Try these 15 prebiotic foods to strengthen your immune system

Many people today are receiving their daily dose of probiotic supplementation or at the very least understand that they probably should be. Less likely are people aware that they should also be receiving a regular supplement of prebiotics. Try these 15 prebiotic foods to strengthen your immune system.

Prebiotics have numerous health benefits such as improving gut health, inhibiting cancer, enhancing the immune system, and preventing obesity. They also have shown effective improvements in 91 percent of all human trials and have been shown to reduce symptoms of bowel related issues such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome and celiac disease.

Both prebiotics and probiotics nurture the good bacteria required by the digestive tract for proper health beginning at the mouth. Probiotics are live, active cultures capable of multiplying in numbers whereas prebiotics serve as the food source for probiotics and do not grow or reproduce.

Prebiotics benefit the immune system

The benefit of prebiotics starts at conception. Prebiotics are associated with the development of the systemic immune system, or the whole body's immune function, and benefits babies while they are still in the mother's womb.

Children have shown numerous benefits such as the reduced risk of eczema, an increase in metabolism and growth, and an increased feeding tolerance to dairy by inhibiting the development of allergies. For these reasons and more, prebiotics are now added to infant formula. An outstanding amount of research demonstrates that prebiotics promote T helper cells which are vital for a healthy immune system.

Improved systemic immunity

Friendly bacteria not only provide the gastrointestinal tract with healthy immunity but they also improve systemic immunity in the entire body. Increased permeability of the intestine in people with leaky gut for instance have a higher risk for pathogens to squeeze through the holes and colonize other organs in the body. Decreasing inflammation of the intestine and supporting an environment for healthy bacteria to thrive decreases the risk for pathogens to wreak havoc.

According to regulation standards, prebiotics are made up of non-digestable carbohydrates (fiber) that are used by bacteria in the colon to produce measurable health benefits. Naturally found in food, a prebiotic is not broken down or absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract. Beneficial bacteria use this fiber as a food source in a process called fermentation.

Prebiotics as functional foods

Prebiotics are considered functional foods in that they provide numerous health benefits and aid in the prevention and treatment of diseases and health conditions.

Currently, there are three major types of prebiotics that are well documented: Inulin, oligosaccharides and arabinogalactans. Examples of food sources that contain prebiotics are:

• Asparagus
• Bananas
• Carrots
• Chicory root
• Coconut meat and flour
• Dandelion greens
• Flax and chia seeds
• Garlic
• Jerusalem artichoke
• Jicama
• Leeks
• Onions
• Radishes
• Tomatoes
• Yams

Inulin and oligosaccharides are short-chain polysaccharides, or chains of carbs, which act at different locations in the colon, ensuring complete intestinal health. By increasing and maintaining the populations of good bacteria, the body is less susceptible to pathogenic bacteria and yeast that can lead to a diverse range of negative health consequences.