Shop Collagen
Get clinically proven results for your hair, skin, nails, joints and gut with collagen. Packed with powerful ingredients and offered in versatile powders, capsules or gummies.
Shop Organic SuperGreens
From clean energy and detox and digestion support to gut health and whole-body balance – our Organic SuperGreens products give you the benefits of juicing without the hassle.
Shop Protein
Discover superfood protein powders with easy-to-digest ingredients, designed to help you support your metabolism, build lean muscle and be greater than your goals.
Shop Gut Health
Put your gut health first. Our powerful probiotics, enzymes and supplements are designed to promote gut health and comfort, healthy digestive function and immune system support.
Shop Vitamins & Minerals
Designed to fill the gaps left by modern diets, our superfood formulas combine ancient techniques like fermentation with clinically proven ingredients for results you can really feel.
Shop Herbals
Explore targeted benefits like building a healthy immune defense, or overall benefits for a healthy life, from history’s most powerful superfood ingredients.
Shop Bundles
Save on intentionally paired supplements to help you achieve your goals. Whether you’re just getting started or well on your wellness journey, there’s a bundle for you.
Holiday
Don’t miss a thing! Find everything holiday in one place from festive deals to helpful gift guides and more.
Our Story
Ancient Nutrition is driven by our mission to bring history’s most powerful superfoods to the world with a steadfast commitment to restoring our farmlands and healing our planet through regenerative farming.
Home/Blog/Prebiotic vs. Probiotic: How These Foods & Supplements Work Together
Prebiotic vs. Probiotic: How These Foods & Supplements Work Together
By Rachel Link, RD, MS
November 10, 2023
By now, most people are aware that taking a good-quality probiotic supplement can offer many benefits, such as helping to support healthy digestion and immune system function. However, the debate over prebiotics vs. probiotics still confuses many people. So which one is better?
When it comes to probiotics vs. prebiotics, the truth is that you don’t necessarily have to choose just one. In fact, it’s best to consume both, since they work in conjunction to maintain healthy gut microflora.
In this article, we’ll look more closely at what differentiates prebiotics from probiotics (and from postbiotics, too) and offer tips for consuming more of both from foods as well as gut supplements.
Which is better, prebiotics or probiotics? One is not necessarily better than the other, they just work in different ways and have unique roles. This is precisely why the best probiotic supplements usually contain both.
What are prebiotics? Prebiotic foods are non-digestible carbohydrates. They are found naturally in certain high-fiber foods, such as under-ripe bananas and onions, as well as in some supplements.
Examples of prebiotics are polysaccharides, fructooligosaccharides and galactooligosaccharides. Once eaten, prebiotics travel through the small intestine without being digested, then they are fermented in the large colon by gut bacteria.
What are probiotics? Probiotics are live microorganisms (mainly bacteria) that live inside the gut and, along with yeast, fungi and other microbes, form the microbiome.
Having higher levels of probiotics in the gut, especially those in the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families, is associated with a range of health benefits, since they generally help to maintain a healthy balance of gut flora, support nutrient absorption, play a role in immune function, and much more.
Both prebiotics and probiotics can help relieve occasional constipation.
A healthy microbiome — an internal complex ecosystem of bacteria located within our bodies — depends on interactions between the three main categories of components that help contribute to gastrointestinal balance: prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics.
When prebiotics go through a fermentation process in the colon, they wind up “feeding” beneficial probiotic bacteria. Essentially probiotics use prebiotics as fuel or “fertilizer," so it’s important to consume enough of them in order to increase the number of desirable bacteria in our microbiomes. This process then creates postbiotics, which in turn help regulate the composition of the microbiome.
When consumed together, or at least when both are regularly included in your diet and supplement routine, pre-, pro- and postbiotics can all work together to generally help to maintain healthy digestion, reduce occasional constipation and support a healthy immune system.
Prebiotic foods are those that are high in fiber, which means they contain certain types of carbohydrates that the body cannot fully digest. As mentioned above, instead of being absorbed as usable energy/calories, prebiotics fibers help healthy microbes in the gut to reproduce, flourish and thrive.
Prebiotic foods include the following:
Acacia gum (or gum arabic): 4 grams fiber per tablespoon
Raw chicory root: 1 gram of fiber per 60 grams
Raw Jerusalem artichoke: 2 grams fiber per ½ cup
Raw dandelion greens: about 4 grams fiber per ½ cup
Raw garlic: 0 to 1 gram per clove
Raw leeks: 2 grams per cup
Raw or cooked onions: about 2 grams fiber per ½ cup
Raw jicama: 6 grams per cup
Raw asparagus: 6 grams fiber per cup
Under-ripe bananas: 3 grams per banana
Apples with skin: about 4 to 5 grams fiber per apple
Psyllium husk: 7 grams per 2 tablespoons
Whole-grain wheat, barley, oatmeal: about 4 grams fiber per cup
Many beans and legumes: about 6 to 8 grams fiber per ½ cup
Whole-grain corn: 6 grams fiber per ½ cup
In addition to consuming prebiotics from foods, you can also obtain them in pill form, or as supplements that are added to water or other liquids (such as psyllium husk and chicory root that are stirred into water or tea).
