What Are Prebiotics?
What are prebiotics? How are they different from probiotics? We hear about both but it’s not always clear how they differ. Probiotics introduce microorganisms into the gut. Many people take probiotic supplements, but you can also eat things like fermented foods to introduce “good” bacteria into your system. I wrote a blog post a while ago about the value of probiotic foods. The purpose of probiotics is to add certain bacteria into our systems. Prebiotics serve a related but different function. They provide food for the microorganisms we’re trying to encourage to be in our system. Prebiotics are basically the food that bacteria eat to help them flourish and proliferate. If you're taking probiotics, making sure you eat prebiotics might help those bacteria you're introducing into your...
