Pro and Prebiotics

Probiotics and prebiotics are buzzwords in the health industry. Probiotics are live bacteria that can be beneficial for our bodies, especially after taking antibiotics. Prebiotics, on the other hand, are substances that feed the good bacteria in our gut. While both can be useful, they are not necessary if we eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices, which naturally support our gut microbiome. To learn more, visit www.harmony-within.org for workshops and courses. Good evening to you and this is Elle from Elle's Food for Thought and today's food for thought I would love to talk a little bit about probiotics and prebiotics. Now probiotics and prebiotics you may have seen it as headlines in newspapers, you may see it as health claims on the front of little yogurts and sauerkraut and all these different kinds of products and it's like what does that even mean, is that a good thing, is that something that I want? It's become a bit of a buzzword so let's find out what this means. So whenever we're talking about something that is biotic what we're talking about is life, something that is alive and we're specifically talking about bacteria and the type of bacteria that's very very useful inside the body. You have a gut and in there you have a gut microbiome, trillions and trillions of bacteria and without them you very much could not live in the health and wellness that I very much hope that you have. These bacteria we have a symbiotic relationship with them and what we eat they eat so when we eat certain foods we're feeding our bacteria in a really useful way. So there are probiotics and a probiotic is quite literally bacteria, you're adding to the bacteria inside your body so when we have something that is probiotic it has living bacteria as part of it and when we eat it that living bacteria becomes part of our body. Probiotics can be really really useful if we've ever had a course of antibiotics because antibiotics they kill all the bacteria. Antibio, anti the life and then we put in the probiotics and add in the life again so they can be really really useful. The other one that we have are prebiotics. Prebiotics are the things that feed bacteria so they feed the good bacteria that live inside your body because the more they are fed the more will be created. So that's the difference probiotics are bacteria and prebiotics feed your bacteria. The funny thing is I wouldn't say either of them are necessary because if we're eating lots of fruits and vegetables and beans and nuts and seeds and herbs and spices all of those things naturally feed the bacteria and therefore support your entire gut microbiome. So they can be useful but I wouldn't say they're necessary and eating fibre in the fruits and veg and herbs and nuts and seeds and beans that's the best way to get your gut microbiome well fed. I hope this has been useful and interesting for you to think about the life inside your body and if you'd like to learn more about this do get in touch. You can find out all the upcoming workshops and courses on www.harmony-within.org