By Tama Bloch, RD, LD When shopping for healthy food these days, we're encouraged to look for calorie content, protein, fat sources, essential vitamins and minerals, and certain kinds of bacteria. Believe it or not, we should look for foods with bacteria and other ingredients to support our digestive health. Maintaining a balanced bacterial environment in your digestive system is an important part of keeping your whole body healthy.
Your Delicate Digestive Balance
Your digestive tract is responsible for about 70% of your body's immune system, and your digestive system is home to more than 3 pounds of necessary bacteria. This bacterial environment, often called the digestive system microflora, depends on a delicate balance of potentially harmful bacteria and potentially helpful bacteria to maintain good health in the digestive system. When this balance is thrown off, from disease or certain medications, you may experience an overgrowth of harmful bacteria that can make you very uncomfortable and sick.
Proactive Ingredients for Healthy Bacteria
To help maintain a healthy balance of microflora, certain foods contain ingredients called prebiotics. Prebiotics are food ingredients that selectively promote the growth or multiplication of good bacteria in the colon, such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. One such prebiotic food, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), is found naturally in certain foods, such as bananas, onions, garlic, and artichokes. This prebiotic also can be produced using certain enzymes to convert sugar from sugar cane into short-chain FOS (scFOS)®, a fast-acting, readily available prebiotic. Because of its short-chain length, scFOS is easily used by helpful bacteria.
Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when consumed in adequate amounts, work together with prebiotics to maintain a healthful balance of colonic microflora. Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria are two examples of probiotics that are found in yogurts with "live and active cultures."
Prebiotics and probiotics can support the body's natural defense against bacteria, viruses, and other potentially harmful substances by maintaining a balanced digestive microflora. The scFOS produced by the microflora can help build physical protection from harmful bacteria, providing energy for cells lining the intestinal tract.