Diet as we know is super important, you are what you eat and what you eat can affect your mood, your energy levels, how you sleep and even your concentration levels, so, with that in mind it’s important to be mindful of what is in the food you eat. There seem to be new fad diets coming and going all the time, but, eating well and eating in moderation is something that you and your family can sustain moving forward.

 

Eating is fun and exciting and people spend a lot of time eating and preparing food, so as with anything, to ensure you get the most out of your food, it is important to read labels on food packaging and understand what you are putting into your body. Where possible it is ideal to ensure that the food and ingredients you eat and cook contain as few additives as possible .

 

Eating healthily and maintaining a well balanced diet is important, balance is key to ensure you are getting enough vitamins, fat and calories on a daily basis. It does not cost a lot of money to eat healthy foods which are ultimately good for you, and there are lots of meal planners around which you can use and benefit from. Planning meals, saves time and money while making sure your meal includes all the ingredients you desire. There are of course lots of vitamins and supplements you can take which are good, and this is of course fine, but there are also lots of naturally occurring fibres which are beneficial to both your diet and gut. These super fibres are known as prebiotics.

What is a prebiotic

A prebiotic is a type of plant fibre that is naturally occurring in a good selection of fruits and vegetables. Prebiotics are known as food that help all that lovely and healthy bacteria grow in your gut making your digestive system function better.

Where can you find prebiotics?

Well here is some good news. Prebiotics occur naturally in a lot of food, and can be found in a wide variety of fruits, nuts and vegetables including watermelon, grapefruit, pomegranate, spring onions, beetroot, green peas and cashews, to name but a few. With such a wide variety of foods that have prebiotics naturally occurring in them it won’t be too difficult to create healthy meal plans which incorporate your recommended daily allowance of both fruit and vegetables. If on the other hand you are short on time, have picky eaters in the family or are happy with the meals you currently prepare you can look to add prebiotic supplements which are highly affordable and do the job just as well.

How do prebiotics help with digestion

When our gut is not getting everything it needs and there is an imbalance we end up with issues such as diarrhea or constipation. These issues are easily avoidable, all we need to do is make sure our stomachs are getting what they need. This is where prebiotics come in. Prebiotics are little superstars as they help good bacteria in the gut take hold by acting as food for the bacteria. Good bacteria helps maintain a healthy gut, and is needed to offset the bad bacteria within our guts. Prebiotics play their part in maintaining a healthy digestive system within your body. Although it is still early on in finding out just how beneficial prebiotics are to our bodies early research is showing that prebiotics can aid a number of issues relating to your gut and digestive system, such as diarrhea, constipation and IBD. Early research is also showing that prebiotics may be helpful to the nervous system and immune system so there are definitely exciting times ahead.

So what other foods can I find prebiotics in?

If you are looking to add some new super food ingredients to your meals then other foods that include naturally occurring prebiotics include: Garlic, Jerusalem Artichoke, Leeks,Bananas, Soy beans and Whole grains, Chickpeas, Almonds, Bran, Barley, Oats, Chicory and even Savoy Cabbage.

 

As you can see prebiotics can be found in a variety of readily available foods and supplements so you have no excuse not to include them in your diet. Start out adding a few new foods or supplements monitoring the difference and then continuing on from there. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet, especially in the winter months will be beneficial to you and your family, and taking time to look after your gut, and maintain a healthy gut is important to staying healthy and active.