By definition, prebiotic foods feed bacteria. Bacteria eat (ferment) fiber, so prebiotic foods are plant foods with high fiber content.
Examples of prebiotic foods
Each category below contains a different type of fiber. Your beneficial bacteria break down (ferment) these fibers into important vitamins and anti-inflammatory fatty acids, as well as other crucial byproducts.
Naturally, different beneficial bacteria strains in your ancestral microbiome ferment different types of fiber. Therefore, it’s important to eat a wide variety of fiber to feed your different strains. Without a doubt, a highly diverse gut microbiome is highly desirable!
You get this fiber from artichokes, asparagus, dandelion leaves and roots, jicama, Jerusalem artichokes, onions, leeks, garlic, chives, chicory root, and dandelion beverages.
These are from breast milk, as well as lentils, chickpeas, lima beans, and kidney beans.
The foods rich is this well-tolerated fiber include carrots, kiwi, radishes, pears, tomatoes, and turmeric.
This immune tonic fiber is in oats, as well as shiitake and maitake mushrooms.
Find pectin in fruits and veggies, such as apples, grapefruit, oranges, apricots, bananas, beets, cabbage, and carrots.
This is a newer-known type of fiber, which is in green (underripe) bananas, plantains, lentils, green peas, banana flour, plantain flour, cooked and cooled potatoes and white rice, and tiger nuts.
Potential intolerance to these fiber-rich foods
If you struggle with misbehaving microbiota, then be careful! The fiber from these foods can feed unwanted microbes, such as an overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine (SIBO), or in your colon (dysbiosis).
If you bloat after you eat, then chances are good you have bacteria overgrowth, as their fermentation process causes gas and bloating. Experiment, as some of these foods may exacerbate your symptoms, while others may be fine.
If you treat SIBO or dysbiosis, include as many of the above fiber-rich foods as you can tolerate. Your beneficial bacteria need these fibers. Otherwise, your bacteria can and will eat your mucosal intestinal lining. Eek! You don’t want to starve your microbes.