surprised that you consume much inulin without even realising it.

Sources: Inulin is commonly found in plant-based foods like wheat, rye, onions, garlic, bananas, artichokes, chicory roots and leeks.

Food applications: Food manufacturers have started to add inulin into processed foods to boost their fibre level. Health enthusiasts deem inulin to be a functional food because it is ideal in replacing the sugar, flour and fat commonly found in processed foods.

Health benefits: Inulin, like other fibres such as oat bran, cellulose and wheat bran, is indigestible and, thus, serves as a consumable food for probiotics. A sufficient amount in the gut will prevent constipation and aid digestion. Since inulin is indigestible, it does not affect the glucose levels of diabetic patients. Inulin is also not counted as carbohydrate intake. There are indications that inulin can help the body absorb calcium better. The best way to consume inulin is to eat natural foods like those mentioned above.

Oligosaccharides

These are another prebiotic that most people have not heard of. Oligosaccharides are a unique form of carbohydrates squeezed in between monosaccharides (simple sugars) and polysaccharides (starches).

Sources: They are naturally found in various plants, like chicory roots and artichokes. In addition, all the members of the onion family - including garlic and leeks - have oligosaccharides.

Food applications:Food manufacturers are partially replacing sugar, flour and fat with oligosaccharides in their manufacturing process because apart from their beneficial properties as a prebiotic, oligosaccharides also have a sweet taste. They are also used as sweeteners for foods specially prepared for diabetics. Its fibres also improve the texture of certain processed foods.

Health Benefits: Health enthusiasts are encouraging the consumption of oligosaccharides because a large portion of this type of fibre escapes the digestive activities in the stomach and proceeds to the small intestine and colon - in the process, serving effectively as food for probiotic micro-organisms.

Dietary Fibres

Different types of plants produce different amounts and kinds of dietary fibres, such as pectin, gum, mucilage, cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin.

Health Benefits:Why are dietary fibres beneficial for the digestive system? Simple - they prevent constipation, haemorrhoids and diverticulosis. The more insoluble the fibres, the better they are in building up faecal bulk. Insoluble fibres trap fluid and, thus, make faeces bulkier and softer. This helps speed up the journey of food through the digestive system.

Water-soluble fibres, such as pectin and gum found in the cells of plants, are helpful in reducing cholesterol levels by binding bile acids and excreting them. Dietary fibres have also been found to be tested to be helpful in reducing the risk of colon cancer because they reduce the prolonged exposure of toxic digestive substances in the colon.

Sources: Fruits and vegetables are very good sources of dietary fibre. Wheat bran and whole grains are also beneficial in producing faecal bulk. Rolled oats and pectin are good for lowering blood cholesterol levels.