Prebiotics Vs Probiotics

[apac]

Hi! I am new to this forum and I hope this is the correct place to post this. I recently went to purchase Prebiotic powder and found that stores don't generally carry it - it can only be ordered online. I was offered a capsule of probiotic and prebiotic mixed and I am wondering if I should stick strictly to the poweder or if I would get the same benefit from getting the mixed capsule?

[jacksong]

Prebiotics are the special plant fibers (soluble)that pass through our system into the large intestine where they nourish the good (probiotic) bacteria. It is recommended that we ingest at least 8 grams or more per day. These fibers are present in vegetables and fruits, like bananas, onions, wheat, garlic, leeks, dandelion greens to name a few of the higher percentage content foods.

Living glutenfree generally means that you are living prebiotic deficient since almost 70 percent of the average western diet derives prebiotics from grains. To restore the balance, prebiotic supplementation is recommended for people on a glutenfree diet. The very best prebiotic fiber supplements contain a full-spectrum prebiotic, such as OEI. OEI is Oligofructose enhanced Inulin. It is the most research prebiotic fiber. It is considered a full-spectrum prebiotic because it nourishes the good bacteria in the entire large intestine, where inulin and FOS by themselves only nourish half of the large intestine.

Probiotics are the good bacteria that live in our gut. The can be crowded out when not nourished properly. There are over 2000 different bacterial strains living in our gut. Many probiotic supplements only contain one or two of these strains, so it is very difficult to determine which supplement is best for your situation. There are additional issues that need to be addressed when they are taken orally such as stomach acid.

The bottomline, I would recommend that you start with a full-spectrum, glutenfree prebiotic fiber supplement and go from there if you still have symptoms that you are trying to resolve.