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Prebiotics 101: How To Fuel Your Probiotics

3 minute read


Probiotics have been all the rage in recent years, especially after dozens of studies began suggesting their benefits for our overall well-being.1 Health enthusiasts are purchasing tons of yogurt from store shelves and ordering probiotic supplements
by the crate online, but many are still forgetting a very important pre-requisite...

Before taking daily probiotics, you've got to first know the power of prebiotics.

What Are Prebiotics?

A quick note to start: probiotics are living, healthy bacteria that thrive and flourish in your gut flora. Like us, they need nourishment, support, and energy to survive.

Prebiotics are essentially fuel for probiotics. Most prebiotics come in the form of an indigestible fiber called inulin. Our system can’t process it, but “good” bacteria can. After the bacteria in your gut ferments the prebiotic, it continues on into the large intestine to feed the healthy colonies living there in a cycle of digestive support.1

How Do Prebiotics Help Probiotics?

The more prebiotics we ingest, the more nourishment becomes available to our supportive digestive bacteria. We want to make sure that there is enough
prebiotic sustenance provided if we want to nurture probiotic growth.

Don’t worry about prebiotics potentially feeding the “bad” bacteria too. An added
benefit of inulin is that it selectively nourishes only the healthy bacteria.2 It’s still important not to overdo your prebiotic intake if you want to avoid any issues. That’s why it's important to take a supplement with the right amount of prebiotics and probiotics. The balance and harmony of both will help maintain your system.

Where Can We Get Prebiotics?

You can find inulin naturally in bananas, garlic, and onion, among other sources. Expert opinions differ on the amount you need to take to see quantifiable benefits, but the consensus is accepted on the importance of high-quality supplementation.

A premium-quality probiotic supplement will usually have prebiotics in carefully calculated servings as with Complete Probiotics Platinum by 1MD, which includes added NutraFlora prebiotic fiber, 11 powerful and clinically tested probiotic strains, and over 50 billion live cultures in every single serving. Nothing else competes.

Prebiotics: The Bottom Line

While prebiotics may not be as widely known as probiotics, they’re just as helpful for maintaining your overall digestive health and well-being because of the way
that they support, nourish, and encourage the growth of healthful probiotics colonies in the gut. Try to include them in your daily diet, or with a premium-
quality product that can provide all of the benefits your microbiome needs.



  1. Paleoleap. http://paleoleap.com/need-know-prebiotics/
  2. Bodybuilding.com. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/optimize-your-gut-health-with-prebiotics-like-inulin.html