A healthy gut microbiome has a diversity of bacteria. You want to have a healthy gut microbiome because it has an incredible number of interactions with your nervous system, which can impact mood, energy, and brain function.
Below is a quick rundown of the essential tools for feeding one's gut microbiome.
- Prebiotics: Carbohydrates and fiber that our body can't digest but act as food for the bacteria in our gut.
- Active culture foods: Yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc that contain active bacteria which support the growth of other bacteria.
- Probiotics supplements: contain live active cultures.
If you have a depleted gut microbiome due to stress, disease or recent usage of antibiotics, probiotics are useful to restart the gut microbiome but probably aren't needed for maintenance. Instead, you may be better off eating a diet that contains a healthy amount of prebiotics (fiber, complex carbs) and fermented foods.