Best prebiotic foods you must include in your diet

Prebiotics help the healthy bacteria to grow and aid in better gut health. Here are best prebiotics that you must consume every day.

There is a vast community of over 100 trillion microbes in our gut that regulates many important functions in our body from digestion, metabolism, nutrition to immunity. If there are more unhealthy microbes as compared to healthy ones in our intestine, it may lead to weight gain, high blood sugar, high cholesterol and other disorders. It is important to restore this imbalance by ensuring your body has gut-friendly bacteria. Prebiotics are special plant fibres that promote growth of such bacteria and this aids in making the digestive better. Prebiotics are basically a source of nutrition for your gut’s healthy bacteria. They cannot be digested by the body and go to your lower digestive tract, where they help the healthy bacteria to grow and help your gut to become healthy. Apples, berries, barley, banana, garlic, green vegetables, legumes, onions and tomatoes are all examples of prebiotics. (Also read: 9 healthy and tasty ways to add carrot to your diet this winter)

Prebiotics are a form of dietary fibre that feed the “friendly” bacteria in your gut. (Pexels)

"Prebiotics are a form of dietary fibre that feed the “friendly” bacteria in your gut. These healthy fibres include inulin, fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, beta glucans, pectins, and resistant starches," nutritionist Lovneet Batra wrote in her recent Instagram post.

Here are the best prebiotic foods suggested by Batra that you can add to your diet:

GARLIC

Garlic acts as a prebiotic by promoting the growth of beneficial Bifidobacteria in the gut. It also helps prevent disease-promoting bacteria from growing

ONION

Onions are a versatile vegetable that is rich in inulin and FOS. FOS strengthens gut flora, helps with fat breakdown, and boosts your immune system by increasing nitric oxide production in cells

FLAXSEEDS

The fibre content of flaxseeds is from mucilage gum, cellulose and lignin. It promotes healthy gut bacteria and reduces the amount of dietary fat that you digest and absorb.

BANANA

Bananas are another low-fructose fruit that are fibre-rich and contain inulin, a substance that stimulates the growth of good bacteria in the gut.

BARLEY

Barley is a popular cereal that is high in Beta-glucan, a prebiotic fibre that promotes the growth of friendly bacteria in your digestive tract. The beta-glucan in barley has also been shown to lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

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