Choosing The Best Prebiotic Supplements - A Complete Guide
- Josh Boughton
- 4 days ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
Most people have heard of probiotics, the good bacteria in your gut, but prebiotics are another essential ingredient for gut health.
What are prebiotics?
Prebiotics are compounds in foods that help feed our gut bacteria. Just like you need food to live and be nourished, your probiotic bacteria cannot survive without enough healthy food.
The right whole food prebiotics can help to make your unique microbiome thrive, and the wrong prebiotics can feed harmful bacteria and cause a lot of gas and bloating.
Prebiotic foods
The best way to get your prebiotics is to eat a wide variety of prebiotic rich foods every day. Different foods contain different prebiotics, so eating a variety of them is the best way to ensure your good bacteria get the nutrition they need.
Most fruits and vegetables have varying levels of prebiotics; these are some of our favorites.
Root vegetables such as parsnips, rutabaga, celeriac, beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc, are some of the best prebiotics you can eat. An easy way to cook them is to chop them coarsely, toss with salt, pepper, and good olive oil, then roast in the oven at 375°F for 40-45 minutes. Delicious and easy.
Onions, leeks, and garlic are some of the most delicious prebiotic foods. Eat them however you like, raw or cooked. For a little extra deliciousness, try roasting the garlic first.
Dandelion greens have many benefits, including being a great source of prebiotics. These bitter greens also help to stimulate healthy digestive secretions and support healthy kidney function!
Asparagus is a delicious spring vegetable with a ton of prebiotic fiber and a rich source of antioxidants. In Ayurveda, a species of asparagus known as Shatavari is used, meaning one-hundred husbands. Do with that knowledge what you will.
Green bananas are rich in resistant starches with powerful prebiotic effects. As it ripens, the amount of resistant starch decreases. Cooked potatoes that have been frozen and then reheated are another great source of resistant starches.
Apple peel is especially rich in polyphenols and is one of the best prebiotic foods. They also contain pectin, which helps to hydrate your gut and support a healthy gut lining.
Making pectin-rich homemade applesauce is easy.
Slice apples, leaving the peel on.
Just cover with water and simmer until the apple peels get very shiny.
Strain the apples.
Mash or puree until it reaches the desired consistency.
Add cinnamon to taste, if desired.
It will stay good in the fridge for about a week.
Just two tablespoons of this per day will do wonders for your gut. More, of course, is ok if you love it.
Not only are artichokes delicious, but they are rich in prebiotic fibers. In addition, they help support digestion by acting as a bitter agent to stimulate digestive secretions and support gut motility!
Seaweed is an excellent source of prebiotics and minerals such as iodine. Many people, especially pregnant and nursing women, are not getting enough of that crucial mineral. Iodine is essential for a baby's brain development.
It makes a great addition to soups and stews and adds a delicious umami flavor. Make sure you know the source of your seaweed because a lot of seaweed currently comes from very polluted waters. We recommend seaweed from Maine or Europe.
Mushrooms are rich in a variety of prebiotics. Eat them cooked for the most benefit. They are great additions to stews, stir-fries, and soups.
Citrus fruits are rich in prebiotic flavonoids and polyphenols, two of our good bacteria's favorite foods. Eat the fruits, not juice. The fruit contains valuable prebiotic fibers you won't get in the juice. Remember to avoid grapefruit if you take prescription medications.
Pomegranates contain polyphenols that help to support a healthy gut microbiome.
Eat the actual pomegranate fruit instead of drinking the juice. The fruit contains valuable fibers that will not be in the juice. You can buy frozen pomegranate seeds for an easy snack or for adding to smoothies without the work of cutting them up.
Burdock root is rich in prebiotic fibers and an exceptional food for liver and skin health.
Beans are a great prebiotic, but they can be hard to digest for many people. Use sprouted beans (like these) and cook them with some seaweed to make them easier to digest.
Oats have lots of prebiotic fibers. Use sprouted oats (like these) for higher levels of prebiotics and more nutrition.
Chia seeds are packed with prebiotic fiber and magnesium, a mineral most people don't get enough of. Use sprouted chia seeds (like these) for higher levels of prebiotics and more nutrition.
Berries are rich in polyphenols that interact with certain gut bacteria and help them multiply. All berries are great, so eat whichever ones you like. Berries have one of the highest prebiotic effects.
Kiwis are one of the best prebiotic foods. The fibers and polyphenols are especially excellent at stimulating the growth of your beneficial bacteria. Just two kiwis a day can make a big difference. They are also great for promoting regularity and reducing constipation. The golden ones are especially delicious.
Dairy products are rich in lactose, a type of sugar that acts as a prebiotic.
Macambo beans are part of the cacao family and are a delicious snack filled with prebiotic fibers and compounds that help support your gut bacteria. They are also a phenomenal brain food!
Ethically produced Yacon Syrup is a sweetener packed with prebiotics. It also does not spike blood sugar, making it an excellent choice for those who want to support a healthy gut and not worry about their blood sugar, without the side effects from artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols.
Ethically produced Cacao powder tops the chart as our favorite prebiotic food. It's packed with fibers, polyphenols, and a lot more that help nourish and support your gut and good bacteria. Properly produced Cacao is one of the few safe prebiotics for people with SIBO.
While we could not go through all of the foods that are great prebiotics, the best way to ensure you are getting enough of them is to include a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Don't forget that frozen fruits and vegetables are as good as fresh. Plus, they last longer and are already prepped and ready to go. Check out our friends at Stahlbush Farms for the most amazing frozen fruits and vegetables. Shoot for at least 4-5 cups of them per day, not only for your gut health but your overall health as well. More is, of course, ok!
