The top 14 prebiotic foods to support gut health
Prebiotic foods strengthen digestion by promoting the growth of beneficial bacterial populations in the gut, allowing super easy and effortless waste elimination. Over time, eating prebiotic foods regularly makes your skin glow, and helps you gain stronger immunity.
Our top picks for prebiotic foods are as follows:
1. Chicory Root
A traditional plant native to the dandelion family, chicory root looks and tastes just like coffee. But far from being a stimulant like its look-alike, it is actually high in fiber, thanks to its inulin content.
Inulin- a fructan- or oligosaccharide fructose carb feeds the good bacteria in your gut and acts as a prebiotic, helping in bowel movement.
Adding chicory root powder to your smoothies, shakes, and tea is an easy and effective way to sneak in some fiber and prebiotics into your everyday diet.
More recipes here.
2. Dandelion Greens
One of the most understated greens ever, dandelion greens have a substantial amount of vitamins like folate, vitamin A, vitamin K, and vitamin B spectrum. Not just that, it is rich in magnesium, calcium, and iron. More importantly, it assists in digestion and is a great addition to detox meals, owing to its beneficial effect on liver health. Dandelion greens can be used in salads and are a great source of fiber.
You can sauté dandelion greens with eggs and cheese with roasted garlic to whip up a quick stir-fry or as a filling to tacos. Other suggested veggies that pair well are shredded zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and red cabbage.
3. Garlic
This incredibly flavourful garlic has a wealth of medicinal properties to boast and is also surprisingly rich in fiber. Owing to its high inulin and fructooligosaccharide content, it’s known to promote the colonization of good bacteria cultures like Bifidobacteria in the gut.
The versatility of garlic is such that it caters to a variety of dishes, from spiced lentil curries and chickpea hummus to sautéed veggies and stir-fries.
4. Onions
With a change in seasons, the body’s immunity tends to take a dip. During this time, the gut experiences severe inflammatory stress and a lowering of the health-promoting bacterial population. However, with onions and garlic in your diet, you have nothing to worry about. Just like garlic, onion too has prebiotic, nondigestible dietary fibre which provides fodder to the good bacteria, helping in healing the gut as well as building immunity.
Onions being flavourful and versatile can be enjoyed in soups, tofu stir-fries, cheesy casserole dishes featuring other seasonal veggies, and even salad bowls; the choice is yours!
5. Leeks
Native to the same family as onions and garlic, leeks too have prebiotic benefits. They contain 16% inulin, which boosts the health and vitality of gut bacteria, enabling them to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) such as butyrate and acetate which have profound effects on colon health.
While not enough by themselves, leeks pair well with chicken, ham, turkey, and cheese, and even complement herbs like basil, thyme, parsley, and sage. You can roast them with butter and garlic or toss them into soup; they taste even better caramelized.
6. Asparagus
A balanced mix of dietary fiber and antioxidants, asparagus is another inulin-rich prebiotic to consider for your diet. It has proven anti-inflammatory properties and delivers a mildly sweet crunch, making it perfect for adding an interesting texture to salad bowls.
Leeks taste well when roasted in the oven or pan-fried; To tap into their entire nutritional quotient, consider having them steamed until just done.
7. Bananas
C’mon, we don’t need to tell you how healthy banana is! It’s probably the best superfood you can have and the most available too! Having it for breakfast boosts metabolism and enhances gut health, leading to a smoother flow of your bowels, while having it in any form in the night restores potassium balance in the body, promoting muscle recovery from intensive workouts.
There is an exhaustive array of recipes featuring bananas to choose from- toss it into smoothies, pancake batter, or even cookie dough to whip up muffins that pair well with your evening tea.
8. Oats
There’s a reason why every diet on earth recommends whole oats for weight loss. This wonder grain is brimming with prebiotic benefits, thanks to its high beta-glucan content. Besides promoting gut health, oats are known to slow down the emptying of gastric contents, making you feel fuller for a long time yet without causing acidity or bloating from excess fermentation of digested goods.
Enjoy oats in hot almond milk porridge, as breakfast smoothies with banana, or blitz it into flour and add it to your pancake batter to whip up the best weight loss pancakes!
9. Barley
Another beta-glucan-rich prebiotic grain is barley; the fact that it contains gluten doesn’t take away from its healthfulness. It is rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber and per cup (100 gm) contains 15–17 grams of fiber. In addition to promoting digestion, it induces feelings of fullness and satiety, thereby helping you lose weight while eating less.
You can add barley flakes instead of oats to your breakfast porridge, or use it in place of quinoa in your rice bowls. Barley flour is a healthier alternative to corn flour for thickening soups and stews as well.
10. Cacao
Cacao- the icon of healthy indulgence, is brimming with flavonoids, phytonutrients, fiber, and micronutrients like magnesium. It’s great for soothing nerves, the gut, and of course, stabilizing hormones! Just one cup (100 grams) pack in a whopping 33 grams of fiber.
You can add cacao powder to your pancake batter to whip up chocolatey pancakes or blend it with avocado for a silken smooth mousse like this recipe.
11. Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds are reputed for their high fiber and omega-3 content. Just 100 grams of it offers 27 grams of fiber! Plus, it makes for an anti-inflammatory, gut-friendly replacement to grain in tortilla wraps, and eggs in pancake batter. Since they carry no inherent taste of their own, they can be easily added to oatmeal and smoothies without taking away from the flavor of the dish.
We particularly recommend this recipe for keto wraps made using flaxseeds for a grain-free, gluten-free lunch.
12. Wheat bran
The experts say that wheat bran is more conducive to oat bran when it comes to weight loss, mainly because it contains 25 grams per cup as opposed to just 14 grams per cup of oat bran.
Wheat bran is a great addition to recipes that are already high in protein and fat but could benefit from some fiber. You can enjoy it with your breakfast oatmeal or as classic wheat bran muffins.
13. Jicama root
Jicama, a root vegetable, has a pretty impressive nutritional profile- being in low calories, yet high in fiber, (5 gms per cup), it’s weight-loss friendly and even acts as an antioxidant, owing to its high vitamin C content.
You can have it baked in the form of low-carb, keto fries or sauté it with aromatic herbs and veggies for a spicy accompaniment to your poached eggs.
14. Seaweed
Whether you want to include a simple meal for your detox days or cleanse your palate from days of binging on junk, the humble seaweed never fails to impress. It is known to boost thyroid function and carries oodles of fiber and polysaccharides that promote proper emptying of the bowels.
You can add seaweed to stir-fries, Asian salads with a bunch of sauces and sesame seeds, and even to your burger patty in addition to coleslaw. There are so many fun ways of sampling this nutritious and versatile plant!
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