A plant-based diet fosters probiotics
Sept 2019 – A few days ago, I received an email from food vendor Nutritionist Deepa, promoting its lentil krispies. It stated that they were “jam-packed with prebiotic fiber.”
Isn’t that true of any plant-based food?
The email claimed that the fibers are fuel for probiotics, which “reduce inflammation, maintain gut function and fight pathogens.”
Are you thinking, “Why can’t they talk in laymen’s terms?
The gut, or intestine, contains good and bad microorganisms, or bugs. These bugs are called gut flora. When the germs, or bad bugs, take over, we become sick. If we take antibiotics, we’ll kill both the germs (pathogens) and the good bugs.
We can bring back the good bugs, or probiotics, in several ways:
When we eat fermented foods like sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, kimchi, yogurt and water kefir, which already contain probiotics, we will eventually rebalance the ratio of bad to good bugs.
We can also purchase probiotic supplements, which usually contain substances from either the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii or the bacteria groups Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium. The problem with supplements is that some members of those bacteria groups are bad bacteria, so checking with our doctor is important.
Probiotic supplements have been used by at least 0.5 % of children and 1.6 % of adults in the U.S. Some have experienced side effects like upset stomach, diarrhea, gas, and bloating for the first couple of days. During that time, others may experience allergic reactions, but most folks don’t have bad reactions.
However, premature babies, people with immune system problems and the seriously ill in hospitals need to check with their doctor first before taking probiotics. According to the governmental National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), possible harmful effects from taking the supplements include infections, production of harmful substances, and transfer of antibiotic resistance genes from probiotics to other bugs in the digestive tract. Some probiotic supplements have been reported to contain bugs not listed on the label; later the unlisted bugs caused serious problems.
Some folks credit their use of probiotics to improved skin condition and immune response, allergy and cold prevention, and dental, urinary and vaginal health. Probiotics used as dietary supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. To be used as a drug to treat a disease, they have to be proven safe and effective by clinical trials.
Researchers have studied the effects of probiotics on skin, teeth, allergy sufferers, the brain, dental health, urinary and respiratory conditions and the digestive tracts of adults and infants. However, in most instances, they still don’t know which probiotics are helpful and which are not. They also don’t know “how much of the probiotic people would have to take or who would be most likely to benefit,” according to NCCIH, a part of the National Institutes of Health.
A third way to maintain the healthy balance between good and bad bugs is to feed the existing probiotics in the gut with prebiotics, special plant fibers found naturally in vegetables, fruits and whole grains; processed food that lists galactooligosaccharides as an ingredient also contains them. Good natural sources of prebiotics are regular and Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus, bananas, barley, berries, chicory, garlic, legumes(peas and beans), oats,onions, tomatoes and wheat. Good processed foods with prebiotics are fortified bread, cereals, cookies,yogurt and baby formula.
In addition to eating foods that contain prebiotics and/or probiotics, dietician Meghan Jardine suggests exercising, limiting fats, avoiding animal products and unnecessary antibiotics, managing stress and getting adequate sleep as ways to balance the pathogens and probiotics in our gut. – WebMD, PCRM, NCCIH
Have you noticed an improvement in your health from eating foods rich in fiber or probiotics?