Prebiotics and Probiotics – Glorious Gut Friends & Fabulous Ferments

Ah! I accidentally poured my water kefir colony down the drain. It had served me well for a dozen years or so. It had generously turned fruit and ginger teas, fresh and left over juices from canned fruits into delightful probiotic rich drinks. If I didn’t have time to make a new batch, it patiently waited, sometimes for months, in the back of the fridge until I woke it up to turn some lovely strawberry trimmings into a bubbly and refreshing healthy soda. A little sip here and there helped keep my gut healthy and happy — time to buy a new colony.

What doesn’t improve when your digestion is better?

Both Eastern and Western medicine hold that the digestive vitality is the base of overall health. What you eat and how well you can absorb it and transform it into Qi, Blood and other essentials the body needs come from your digestive vitality.

Be wary if your practitioner doesn’t hold views that nutrition is primary in health and treating illness.

Enter fermented foods.

Rich in prebiotics, probiotics and digestive enzymes they aid in breaking down foods and help transform them into what your body needs— from building bones, and creating vital energy, to having a strong immunity, and healing.

With an increase in live fermented foods in the diet we see a improvement in overall health and a decrease in disharmonies including—

• Allergies, sinusitis, and rhinitis

• Autoimmune disorders

• Bowel disorders problems – Irritable bowel, Crohn’s, loose stools, constipation and SIBO

• Cancers

• Chronic fatigue

• Chronic infection

• Chronic inflammation

• Chronic pain syndromes

• Cholesterol

• Digestive complaints: gas bloating, nausea, slow digestion

• High blood pressure

• Hormonal imbalances

• Low energy

• Menstrual issues

• Weak or compromised immunity

Considering all these benefits we see why it is important to keep prebiotic and probiotic foods in our diets. Many people have unwittingly tossed out ferments and probiotic foods. The reasons for loss of live foods in the diet are numerous including:

• Loss of heritage growing and food preparation habits and knowledge — especially after WWII.

• Manufacturing and production of highly processed foods.

• Vilification and confusion around complex carbohydrates. 

The Carbohydrate Conundrum

“I don’t eat carbohydrates.”  This statement, which I’ve heard hundreds of times of clients, students and friends, always raises a few red flags for me.  

First, from my perspective as a nutritionist, eliminating any whole food group or category for a length of time from a macro standpoint (all carbs, all protein, etc.) is dangerous.  Second, it brings up just how confused our society has become around what a carbohydrate is and what it does in the body. I will tackle the details of digestible carbohydrates another day. For this blog we need to understand that probiotics will not thrive in your body without prebiotic foods which come from semi or non digestible carbohydrates.

Don’t panic yet or run for the muffins and donuts.  Let’s get a clear picture of what prebiotics are so we can understand the type of carbohydrate essential to our diet.

What are prebiotics?

Prebiotics are found in non-digestible carbohydrate or semi-digestible carbohydrate portions of fibrous vegetables. We either can’t break them down (non-digestible) or can only break down portions (semi-digestitible) of these foods.  Prebiotics generally  provide no direct nutritional value to our bodies and little if any calories, minerals or vitamins. So why bother eating them?  Prebiotics are like the housekeepers in your digestive tract, they clean and create an environment where healthy gut flora can thrive. Without them, even if you take or eat a lot of probiotic supplements, your digestion may still be slow or you may suffer from nutritional impairment and slow healing.

Let’s follow a couple prebiotics through our digestion.  

Inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) are found in foods like asparagus, banana, chicory, leeks, oats and onions. Inulin and FOS are two common non-digestible prebiotics.  They cruise through the stomach and small intestines without being broken down. Once they reach the colon, however, they act as catalysts that stimulate the healthy growth of probiotics (bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus rhamnosus, etc.) which break down food in our gastrointestinal tract.

Roughage forms (cabbage, rough vegetable fibers) of fiber gently scrub the colon releasing build up and toxins.

Mucilaginous forms such as chia seeds, marshmallow — the plant, which was originally used to make the sweet treat— and aloe moisten and regulate mucus properly in the colon, thereby allow the probiotics to increase and thrive. This increase in probiotic health benefits the body in a number of ways, from increased energy, boosted immunity, faster healing and to better absorption of minerals including calcium and magnesium.

Where to find prebiotics — Fiber rich foods and complex carbohydrates. Some trendy diets greatly reduce or eliminate complex carbohydrates which, after time, may cause collapse of Spleen yang, digestive vitality, and loss of muscle strength.

Whole Grains — Prebiotics are  naturally occurring and abundant in whole grains especially those that still have their endosperm, germ and bran.  These guys usually need to be soaked and take time to cook down.  What you find in “whole grain” bread is most likely milled, cracked or stripped of its bran and endosperm it’s similar to parboiled or instant rice.  Stripped of much of their nutrients and their health giving bran, they become harmful foods, not healing foods.  Whole grains take time. They take time to cook and the time for the body to break them down. As a result, they regulate blood sugar rather than spiking it.  Give whole grains like rye, millet, barley and teff a whirl. And there are many gluten free grains available including amaranth, buckwheat, corn, quinoa, and oats.

