If your healthcare practitioner has indicated that you have digestive health conditions associated with leaky gut syndrome, you may also have been encouraged to take prebiotics and probiotics to address the issue. This may make you curious about probiotic foods—can eating more probiotic-rich foods help reduce leaky gut’s harmful effects?
Can Probiotic-Rich Foods Help for Leaky Gut?
While it may sound like an obvious solution, the answer isn’t that simple. To understand why adding probiotic-rich food to your diet won’t cure leaky gut, we must first explain probiotic-rich foods.
Several food types are considered excellent for improving your microflora. In fact, dietitians and medical professionals tend to agree that you should add these foods to your regular diet for improved health and energy:
Fermented vegetables
Fermented vegetables, such as traditional sauerkraut or kimchi, are a great source of probiotics.
Not only are they a great side dish with fish, meat, and other vegetables, but they’re great for restoring your gut’s natural balance.
Fibrous vegetables
Fibrous vegetables, such as onions or Jerusalem artichokes, add more than probiotics to your system. These fibrous vegetables also add fiber and digestive enzymes.
Fiber is essential for keeping your microflora healthy. Some of the best probiotics contain fiber to ensure that the microflora survives the harsh conditions in your digestive system.
Fermented beverages
Fermented beverages like kombucha are a tasty and easy way to get a generous helping of beneficial probiotics.
Why Pre- and Probiotics with Healthy Dietary Plans Can Help Balance a Leaky Gut
While it’s beneficial to add probiotic-rich foods to your diet, adding them is not enough to rid you of leaky gut. Plus, store-bought, mass-produced versions of these foods tend to lack living probiotics and cultures.
Store-bought probiotic-rich foods are also often loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients that can worsen leaky gut. The best solution is to add a reliable, effective prebiotic and probiotic supplement to your daily routine. Some of these options are specifically formulated to target health issues like leaky gut.
Choosing a Prebiotic and Probiotic Supplement for Leaky Gut
There are several benefits of taking a prebiotic and probiotic supplement. A probiotic supplement ensures a higher chance of survivability for the essential microflora than probiotic-rich foods.
However, choosing the best probiotic supplement can often be a daunting task. Probiotics vary and can be targeted for specific health conditions. There are probiotics for gas, probiotics for traveler’s diarrhea, and even probiotics for food poisoning.
If you have leaky gut, consider pre- and probiotics made specifically for this condition.