Why Prebiotics Are a Big Deal

Today, I want to share a couple simple ways to up your gut game because these conditions are on the rise:

  • Leaky gut (aka intestinal hyper-permeability)

  • Brain challenges like ADD/ADHD, cognitive, memory, and behavioral disruptions

  • Autoimmune conditions like Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, Multiple Sclerosis, and Hashimoto’s

  • Obesity

  • Chronic inflammation

  • Depression & anxiety

Why?

Our current health epidemic and the rise of chronic diseases can be tied to rapid changes in our diet & cultural practices, hyper-sanitization, increasing rates of C-section births, immunizations and antibiotic excesses, decreases in plant food intake, carbohydrate-heavy diets, and the increase in GMO foods.

All these factors have created a recipe for microbiota disruption, dysbiosis (too much bad bacteria), and the loss of ecological diversity.

Throughout the years I've sent newsletters and written blog posts about the gut microbiome, a highly complex collection of bacteria and other microbes that influence immunity, inflammation, metabolism, and more. You can read them here, here, and here! 

Did you know that feeding the GOOD critters in your gut is of equal importance? 

Yep! You've got to give them a way to proliferate. And sometimes, this is the most important thing you can do for better health and to rework a dysbiotic gut. 

So, how exactly do you feed them?

Resistant starch and polyphenols, of course. 

Let's dig in.

Resistant starchis like nutrition for the probiotic bacteria in your colon. This type of starch resists digestion. This means it travels through the gastrointestinal tract without breaking down and becoming fuel for the cells throughout your system, like other foods do. Once resistant starch reaches the colon it is ready to do its job.

In the colon or large intestine, much resistant starch is converted to short-chain fatty acids, one of which is called "butyrate." Butyrate not only helps the colon to rebuild, repair, and replenish, but it helps lower cancer risk and increases the population of good colon bacteria to ward off disease. Butyrate is like a superfood for your colon and resistant starch is how you deliver that superfood!

The benefits of consuming resistant starch include:

  • Reduction of inflammation in the colon by helping to lower colon pH

  • Supporting the repair of digestive dysfunctions, including symptoms related to both IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and IBD (irritable bowel diseases such as Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis)

  • Potential increase in the absorption of minerals

  • Improved insulin sensitivity for blood sugar management and control

Foods that contain resistant starch include:

  • Cooked and cooled potatoes (potato flour and/or starch)

  • Green bananas

  • Green plantains (and their flour)

  • Legumes such as lentils and chickpeas

  • Cashews

  • Raw oats

If you have gas or bloating, watch how you feel adding these foods that contain resistant starch. You may have to go slow and build your way up. 
 


Polyphenol rich foodsare easy to include in your diet, and your belly (and immune system) will love them.

Polyphenol-rich foods include:

  • Blueberries

  • Flaxseed meal (I like it freshly ground and always refrigerate my seeds and meal)

  • Raw cacao

  • Plums

  • Cherries

  • Hazelnuts

  • Red wine (if you can tolerate it)

  • Resveratrol

  • Pomegranate

  • Curcumin

  • Green tea

Chemical constituents in this class of food also travel through your small intestine largely undigested. The portion of the polyphenol-rich foods that make it to the colon are broken down by your gut bacteria into metabolites that increase the good guys and decrease the bad guys, helping you maintain healthy inner ecology.

Several of these foods—including green tea—also have anti-microbial and anti-biofilm activity, supporting the inhibition of yeast overgrowth like Candida albicans and the formation of bacteria like e.coli, from disrupting the balanced microbiota population.

And it's a win-win because many of these foods are anti-inflammatory immune boosters, so you really can't go wrong getting these in daily (though when it comes to red wine, gotta watch your intake there for oh-so many reasons, not the least of which: liver health).
 
I hope you find this helpful. There's so much you have in your control when it comes to good gut. When I work with my clients it's always the first thing we dive into no matter the health concern. Much of the time it's an upstream root (usually there is more than one root, however) to auto-immune disease, nutrient deficiences, hormone imbalance, and much more.

Be sure to reach out if you'd like to talk about your concerns—let's get to the root cause and bring your most vibrant self forward!

NutritionStephanie Daltonpolyphenols, prebiotics, cold potatoes, butyrate, feed probiotics, feed bacteria, gut bacteria, good gut bacteria, anti-microbial, anti-biofilm, anti-inflammatory, crohns, ulteratice colitis, liver health, raw oats, blood sugar, resistant starch, colon, small intestine