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Prebiotic or probiotic—what should you be eating?

To aid the gut’s complex ecosystem, know how to balance both

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Around 2010, between ads for soft drinks and malty chocolate drink mixes, the iconic beige Yakult bottle began to appear on our TV screens. A 30-second clip raised a question which had not been asked on Indian television before: “Why should I drink bacteria?” This refrain, echoed enthusiastically in the Yakult ad, was one of the first instances of gut health being talked about in the Indian public domain—the first glimpse of the benefits of probiotics. 

Probiotics are not new to us. Indians, especially, have added probiotic food and drinks to their diets for overall health since the Vedic times. It’s just that the term now had a marketable face, a name and a neatly packaged form in a tiny plastic bottle.

The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics defines probiotics as "live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host." This scientific phrasing belies the millennia-old relationship humans have had with fermented foods, which are bustling with microorganisms. Long before scientists in white lab coats identified and named bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, people across cultures were cultivating bacteria in yogurt, pickles, and bread. Probiotics, the microorganisms, became a thriving industry in the 20th century, their promise bottled, branded, and sold–starting with the well known, red-capped Yakult bottles.

Probiotics became a thriving industry in the 20th century, their promise bottled, branded, and sold–starting with Yakult

Probiotics have a multitude of benefits, but primarily, they improve your gut health by supporting and adding to the millions of “good” bacteria that line your gut. However, a healthy gut isn’t achieved only by adding more bacteria—it also requires you to nurture what is already present in the linings. This is where prebiotics come in the picture.

The human gut is much like a processing unit, a workplace to some 40 trillion microbial bacteria from hundreds of different species. These microscopic workers influence digestion, immune function, and even help maintain a person’s mental health. Probiotics, which are very similar to these in-house bacteria or the human microflora, are what smoothly run this ecosystem; prebiotics are the nutrients that help sustain them.

Simply put: probiotics are the organisms, prebiotics are their food.

Probiotics can be consumed by adding whole foods that house them in your diet, or as supplements. Probiotic supplements, while popular, contain only a handful of bacterial species, whereas a well-balanced gut microbiome requires a diversity. Prebiotics, on the other hand, are often misunderstood as just another supplement. In reality, this term is simply a way to describe dietary fiber–the kind found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. While not all fibers are prebiotics, all prebiotics are fibers, and they repopulate the growth of bacteria needed for your incredibly fragile gut ecosystem.

The gut, a complex microbial ecosystem, is very sensitive to the body’s diet. It contains both “good” and “bad” bacteria. The good microbes in your gut help your body in multiple ways, uch as aiding in the absorption of vitamins and minerals. In fact, you should know that your gut is the body’s largest immune system organ, containing up to 80% of your body’s immune cells. These cells help clear out pathogens from your body daily, the good microbes help the cells filter out the harmful ones from your body and in doing so, build immunity. These gut bacteria also produce short-chain fatty acids, which, again, help your immunity and keep inflammation at bay. Mainly, it’s useful to remember: a good gut = a healthy, strong body. But the gut is also swathed in bad bacteria, which can cause digestive issues, weak immunity, inflammation and gut dysbiosis–an unhealthy imbalance of bacteria. Further, bad bacteria grow fast, especially without resistance from the good ones.

Clearly, your gut is delicate–and for it to have a diverse microbial environment, both probiotics and prebiotics are necessary. 

Also read: Antibiotic overuse is turning your gut against you

Where can you find probiotics?

A good trick is to remember that any fermented food has a lot of probiotics, because of, of course, the host of bacteria that have aided the fermentation process in the food or drink.

  • Yoghurt is one of the most popular sources of probiotics in India. The fermented dairy product contains lactic acid bacteria, which helps maintain a healthy gut. Moreover, Indians have found ways to effortlessly weave yoghurt into our plates with the likes of raita, lassi, and kadhi.
  • South Indian delicacies like idli and dosa are made from a fermented batter of rice and urad dal, another great source of probiotics. The overnight fermentation optimises their nutritional content, making them rich in probiotics. It enhances the flavour, but also makes these food items easier to digest.
  • Mosaranna (curd rice) and dosas feel incomplete without a dash of pickle or chutney on the side of the plate. Lucky, because many Indian pickles and chutneys undergo a fermentation process, which introduces beneficial bacteria into them–again, a delicious source of probiotics. 
  • While curd and pickles have managed to dominate our households, Kombucha, a variation from our diet, is a fermented beverage that has become popular for its probiotic factors. This fermented tea is another popular choice for its ability to increase the good bacteria in our gut. 
  • Kanji is another dish which has multiple variants across the country (kanni, panta bhaat, ganji). This rice porridge is an age-old remedy to improve digestion as well as gut health. It prevents the growth of bad pathogenic bacteria like Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, and others.

Also read: DIY kombucha: A simple, delicious guide to brewing

Feeding your gut 

High-fiber fruits like bananas, particularly when unripe (rich in resistant starch), apples (packed with pectin, a soluble fibre), and guavas (fiber powerhouses) naturally support a flourishing microbiome. Root vegetables such as carrots and beetroots, as well as integral legumes like lentils and chickpeas, further nurture gut health. Whole grains, too, play a part: brown rice offers resistant starch, while jowar (sorghum) contributes to the thriving microbial diversity.

And these are all prebiotics!

Probiotics help regulate the immune system and alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms, though they are not particularly effective for weight loss, metabolic health, or lowering blood sugar. Prebiotics, on the other hand, offer a metabolic advantage, with strong evidence supporting their role in reducing blood sugar levels and improving overall metabolic function.

Like probiotics, prebiotics also influence the immune system and serve as a source of fuel for intestinal cells known as short-chain fatty acids. Interestingly, despite producing these acids, prebiotics are not highly effective at relieving gastrointestinal discomfort. If dealing with yeast overgrowth or Candida infections, incorporating both probiotics and prebiotics may help. A well-functioning gut ecosystem requires not only pinpointing the imbalances but also strengthening the good bacterial populations.

Science and speculation

The science of gut health remains a work in progress–a rabbit hole that scientists just can’t help going down farther and farther. The consensus suggests that rather than adding probiotic strains, the existing bacterial populations can be well-maintained through diet– suggesting that a shift can be made from supplement-driven solutions to the one that recognises the role of food, lifestyle, and microbial diversity.

So, should you be taking probiotics or prebiotics? As with most things related to health, is: it depends. A diet rich in fiber and fermented foods may do more for your gut than any bottle from the pharmacy aisle. But scientists do agree that a good balance of microbes is what’s key for your gut; prebiotics and probiotics both aid in this, and are complementary to each other. For a healthy gut, add probiotics; for healthy probiotics, add prebiotics. And find as much of it in whole foods as you can.

After all, what you put on your plate can offer more solutions to your body’s problems than you can imagine. 

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Written by
Tasmia Ansari

Tasmia writes nonfiction that explores how food and climate impact both our lives and the planet.

Co-author

Edited By
Anushka Mukherjee

Bangalore-based journalist & multimedia producer, experienced in producing meaningful stories in Indian business, politics, food & nutrition; with a special interest in narrative audio journalism.

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