The Difference Between Prebiotics and Probiotics
You've most likely heard of probiotics, but do you know what the difference between prebiotics and probiotics are?
It’s like the age old saying of teach a man to fish or give him a fish.
Probiotics are the fish.
Prebiotics are the secrets to fishing.
Let’s define them first...
PREBIOTICS VS PROBIOTICS
Probiotics are live bacteria that help to improve and restore the gut. You can find these little guys from the fermentation of foods like, kimchi, yogurt, miso soup, and others.
Prebiotics are not bacteria at all. They are special fibers that ferment in the large colon and is the food source for "good" bacterial colonies. Instead of actively placing probiotic bacteria in the gut, prebiotics support the growth of your own, UNIQUE bacteria.
Starting to get the fish saying now?
WHEN ARE PROBIOTICS THE RIGHT CHOICE?
Since medication wipes out both good and bad bacteria, health professionals will often recommend probiotics to patients on antibiotics.
They are generally safe to consume, but each body is unique so it is necessary to determine the specific bacteria that will actually be helpful to your system. Taking the wrong probiotic can lead to unwanted side effects like stomach pain or bloating.
Probiotics are also super fragile. In order to be effective, they must be delivered alive and more importantly, survive the process of digestion. Unfortunately, they can die from stomach acid, heat, and even time.
WHEN ARE PREBIOTICS THE RIGHT CHOICE?
Since Prebiotics are not live cultures, they are not delicate like its counterpart, probiotics.
Prebiotics are non-digestible parts of food, which means stomach acid, heat, and time do not affect them. To sweeten the deal, individually unique prebiotics are not needed since the fermentation process is the same for every individual & you're basically growing your own "good bacteria" native to your body.
When's the right time to be taking prebiotics? Simple. When you're in the mood for better health, skin, mood, sleep, energy and even wanting to reduce the risk of disease.
That's right. Studies now show that an unhealthy gut with an abundance of bad bacteria (dysbiosis) has a negative impact on your health. Bad bacteria triggers a chain of events that results in a slow poison throughout the body even leading to metabolic diseases like Depression, Alzheimer's Disease, and more.
There really is no time like now to start making choices to improve both your immediate and long term health.
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