Word on the street is that there is a bit of confusion between prebiotics and probiotics. What the heck are they? What’s the difference? Is one better than the other?! Do you need both?! If you’re scratching your head looking at the two, we’re here to help you out.
Prebiotics
As you probably know, your gut comprises a LOT of bacteria. Prebiotics are the food source for these bacteria to help them do their jobs better. As we all know, no one’s productive when they’re hungry, including your gut bacteria.
A cool thing about the prebiotics you get from your food and drink (we think it’s cool, anyway) is they’re non-digestible fibers, which is a snazzy term that makes us sound super smart. But it really just means it passes through your system undigested, so it can quickly become a food source for all those good bacteria.
Keeping your gut microorganisms happy with prebiotics is a surefire way to keep them working hard for your overall health.
Probiotics
OK, so now we now know prebiotics feed bacteria in your gut. But how the heck does that bacteria get there in the first place? You guessed it: probiotics.
Probiotics have the super-duper important job of introducing beneficial bacteria into your gut microbiota, helping keep your gut happy. And a happy gut = a happy, healthy you.
The good bacteria, or microorganisms, can help break down the foods you eat, protect your gut from bad bacteria, amp up your energy and can even support your immune system – bloody superstars.
Where can I find prebiotics and probiotics?
We love our daily Liquid Remedy bevvies for their probiotic-like effects!
Liquid Remedy bevvies with probiotic-like effects:
Liquid Remedy Kombucha is full of live cultures, which have probiotic-like effects! Our wild, live culture of yeast and bacteria is the workhorse of our Liquid Remedy Kombucha small-batch brews. Our natural fermentation process has several stages conducted by many different organisms. Our live cultures are natural to our brews, produced through our long-aged fermentation process.
Hungry for more? You can also find prebiotics in:
- Whole grains
- Leafy greens
- Chickpeas and lentils
- Mushrooms
- Bananas
And you can find probiotics in:
- Yogurt
- Sauerkraut
- Kimchi
- Miso
- Tempeh
Still not 100% on the difference? To simplify things, we’ve made a handy dandy cheat sheet for you below.
