Improving health has become a trend today. With the pandemic going on, people have focused on staying fit and eating right as a way to protect themselves from the virus. It is important to note that health is a lifestyle composing of our daily physical activities and the quality of food we digest. By now, we must have a knowledge that each food has different nutritional values, some more beneficial to our body than others.
There is, however, one system in our body that food impacts the most-- the Digestive System! When talking about gut health, studies show that in order for it to improve one must eat fermented food and take prebiotics and probiotics.
UNDERSTANDING THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Bacteria inside our gut are normal. There are millions upon millions that inhibit inside it. Most of these bacteria live a symbiotic relationship with our body meaning they are harmless. They live off our gut, while we benefit from their presence and by-products. They also play a fundamental role in human digestion by helping us digest all manner of food and by protecting us from harmful infections.
PREBIOTICS VS PROBIOTICS
Prebiotics and probiotics are components linked to gut health. Prebiotics are foods that promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, and probiotics are edible sources that actually contain health-promoting microbes. To make it much simpler, probiotics add soldiers to your gut army and prebiotics give these soldiers the support they need.
There is quite a range of food where we can get probiotics from. Some of these are yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, kimchi, miso, kombucha, pickles, traditional buttermilk, and some types of cheese.
INTRODUCING POSTBIOTICS
Aside from prebiotics and probiotics, a much less widely known but equally important component in maintaining and improving gut health is called the postbiotics. Postbiotics are recently discovered and is an emerging topic in healthcare. It is described as the byproducts of the fermentation process carried out by probiotics in the intestine. Now, while we said prebiotics are like the “food” for the army and probiotics are the soldiers themselves, postbiotics then are the result of the army eating that food. Some examples of these are organic acids, bacteriocins, carbonic substances, and enzymes.
So, why are they important? Researchers found that postbiotics are responsible for multiple important health-boosting functions in our gut. Here is a list of some benefits we can get from postbiotics:
- May help lower blood sugar and prevent obesity
- Supports probiotics
- Treats Diarrhea
- Has Antimicrobial properties
- Helps support the Immune Systems of Infants and Immunocompromised Patients
- Reduces Inflammation
Although a lot has yet to be discovered by researchers, postbiotics are concluded to be helpful to our bodies. Unlike probiotics, postbiotics are also found to be more stable and have a longer shelf life. Meaning, with the kind of health benefits it provides and the safety that comes with it, we can be sure that postbiotics are going to be the future trend in the health and fitness industry.
Show some love to your gut and drink your prebiotics with Purely! Cheers!
