Prebiotics - The Food that Feeds Your Gut Bacteria

Written By thea boatswain

Prebiotics are a dietary tool that can help you improve your gut health. It is encouraged to incorporate foods such as prebiotics can into your daily diet. You may have heard of probiotics, but what about prebiotics? Did you know that they are both important for your digestive system. As a gut health dietitian, I work 1:1 with patients to help get down to the root cause of their gut issues and how they can manage them with nutritional interventions. Prebiotics are just as essential as probiotics and should be included in a balanced diet. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of prebiotics and some examples of prebiotic food sources you can add to your current nutrition habits.

Looking for more gut health content? Check out my blog post on the benefits of a high-fiber diet! 

What are Prebiotics?

The scientific definition that was developed by experts from the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) in 2016 is “a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit”.

After reading that you might be thinking, “what in the world does that even mean”?

Well, prebiotics are really just food for your gut microbes (or bacteria). Prebiotics can be naturally found in certain foods that have dietary fiber which helps shift the levels of bad bacteria in your gut to having more good bacteria in your gut. This can improve your health and lead to many different other health benefits too. It's important not to confuse prebiotics with probiotics. Both are essential for your gut health but play two completely different roles. Probiotics are live bacteria that are found in certain foods like kefir, yogurt, and certain fermented foods. In today’s post, we are going to be focusing only on prebiotics, the benefits, and food sources that you can start including in your current nutrition habits.


Benefits of Prebiotics

When it comes to prebiotics, there are so many health benefits. It makes sense to add them to your everyday nutrition habits for better health, in general. 

Take a look at some of the specific benefits below:

  • Improves absorption of vitamins and minerals

  • Supports immune system

  • Promotes gut health

  • Regulates bowel movements and reduces constipation

  • Eases symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome

  • Reduces risk of food allergies

  • Support metabolic functions 

If you suffer from a chronic health condition, these are all even more vital to your health. Putting your focus on these health-promoting foods can be a game-changer to fight disease.

5 Examples of Prebiotic Food Sources

You just read about the many health benefits of prebiotics. Although you can get prebiotics in a supplement form, I encourage you to get your prebiotics from food as much as you can. This is because you will be able to benefit from the many other nutrients that are found in these foods as well. 

Hopefully, your next step is to create a grocery list that includes some (or all) of the prebiotic food examples that are listed below.

  1. Chicory Root - is high in antioxidants and has a coffee-like flavor

    1. Add to smoothies or drink in a tea form!

  1. Jerusalem Artichoke - looks like a sunflower and is high in vitamins and minerals like thiamin

    1. Boil and eat as a side dish

  2. Garlic - has been proven to help promote the growth of good gut bacteria

    1. Use in pasta dishes, stir fry, and sauces

  3. Onions - are rich in inulin and help improve digestion by strengthening the gut microbiome

    1. Saute with other vegetables or eat raw on a salad

  4. Bananas - (especially unripe bananas) have lots of resistant starch which has prebiotic properties

    1. Use in a smoothie or try green banana pancakes

How to Find Prebiotics on Food Labels

Unfortunately, the word “prebiotic” is hardly ever used on food labels so you will need to be able to identify a few different words to determine whether a food product has prebiotics or not. 

If a food product has prebiotics in it, you will see the words:

  • Galactooligosaccharides (GOS)

  • Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)

  • Oligofructose (OF)

  • Chicory fiber

  • Inulin


If you see any of these words on the food labels, then that means that the product you are thinking about consuming has prebiotics. 

Prebiotics: The Takeaway

Choosing foods that you can add to your diet instead of taking away is a great way to improve your health. This is especially true if you have a chronic health condition or suffer from gut dysbiosis. Although it is important to remember that if you don’t get down to the root of your gut issues, they may not improve! Prebiotics are just one food source that can help you improve your gut health. If you need help identifying which foods contain prebiotics and will meet your specific nutritional needs, schedule an appointment with me at this link. We can create a personalized nutrition plan that includes prebiotics that will boost your gut health.

thea boatswain
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The Benefits of a High-Fiber Diet