What is the best prebiotic to take in supplement form? Chicory root is a popular prebiotic in supplement form since it’s concentrated in fiber. But there isn’t one specific type that is most recommended, rather the goal is usually to increase your total daily fiber consumption, including from food sources.
Most prebiotics seem to work similarly among different people (whereas probiotics tend to have varying effects). Generally speaking, consuming a variety of types seems to be the best approach, so aim for a mix of raw vegetables and fruits, whole grains, legumes and seeds.
In addition to getting probiotics from supplements, you can obtain them by eating foods that have been fermented.
Fermented foods tend to contain a wide range of healthy microbes. For example, kefir is considered one of the richest natural sources since it typically contains more than 50 types of beneficial bacteria.
Probiotic foods include the following:
Kefir
Yogurt
Cultured vegetables like sauerkraut, real pickles and kimchi
Miso
Natto
Annatto
Kvass
Kombucha
In addition to benefiting from pre- and probiotics, postbiotics are also a good addition to gut-supporting supplements.
Postbiotics are “byproducts” (or metabolite compounds) produced by the fermentation process carried out by probiotic microorganisms in the gut. They help to ensure the growth and survival of good bacteria in the gut and contribute to homeostasis (or balance). Examples of postbiotics include: organic acids, vitamins, short chain fatty acids, lipopolysaccharides, and others.
Should you take prebiotics and probiotics together? Ideally, you’ll take a daily supplement that includes both prebiotics and probiotics together, in combination with postbiotics, which can be done with Ancient Nutrition's unique line of SBO Probiotics. These supplements are often called “synbiotics” because they contain all three types of compounds needed to support gut health.
When prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics are combined, we refer to this as the “trifecta approach,” which describes how all three work together to offer you even more powerful benefits. Together they help to balance the organisms residing within the gastrointestinal tract that can contribute to overall gut health.
First and foremost, you want to focus on choosing a supplement that contains survivable microbes, meaning the healthy bacteria actually make it to parts of your gut where they can go to work. Certain kinds of probiotic bacteria can be fragile and can easily be diminished by stomach acid and high body temperatures; however, certain types such as soil-based organisms (SBOs) tend to be hardier and more durable.
Ancient Nutrition’s SBO Probiotics combine beneficial microbial strains with prebiotic compounds found naturally in organic seeds and mushrooms, which can help to support proper absorption and utilization of healthy microbes. Additionally, postbiotics including polysaccharides, enzymes and organic acids are added to maintain gut homeostasis.
Here are some key features of our different SBO probiotics formulas:
SBO Probiotics Ultimate — Features 50 billion shelf-stable CFUs of SBOs per serving, intended to help support healthy bowel transit time and digestive function, healthy immune system function and gut flora, normal nutrient absorption, and more.
SBO Probiotics Gut Restore — Provides a powerful combination of 25 billion SBOs plus prebiotics, postbiotics, organic licorice, marshmallow, zinc and magnesium to support overall healthy gut function, normal bowel transit time, and digestive health.
SBO Probiotics Women’s — Features a blend of 25 CFUs of SBOs per serving in combination with organic fermented blend of superfoods such as chasteberry, formulated specifically to help support women’s health. A SBO Probiotics Women's Once Daily is also available.
SBO Probiotic Men’s — Supplies men with 25 CFUs of SBOs per serving, in combination with an organic fermented blend of fenugreek, ginger and fo-ti root. A SBO Probiotics Men's Once Daily is also available.
We recommend taking a high-quality probiotic supplement that also contains prebiotics and postbiotics on an empty stomach. Many people choose to take theirs first thing in the morning, about 30 to 60 minutes before eating. There are also probiotic gummies available.
However, you should always read and follow label directions for suggested use. Likewise, you should always consult your healthcare professional prior to starting any new dietary or lifestyle regimen, including dietary supplements.
Related Articles
May 5, 2023
|health
Probiotics for Kids: Benefits for Gut Health & the Immune System
If you already take probiotics yourself and have experienced benefits for digestive health and regularity, you might want to know: How can probiotics help my child?
June 2, 2023
|health
Best Probiotics for Women and How to Use
Whether you’re looking to support skin health, promote mental clarity or balance your gut microbiome, probiotics can be incredibly beneficial for women. In fact, they're one of the most important gut health supplements, as many probiotics on the market today are designed to address health interests specific to women while also supporting a healthy you.
January 6, 2023
|health
Should Men Take Probiotics? Yes, and Here's 5 Reasons Why
Probiotics are live microorganisms, including bacteria, yeast and other microbes, that live inside the gut and form the microbiome. The vast majority of adults (men and women) and children can both benefit from taking probiotics, as they're one of the most important gut health supplements. After all, having higher levels of certain probiotic strains in the gut is associated with a range of health benefits.
November 13, 2023
|health
8 Best Supplements for Gut Health
Our gut health is a common interest for many of us. Certain gut-supporting supplements can help to ease common issues such as occasional bloating and promote healthy elimination by supporting a healthy balance of bacteria in your microbiome, facilitating digestion, and assisting you in maintaining overall gut health and function.