Prebiotics vs. Probiotics

Which one should you choose for your gut health!? 

Let’s start with the gut microbiome (aka the microbiota or gut flora). The microbiome is the trillions of tiny organisms in your GI tract, specifically the intestines, that help to break down and absorb nutrients. It’s vital for the immune system, brain and many other body systems that all rely on a healthy and diverse gut microbiome.

Probiotics and probiotics affect your Microbiome by feeding and providing beneficial bacteria, prebiotics support probiotics.

Probiotics are live strains of “good” bacteria including: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Saccharomyces boulardii. Prebiotics feed good bacteria and support bacteria growth and are non high fiber (non-digestible carbohydrate) foods. This fiber acts as food for probiotics and microbes in the gut.

So which one should I take? 

Personally I choose to take this probiotic supplement  and get my prebiotics from foods like: apples, almonds, bananas, beans and veggies! 

This all being said some bacteria in the gut is more beneficial aka "good" while other gut bacteria is considered "bad." Many people have issues with prebiotics as well as probiotics due to candida/bacterial/yeast overgrowth. This is due in part to food not being broken down in the gut properly, then fermenting that can causes gas, bloating and digestion upset. When I think of probiotics aka good gut bacteria, I like to use the example of milk. (not that I think milk is a health food but go with me on this.

If you have a glass of "good" milk and add it to a cup of sour or "bad" milk, the "good" milk doesn't turn the "bad" milk good, it all turns sour. Same idea in our gut, if I take "good" gut probiotics and I already have a candida/bacterial/yeast overgrowth the "bad" bacteria turns the "good" bacteria bad and causes even more of an issue.

Many clients I work with have a candida/bacterial/yeast overgrowth in there gut so I don't always recommend probiotics right off the bat, this is where functional medicine lab gut testing comes in! I use an organic acids test that test 75 different biomarkers, vitamins and even neurotransmitters in the gut with a simple at home urine sample (mailed to the lab and the lab sends me the results to go over with the client-let me know if you would like more information on this). From there if there is a candida/bacterial/yeast overgrowth the client and I work together through a specific protocol to: 1. remove the biofilm shell from the overgrowth (this is why candida diets alone don't work!) 2. eliminate the "bad" gut bacteria 3. replace it with good gut bacteria. Then use probiotics to support the gut.

If you have question or would like more information about the lab or the protocol let me under the contact tab!