In Part 1 of this series, we discussed how we can incorporate mindful nutrition into our daily routine. In this post, I am happy to share some basics on pre and probiotic foods.
I will explain a little about how high fiber and fermented foods can transform and heal the gut lining by complementing the supplements and other healthy foods you already eat.
1. The Gut Helpers, Who Are They?
Prebiotics: Indigestible fibers and complex carbohydrates (like whole grains, legumes, or starches) that act as food for beneficial bacteria.
Probiotics: Live microorganisms (e.g., Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium, usually in dairy or capsule) that provide health benefits when ingested into a gut where they can thrive.
Fermented Foods: Foods and drinks produced through controlled growth that deliver a diverse mix of live cultures, depending on how they are processed.
Fermented foods and high fiber help create the proper ecosystem for diverse gut flora to thrive. Fermented foods introduce diverse microbes and whole-food nutrients, making them ideal for long-term maintenance. Fermented foods and probiotic supplements both support gut health but operate differently.
2. How Fermented Foods and High Fiber Complement Supplements
Taking a probiotic supplement populates your gut with specific, targeted strains of beneficial bacteria (e.g., a pill containing 10 billion CFUs of Lactobacillus acidophilus).
However, these supplements are often “transient”. They pass through your system and exit if they right conditions do not exist for them to live. Your existing gut flora—as well as any probiotic supplements you are taking undergo their own fermentation process which strengthens your intestinal barrier and reduces inflammation. Better immune response means enhanced protection against both stress and illness.
How can we help our body be more successful in strengthening our digestive process?
Fermented foods come complete with fuel for your gut flora, they contain naturally pre-broken-down carbs. When you eat these foods alongside a prebiotic supplement or while taking a probiotic capsule, you feed the microbes immediately upon ingestion.
A good combination would be pairing fiber with kefir, because it contains live cultures along with a complex carb meal. The prebiotic fiber gives these incoming live cultures an immediate, nourishing food source, allowing them to multiply and effectively adhere to the intestinal lining.
3. Fermented foods Create Diversity in your Gut Population.
Fermented foods, paired with vegetable fiber, also creates lasting change by forming healthy acids within the gut lining that effectively lower the pH of your colon. The fiber expands in the gut, forming a lubricating gel. As it ferments, it converts body fat and prevents that accumulation. In this way high fiber diets encourage fullness and lower abdominal fat. This creates a nice home for your gut helpers and makes an inhospitable environment for bad bacteria.
Here are some examples:
- When taking a multi-strain probiotic supplement, you could also eat a side of raw, unpasteurized kimchi.
- Sauerkraut also introduces a wide, complex array of good bacteria that help crowd out harmful pathogens from your microbiome, increasing resilience and immunity than one populated by supplements alone.
- Consuming tempeh or miso (fermented soybeans) introduces both beneficial bacteria and bioactive compounds that complement the entire process.
Here are some recipes and lists of fermented and high fiber foods to get you started:
Recipes for beginners to fermented foods:
Fermented Food Recipes by the Creative Vegetable Gardener Blog
More variety of fermented foods for the more adventurous: Best Fermented Food Recipes on The Kitchn Blog
More in depth examples of types of fermented foods and the nuances:
Experimenting with Fermented Foods on Rice Select Blog
About the Author
I combine Traditional Chinese Medicine, nutrition, and a patient-centered approach to help individuals achieve lasting whole-body wellness.