INULIN AND FOS PREBIOTICS
High dose isolated or synthetic inulin and FOS are promoted and sold as prebiotic supplements. They come with unwanted side effects such as gas and bloating. In addition, they can feed harmful bacteria such as Klebsiella. It does not matter if it is synthesized from sugar or if it is said to be from chicory or artichoke; the end product is the same: heavily refined and isolated ingredients. Please do not confuse this with eating chicory root, artichokes, or other foods naturally rich in them. It's much better and safer to get your prebiotics from whole foods, not ingredients whose primary benefit is the increased profit margins for companies because of how cheaply they can be made.
How to Choose a Prebiotic Supplement
Just as whole foods are the best way to get prebiotics in your diet, whole food prebiotic supplements are the best for prebiotics.
Here's what to look for when choosing a good prebiotic:
It should be 100% whole food.
Many supplements claim to be whole food when they are anything but; check out our blog to learn how to spot fake whole food supplements.
It should be traceable back to the farms the food came from. Like farm-to-table is great for food, we should look for the same in our supplements. Check out this blog to learn more about how important it is.
It should be properly dried and processed. Many raw materials that go into supplements are often harshly dried and milled, which can result in a significant loss of essential compounds and nutrients.
It should be in a significant dosage. Prebiotics are required in pretty high amounts to be effective, so large amounts of pills are needed to get enough, so a powder or liquid would be the best option. Many companies put tiny amounts like fifty or one hundred milligrams, which is not enough to do anything, but is great for marketing. This is a perfect example of a common problem in the supplement industry: fairy dusting. As always, avoid gummies. Gummies are just relabeled candy, which is not a good way to get your supplements for various reasons.
The powders should be free of sweeteners, fillers, and additives. There is no need to add these things to whole food powders. It just makes the products cheaper to make and covers up flavors from poor-quality ingredients. These additives can sometimes add up to over fifty percent of a product, leaving you with very little of the prebiotics you wanted.
They should be free of refined or synthetic inulin and FOS. These cheap ingredients are used to bulk up prebiotic powders, but do not have the same benefits as whole food prebiotics. However, they are really inexpensive to make, letting companies offer large containers of prebiotic powders for really cheap.
They should be appropriately tested for contaminants and adulterants. Many products and companies use the wrong testing methods or don't test for the right things. Check out our blog to learn more about this growing problem in the supplement industry.
How to use Prebiotic supplements
Prebiotic powders and liquids can be mixed into foods, smoothies, yogurt, water, or used in cooking and baking. The sky is the limit, get creative! Different prebiotic supplements will be suitable for various applications, so choose ones that fit your lifestyle best. If you are using a high-fiber prebiotic, it's best to start slow, drink plenty of water, and gradually increase the amount you use to avoid the side effects of increasing your fiber too much, too fast.
Whole Food Prebiotic supplements
We love whole food prebiotic supplements. Here are some of our favorite ones that you can use to help support the little friends in your gut!
First up is high polyphenol Cacao powder. To get the full benefits of Cacao as a prebiotic, it must be high in polyphenols so that the gut bacteria can produce good amounts of bioactive metabolites. A lot of cacao powder is of poor quality because of how and where it is grown, or because of bad processing methods, and it will lack the levels of polyphenols needed to get the benefits.
Next are whole mushroom powders. These are different than the dual-extracts used to support a healthy immune system. Whole mushrooms (the fruiting body, not the mycelium) contain unique prebiotics. The fruiting body of a mushroom is what you buy at the store and eat. Ensure your mushroom powders are grown on wood, not grain, and freeze-dried. They should be free of mycelium and grains. The only ingredients should be the mushroom fruiting bodies.
Australian berry powder is our next prebiotic superstar. Most berry powders come from unknown origins and are processed in such a way that most of their beneficial compounds get damaged or destroyed. Because they are an expensive ingredient, the powders are often diluted with fillers and additives. In addition, adulteration of berry powders with things like black soybean hulls, food coloring, and dyed cellulose is widespread. These adulterants will not be listed on the label. You should look for gently dried berry powders, free of maltodextrin, that are produced by the companies selling them, which can be traced back to the farms where they come from. Very few companies make their berry powders. Most companies buy bulk powders, often with different grades and sources all mixed together, and have their labels slapped on them. This is not what you want.
Australian Beet powder is up next. Beets might not be glamorous, but they are brimming with prebiotics. They are also great for a healthy heart and circulation. Beet powder is an easy way to get the benefits of beets without the prep time and work of cooking them. You should look for gently-dried beet powder free of additives and traceable back to the farm it came from. You don't want beet juice powder, you want whole beet powder. Beet juice powder will be missing lots of the prebiotics in whole beet powder. Beets can turn your urine or stools pink. This is not dangerous; it's just your body excreting an excess of certain compounds that were not absorbed.
Properly produced and prepared Matcha is a rich source of catechins, a unique polyphenol that your gut bacteria love. Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems with most matcha powder. Most Matcha is a quality control nightmare, from adulterants to poor processing and growing methods. Look for Matcha products made by the company selling it that can be traced back to the farm it comes from. It should be free of additives like rice and sugar. Matcha should be a vibrant green color. It should be stone ground and produced in the traditional manner. We will cover Matcha in great detail in an upcoming blog, as there are a ton of things to know about how to choose high-quality Matcha.
There's no reason to settle for second-rate, isolated, poor-quality prebiotics when high-quality whole food prebiotics are readily available. Make your gut bacteria happy by making the switch!
Prebiotic Supplement Questions and Support
If you have questions about our prebiotics, please email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com, and we will be happy to answer them!
