New research has revealed the foods that top the prebiotic-rich list — and we think you’ll be surprised.
Think gut-friendly and you think your kefirs, your kombuchas, your kimchis. But they are probiotics — we’ll come to that distinction in a moment.
Announced at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nutrition, Nutrition 2023, it’s a bunch of veg that tops the list.
Coming in at first place are dandelion greens (the leaves that grow from the stem of the plant — who knew?), Jerusalem artichokes (the nobbly ones), garlic, leeks and onions, all of which pack a powerful prebiotic punch: 100-240mg/g of food, of the 5g recommended per day.
You’ll notice the Allium family — of which the latter three belong — are coming in strong, when it comes to prebiotics. So hold fire on buying those pricey supplements for just one moment as this is one of many things the plant world has covered.
Let’s track back: prebiotics and probiotics are both important, helping to keep your gut bacteria balanced, but they aren’t the same thing.
Prebiotics come from carbs, mostly fibre, and it feeds the good bacteria in your gut and turns into a short-chain fatty acid called butyrate, which promotes a healthy gut barrier. Probiotics are the live bacteria that are found in foods such as kefir and kimchi.
Keeping your gut healthy is essential for overall health — and it’s only getting more essential as scientists discover just how wide-ranging its impact. Recent research has shown it plays a big part in maintaining mental health due to that gut-brain connection.
*Adds dandelion greens, Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, leeks and onions to food shop*
Bex is a wellbeing writer, brand consultant and qualified yoga and meditation teacher who likes baths, crystals, running with her pup Gustav and making unboring vegan-ish food.
