The study and research regarding prebiotics is pretty recent. Prebiotics and probiotics are related to each other and also different from each other.
 
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that have been linked with a wide range of health benefits including a stronger immune system, a healthier gut, symptomatic relief from depression and anxiety, a lower body weight, improved heart health and cancer prevention.

The best way to get probiotics is from foods. The best probiotic foods are unpasteurized miso, whole milk kefir, fermented drinks, whole milk yogurt, and raw pickles. Probiotic foods aid digestion and can heal or improve digestive problems. Homemade beer and wine can be probiotic if not pasteurized. All commercially available beer and wine is pasteurized.

Here are a few of the top types of “friendly” probiotic gut bacteria that your body needs:

• Lactobacillus acidophilus
• Lactobacillus bulgarius
• Lactobacillus reuteri
• Streptococcus thermophilus
• Saccharomyces boulardii
• Bifidobacterium bifidum
• Bacillus subtilis

Prebiotics are foods that have fiber that feed the beneficial probiotic bacteria in the large intestines. When people grew their own food, the healthy bacteria in the soil that got on foods were prebiotic. Because of environmental factors and food having to travel longer distances that require better sanitation, the prebiotic soil bacteria is no longer present on our foods.

For decades, I've recommended a healthy prebiotic soil based bacteria supplement that has remarkable effects on health because of its nourishing effects on our beneficial bacteria. Other supplements are available that have prebiotic fiber and/or prebiotic bacteria. I recommend that people get most of their prebiotics from food unless more prebiotics are needed for certain health issues.

Prebiotics are beneficial to help regulate the blood sugar, for inflammatory bowel disease, to lift one's moods, for blood pressure, to lower cholesterol and for many other health issues.

The most common prebiotic fibers include:

• Beta-Glucan
• Fructooligosaccharides
• Inulin
• Galactooligosaccharides
• Isomaltooligosaccharides
• Guar gum
• Lactulose
• Resistant Starch, including maltodextrin
• Xylooligosaccharides

Foods that are prebiotic include root vegetables that tend to be high in inulin, fructooligosaccharides and resistant starch. This group includes true roots as well as bulbs. Examples include onions, leeks, garlic, jicama (photo above), Jerusalem artichokes and chicory root. Many fruits have prebiotic fibers including apples, berries and pears.
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Spring vegetables are rich in prebiotic fibers, particularly inulin, fructooligosaccharides and xylooligosaccharides. Examples include greens (especially dandelion greens), peas, leeks and asparagus. Legumes such as lentils, whole grains and nuts are high in prebiotic fibers. Oats, buckwheat and wheat have high amounts of prebiotic fiber although all grains include some. Honey, ginger root, sweet potatoes, cabbage, beets and many other vegetables are prebiotic.

Be sure to include plenty of probiotic and prebiotic foods in order to support your colon health, digestion and overall wellbeing.

Keep your metabolism high by managing or avoiding stress and eating a diet that has enough calories and abundant macro and micro nutrients such as adequate carbohydrates, concentrated proteins from animal sources or supplements, beneficial fats and a range of beneficial vitamins and minerals. If the metabolism is to slow circulation through the digestive tract slows leading to the growth of poor bacteria in the colon.
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Notes:

• All miso from Japan is flash pasteurized in order to survive the long journey of transport. American miso such as South River and Miso Master is unpasteurized retaining the beneficial bacteria.
• Some yogurts are higher in beneficial bacteria. You can learn about this by reading the label. If you incorporate yogurt, buy whole milk versus low fat yogurt for more beneficial nutrients from grass fed animals. Dairy products from naturally raised grass fed animals have been eaten by healthy cultures around the globe and often as raw dairy products retaining the beneficial bacteria.
• Buy pickles from the refrigerator at natural foods stores that have no sugar, chemicals or vinegar. When vinegar is added, the pickles are not probiotic.
• To learn about making your own fermented foods, buy Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz.

Many years ago I started to re-think aspects of health that I had started to learn in my early 20’s from Japanese macrobiotic natural health teachers. There were reasons for me doing this including that I did not feel well after decades on a vegan style macrobiotic diet.

Later I began to question more teachings as long time vegan macrobiotic teachers and followers died of cancer, heart disease and more. I concluded some ideas still had merit such as eating a mostly whole foods organic diet with a base of plant foods.

Other aspects of health teachings I learned needed updating, One aspect is about supplements from food or other sources.  20th century macrobiotic teachings were vehemently against taking supplements even food based ones. