What can I take to boost gut health?

consideration – in other words, the quality of the supplement matters.

While we know that the presence of ‘‘good’’ bacteria in our gut is definitely desirable, the science is still emerging about whether taking a probiotic supplement is worthwhile. Probiotics aren’t necessarily needed for good gut health, however there is some evidence that suggests they can be beneficial in certain conditions. More on this next week.

Rather than supplement probiotics, I prefer to encourage people to focus on real whole foods (including some fermented foods) when it comes to sustaining great gut health.

Your gut bacteria profile is greatly influenced by the foods you eat, and, as you’ll learn next, this is partly due to components of the food serving as nourishment for the beneficial bacteria.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates that act as food for probiotic bacteria. They pass through the gastrointestinal tract undigested, which stimulates the growth and/or activity of certain ‘‘good’’ bacteria in the large intestine. While all prebiotics are considered fibre, not all fibre has prebiotic effects.

Prebiotics are naturally present in foods such as onion, garlic, leeks, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, chickpeas, lentils, peas, oats and cashews – yet another reason why a plant-rich way of eating is so important for our health and wellbeing. While some people choose to take a prebiotic supplement if they do not consume enough prebioticcontaining foods, there is no substitute for a ‘‘real food’’ way of eating when it comes to our health and vitality.

Synbiotics

Synbiotics is the term used to describe a food or supplement that contains both probiotics and prebiotics, with one example being unpasteurised sauerkraut.

Dr Libby is a nutritional biochemist, best-selling author and speaker. The advice contained in this column is not intended to be a substitute for direct, personalised advice from a health professional. See drlibby.com