Fiber rich vegetables— Look for roughage – remember this term? High fiber vegetables will be high in prebiotics.  Some of the best sources were once abundantly eaten but have lost favor to our modern, picky tastes. These include the cruciferous vegetables of broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, rutabaga and kale.  Others include: Asparagus, bamboo shoots, burdock, chicory, dandelion root, Jerusalem artichoke, leeks, garlic and the onion and radish family and winter squashes like pumpkin.  All of your leaves provide roughage as well, the tougher the green the more prebiotic qualities it will have. Time to chew on some shrubbery. Chew, chew, chew.

Lentils and legumes— More fiber friends.  High in protein, lentils and legumes stabilize blood sugar and deeply nourish Qi and Blood.  Sensitive to a particular legume, such as kidney or white beans? Rarely are people with food allergies and sensitivities allergic to the entire family of any given food.  Check out mung beans, adzuki, French green, and beluga lentils. Use caution, try a small amount at a time. Eat them with a ferment to aid digestion.  Lovely lentils and legumes make a complete protein when combined with the proper grain.

Chia seeds — Gently stimulate the bowels and regulate colon mucus.

Aloe Vera — Cellulose dense aloe is a strong colon stimulate. It is very useful in hot conditions of the bowels.  Use caution as its nature is very cold and may cause cramping.

Milk— Not really.  Although it is true that many sites list milk as a prebiotic, it’s a little misleading.  Our bodies contain enzymes (renin) that can covert the lactose in milk to the prebiotic GOS but only if you absorb and process milk well.  After about the age of 3 most humans have little renin in their system. Fermented milks  like kefir with FOS and aged cheese are more absorbable and will provide better prebiotic.

These are just a few.  Remember if it is high in fiber, it will aid your probiotics. 

Probiotics

Probiotics are microbes or micro-organisms like bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria that reside in the gastrointestinal tract and help us break down our and absorb our food and vital nutrients. Mother’s milk contains our first dosing of pre and probiotics, helping to set up a strong gut microbiome. We continue to nourish a healthy gut biome by eating foods rich in naturally yeasted and fermented foods like sauerkrauts, kefir, kimchi,  kombucha and yogurt.   Most traditional food cultures regularly consume fermented foods full of prebiotics, probiotics and live enzymes foods on a daily basis, but it is something that is often missing from many American’s diets.

Digestive enzymes

Digestive enzymes provide the chemical breakdown of food and begins in the mouth with chewing. Think of it like the chemical bath that breaks down food in the mouth, stomach and upper digestive tract. There are three main digestive enzymes.

• Salivary Amylase is made in the mouth and pancreas and is stimulated by chewing. Amylase breaks down carbohydrates.

• Proteases is made in the pancreas, and breaks down protein into small peptides and amino acids.

• Lipases is made in the pancreas and breaks down fat into three fatty acids plus a glycerol molecule.

Digestive enzymes are plentiful in fermented foods and some non fermented foods like honey, ginger, avocado and papaya.

Foods rich in probiotics and live enzymes

• Breast milk

• Dairy ferments kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese.

• Kimchi

• Kombucha

• Miso–there are hundreds of varities and flavors

• Naturally fermented beer and wines

• Naturally pickled vegetables – limit those that use a lot of sugar in the pickling process. And those with high blood pressure may need to be cautious of foods pickled in salt.

• Oshinko (Japanese pickles)

• Sauerbrauten

• Sauerkraut

• Shoyu

• Soy sauce

• Sourdoughs

• Tamari

• Vinegars

• Water kefir

• Yeasts

Bonus - Most probioitic foods have B Vitamins and aid in the absorption of Vitamin K, Vitamin B12, folic acid and calcium.

Sour and the digestive system – All fermented foods have a sour flavor.  In Asian food energetics, the sour flavor aids the digestive system by breaking up stagnation, helping to break down fats and stimulating the bile.

How to add them into your diet

• Have a tablespoon of a ferment 1 -2 x a day. A little, regularly consumed is the ideal.

• Serve them as sides with meals

• Try a variety - I have a funky shelf in my fridge. There’s some homemade water kefir, pickled ginger, a couple flavors of sauerkraut, kimichi, and quickles hanging about.

• Use the juice. I use the last of the kimichi or kraut juice to add flavor to soups (add after cooking is done) sautes and salads. Okay, maybe I just drink it sometimes too…

A couple notes of cautions

Want to learn more? Check out my courses and programs on aprilcrowell.thinkific.com

Candida — Although naturally occurring in our bodies – candida albicans may run amok, especially if you eat a lot of refined grains and sugar. If you are battling with candida albicans (yeast) overgrowth, avoid using even naturally fermented yeasted foods like breads and beer until you get the candida back under control.

Antibiotics — There is no denying that antibiotics have saved millions of lives, and they do hold a place in medicine.  However, they have been overused and should be used with caution.  They are non-selective and eliminate both beneficial bacteria and harmful bacteria.  This killing off of beneficial bacteria can lead to increased digestive problems, UTI’s and yeast infections to name a few.

Here’s to your happy gut.

April