When trying to eat a diet that can build and support a healthy gut microbiome, it can be difficult to find which foods contain the right microbes and nutrients (probiotics and prebiotics) in recommended amounts.
The good news: a study published in Nutrition 2023the annual meeting of the American Academy of Nutrition, does a lot of the heavy lifting by revealing the foods with the highest prebiotic content.
Researchers have looked at the prebiotic content of thousands of foods and have uncovered the foods that provide the greatest prebiotic benefits.
- young dandelion leaves
- Jerusalem artichoke (also called sunchoke)
- garlic
- green onion
- onion
As an added bonus, in addition to supporting gut health, prebiotic-rich foods contain high amounts of fiber, which has been shown to support gut health and help you stay “regular” and feel fuller for longer. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)).
“Previous research has shown that eating foods rich in prebiotics can be beneficial to your health,” study co-author Cassandra Boyd, a master’s student at San Jose State University in California, said in a paper. press release. “Eating in a way that promotes microbiome health while consuming more fiber may be easier to achieve and more accessible than you might think,” she added.
Prebiotics and Probiotics: What They Are and Why They Matter
Prebiotics are sometimes equated with dietary fiber, but only a subset of dietary fibers are recognized as prebiotics. International Scientific Association on Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP).
“Prebiotics are a type of dietary fiber that is indigestible by our host, but can be digested by selected microbes of the gut flora,” he explains. Gail Cressi, PhD, RDmicrobiome researcher at the Pediatric Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Ohio.
This means that prebiotics escape digestion and travel to the colon, where they can be digested by select members of the gut microbiota. For this reason, prebiotics can support optimal organization of the gut microbiome, and this interaction can produce metabolites that provide health benefits, says Dr. Cresi.
Prebiotics are different from probiotics and should not be confused. National Institutes of Health.
Think of it this way. Prebiotics are the “food” of the microbiome, whereas probiotics contain live microorganisms. Both have potential benefits for microbiome health, but they work differently.
What is Jerusalem artichoke, also called sunchoke?
Despite its name, Jerusalem artichoke (Sun Flower) has nothing to do with Jerusalem, not even artichokes. University of Michiganthis plant is a member of the sunflower family. The edible tuber, also known as sunchoke, is a knobby root vegetable that resembles ginger and has a sweet, nutty, potato-like taste.
A healthy and diverse microbiome may support overall health and reduce risk of obesity and other chronic diseases
“We are still learning, but current evidence suggests that the gut microbiome supports overall health and well-being through its role in digestion, production of beneficial metabolites, immune support, pathogen elimination, and maintenance of intestinal barrier function,” said Cresi. Reviews published in Signaling and targeted therapy in April 2022.
According to one researcher, there is also some evidence linking lack of microbiome diversity to obesity and obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Papers published in March 2022 biomedicine and drug therapy.
What foods contain the most prebiotics?
In this study, researchers leveraged previously published scientific findings to analyze the prebiotic content of over 8,000 foods included in the Foods and Nutrients Database for Dietary Research, a resource many scientists use to study nutrition and health.
More than a third of these foods were found to contain prebiotics. Dandelion leaves, sunchokes, garlic, leeks, and onions had the highest amounts of prebiotics, with approximately 100 to 240 milligrams (mg/g) of prebiotics per gram of food.
Other prebiotic-rich foods include onion rings, creamed onions, cowpea, asparagus, and Kellogg’s All-Bran cereal, each containing 50-60 mg/g.
Items containing wheat are ranked lower in the list. Foods with little or no prebiotics include dairy products, eggs, oils, and meat.
According to the authors, results of a preliminary literature review suggest that onions and onion-related foods contain multiple forms of prebiotics.
“Various forms of onions and related foods appear in a wide variety of dishes, both as flavorings and as key ingredients. These foods are commonly consumed by Americans, making them a viable goal for people to increase their prebiotic intake,” Boyd said.
Here’s how much you should eat to get the recommended amount of prebiotic foods
Although most dietary guidelines do not currently specify a recommended daily intake of prebiotics, ISAPP recommends taking 5g per day. The recommended amount of fiber is 28 ga based on a 2,000 calorie diet per day.
To get a minimum of 5 grams of prebiotics, you should eat about half a small onion (4 ounces), 6 to 7 cloves of garlic, 1/4 of a medium leek, 1/2 cup of dandelion leaves, or 1/4 of a sunchoke.
Does cooking food change the prebiotic content?
“One of the limitations of the study is that we made some assumptions about raw and cooked variations of certain foods with the same prebiotic content,” says Boyd. That’s because there’s limited research on how cooking affects the prebiotic content of foods, she explains.
Prebiotics are a type of fiber, so different cooking methods can reduce the fiber content of foods, says Qureshi. “Eating foods raw or lightly cooking them best preserves their prebiotic content,” she says.
“Although the prebiotic content is reduced by cooking, the prebiotics are still present.
Expert advice for increasing your prebiotic intake
If you suspect that you are not getting enough prebiotics, it is best to start small and gradually increase your daily intake. Monash University. By giving your gut and its bacteria more time to adapt, you won’t feel any gas or bloating.
of Philadelphia Children’s Hospital recommends a mixture of plant-based foods that contain naturally occurring prebiotics and foods that have been fortified with them. , prebiotics are sometimes added to foods such as yogurt, cereals, breads, biscuits, desserts and drinks. ISAPP. The word “prebiotic” is not always used on labels. Instead, look for galactooligosaccharides (GOS), fructooligosaccharides (FOS), oligofructose (OF), chicory fiber, or inulin in the ingredients list. Alternatively, you can take prebiotics in the form of supplements.
