How can make sure we’re getting the full benefit of probiotics when we take them every day? We’ve got to eat enough fiber.
Did you know 9 out of 10 Americans don’t get the recommended servings of fruit and vegetables every day?
And what we do eat is usually fried to death and then salted or sugared. I guess it’s not that surprising, considering at some point ketchup ranked as a serving of veg. We suck at eating our vegetables. And we’re just a teeny bit better at eating our fruit (as in chewing it, instead of drinking it).
All that means is our diets are seriously lacking in fiber.
And if you’re looking for your probiotic to suddenly start making your immune system super powered or your help your digestion or time in the bathroom go from “not so good” to “FABULOUS” while eating a high fat, high sugar, low fiber diet – I’m sorry to have to be the one to break it to you. It’s not going to happen.
All the probiotics in the world won’t help you manage your health if your diet is jacked up.
Why? Because the little guys that make up your probiotic are alive and they feed on fiber.
A big part of what they use to sustain themselves is from the plants we eat, the part that we have to poop out because we can’t digest (the FIBER part). In exchange for treating these guys (we call them our microbiome) well, they produce something called short chain fatty acids.
And SCFA are major keys to our health.
WHY?? Because SCFA are the primary energy source of the cells in our intestinal lining.
Think about what happens if you haven’t eaten in the last, say 5 hours. I know I get HANGRY and lose all kinds of self control.
Now imagine what happens if you haven’t been eating enough fiber. In a sense, your gut lining will be starving. And when it’s low on energy, it opens us up to all kinds of immune deficiencies (we can catch a cold easier), digestion issues (like IBS or constipation or diarrhea) and chronic inflammation (most disease has roots dug deep in inflammation, like heart disease, diabetes, even obesity). When the cells in our gut haven’t been fed, they don’t have the energy to protect us.
How to get the full benefit of probiotics
The short answer is eat more fiber.
The recommendation is between about 25-30g per DAY for the average adult. The average adult usually eats about 10-15g, on a GOOD day. Think about how easy it is to have an almost zero fiber day: a plain bagel with cream cheese for breakfast, pizza for lunch, chicken with white rice for dinner. Add a side salad or maybe some broccoli with dinner and you’ve hit maybe 5g of fiber for the day. Maybe.
So how do we make it easier?
Start simple by adding some kind of fruit or vegetable into your day. Make it even simpler by adding extra servings to the foods you’re already eating.
Try things like:
- Asking for a salad instead of fries (then eat a few fries off your friend’s plate)
- Add spinach and tomato to your cheese omelet
- Throw a handful of kale into your morning fruit and protein smoothie
- Pick a veggie burger instead of a meat burger
Start by adding 1 additional serving of fruit or vegetables every day for a week. The next week add a second vegetable at a different meal. Practice this and in one week, you’ll have eaten 7 more servings of fruit and vegetables then you did the week before.
Use every week as practice that will ultimately be a foundation for half of every meal you eat being fruit and vegetables.
Don’t get sidetracked by thinking you need to somehow be a fiber role model by tomorrow afternoon or else you’ll toss your probiotics. Everything you eat counts. Really, it ALL counts.
Your microbiome is starving for the fiber, and they will thank you with better digestion, better bathroom trips and lowered risk of all types of illness. Give your body what it needs.
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