These five foods help boost prebiotics and maintain good gut health

Garlic, leeks, onions, dandelion greens and Jerusalem artichokes are probably the most prebiotic-rich meals obtainable and will assist increase intestine well being.

Prebiotics are a sort of fibre that capabilities as a meals supply for probiotics – micro organism that assist to keep up a wholesome group of microbes within the gastrointestinal tract, which has been linked to the health of the immune system and even safety in opposition to some medical circumstances.

To uncover the richest prebiotic meals sources, Cassandra Boyd at San José State College, California, and her colleague John Gieng combed via 70 scientific papers on prebiotics in meals, 9 of which contained a ample quantity of knowledge to be included of their evaluation. From these, they analysed the prebiotic content material of 8690 varieties of meals.

The researchers discovered that the highest 5 prebiotic-containing meals had been, in descending order: dandelion greens, Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, leeks and onions, every of which comprise between 100 and 240 milligrams of prebiotics per gram, as introduced at Nutrition 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts, the annual assembly of the American Society for Diet.

The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics, in California, recommends a each day prebiotic consumption of round 5 grams a day. This may very well be achieved by consuming simply half a small onion, stated Boyd in a statement.

Different wealthy prebiotic sources embrace foods that comprise these greens, comparable to onion rings and creamed onions, in addition to asparagus and black-eyed beans, also called cowpeas. However about 37 per cent of the meals analysed comprise no prebiotics, with low scorers together with wheat, dairy, eggs, oils and meats.

In addition to probably benefiting intestine health, prebiotics are additionally a sort of dietary fibre, which is sweet for digestion. Data shows fibre intakes are insufficient across each area of the world. “By consuming extra prebiotic fibre, one can be consuming extra fibre generally,” says Boyd.