Probiotic vs prebiotic

They sound alike and get muddled constantly. One is the bacteria, the other is their breakfast. You need both.

Probiotics: the microbes

Probiotics are the live beneficial bacteria and yeasts themselves. You get them from live fermented foods, our kombucha and tibicos, kimchi, live yoghurt, and from supplements. They add to the community already living in your gut.

Prebiotics: their food

Prebiotics are the fibres and compounds those microbes eat: onions, garlic, oats, legumes, slightly-green bananas and plenty more. Prebiotics feed both the good bacteria you already have and the ones you add through fermented food.

Why you need both

Adding probiotics without prebiotics is a bit like inviting guests and serving nothing. Feed the microbes and they settle in and do their work. When the two come together, they are sometimes called synbiotics, which is just a tidy word for a good pairing.

Food first

A capsule usually gives you a few isolated strains. A plate of live fermented food gives you many different microbes, plus the fibres and compounds that feed them, all wrapped up in real food that happens to taste good. For most people, food is the simpler place to start.

Probiotic is who moves in. Prebiotic is what is for dinner. Keep both on the table.