For many years, people have believed that the best strategy for improving digestive health is to eat probiotic foods on a regular basis. These are foods that contain live microorganisms that boost digestion and protect our intestinal tract from the invasion of infection-causing bad bacteria.
However, modern studies are uncovering new facts about probiotics, causing health experts to seriously doubt whether these food products are even useful at all for the human digestive process. On the contrary, a new substance has been brought to light, and all indications show that this could be the real magic solution for improving digestive health.
The Discovery of Prebiotics
This new substance is called prebiotics. Unlike probiotics that are not found naturally in food, prebiotics do occur in most common foods, particularly fruits and vegetables. These substances are what the good bacteria in your gut need in order to thrive and do their job properly.
With the regular consumption of prebiotic foods or prebiotic supplements, you can ensure that the population of your good bacteria will remain stable. Furthermore, there will be no need for you to bring in foreign bacteria into your body, which can actually be quite dangerous as you don't really know where these bacteria are coming from.
Digestive Functions of Prebiotics
In addition to feeding your intestinal flora, prebiotics can also contribute in other ways towards improving digestive health. Some of the most notable benefits are as follows:
* Boosts absorption of vitamins and minerals
* Increases immunity against infections and illnesses.
* Hinders the growth of bad bacteria.
* Speeds up metabolism.
* Aids in weight loss.
* Reduces the risk of intestinal diseases like colon cancer.
Food Sources of Prebiotics
Prebiotics can be found in many different kinds of ordinary foods but some of the richest sources are whole grains, nuts, seeds and certain fruits and vegetables. Kiwi fruits, in particular, are noted for their extremely high concentration of prebiotics, as well as their abundance supply of fibers, phenol compounds and enzymes.
Therefore, it would be logical to think that eating more kiwi fruits will surely help in improving digestive health. That certainly is true but it's not really that sensible when you think about it. In order to get all the prebiotics that you need to keep your gut and the entire digestive system in peak condition, you would need to consume three or more kiwis a day, including their fuzzy skin, which is not really pleasant to eat.
Fortunately, there is a better solution and that is to use a kiwi-based prebiotic supplement. Just make sure that you choose one that includes the skin and is not processed using heat-based methods. You should also check to see whether the kiwis are harvested from a clean, pesticide-free farm. Those that come from New Zealand are highly recommended because of their purity.
For the purpose of improving digestive health, it really pays to be meticulous in choosing which supplements to use. If you make your choice carefully, tremendous benefits will be enjoyed by your digestive system and by the rest of your body as well.
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