A healthy gut is crucial for good health, and taking gut-friendly supplements or drinking revitalizing beverages on a regular basis can be very helpful. Here’s what you should know:
Choosing the Right Gut-Friendly Supplements: Prebiotics and Probiotics
Enhancing Gut Health
To maintain a healthy gut microbiome, prebiotics and probiotics are crucial. Feeding gut bacteria, prebiotics (non-digestible fiber) help promote gut activity and growth. Common sources include bananas, garlic, onions, and grains. Probiotics, on the other hand, are living bacteria that supplement the already existing good bacteria in your digestive system, reviving the bacteria contained in fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir (Dahiya & Nigam, 2022).
While selecting prebiotics and probiotics supplements, it is imperative to keep in mind the following points:
- Strain Specificity: It is crucial to note that not all probiotics share the same benefits. Seek strains such as Lactobacillus acidophilus or Bifidobacterium bifidum, which have significant research on gut health.
- Packaging and Storage: Probiotics are living microorganisms, and appropriate care should be applied in their storage. Many would need to be kept in cold storage to protect their activity (Dahiya & Nigam, 2022).
- Combination Supplements: Certain products that contain both a prebiotic and probiotic are called synbiotics and may provide extra gut support.
Consulting with your healthcare provider can guide you in choosing the best supplement that meets your requirements.
Fun Healthy Drinks You’ll Love
Enhancing Gut Health
Maintaining hydration through the use of drink options that are both tasty and nutritious will only help to enhance your gut health while increasing your overall health. Let us look at some of the options that can work best for hydration.
- Kombucha – A probiotic-rich fermented tea that is carbonated and slightly vinegary in taste.
- Infused Water – Cucumber, lemon, and mint slices make the drink more palatable and help to motivate people to ingest water.
- Smoothies – Create a smoothie using yogurt, spinach, and chia seeds (Dahiya & Nigam, 2022).
- Herbal Teas – To soothe your stomach, drink chamomile or ginger tea.
Enhancing your digestive wellness can easily be accomplished through making lifestyle changes that include incorporating gut health supplements and other healthy and tasty drink options.
References
Dahiya, D., & Nigam, P. S. (2022). Nutrition and health through the use of probiotic strains in fermentation to produce non-dairy functional beverage products supporting gut microbiota. Foods, 11(18), 2760. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11182760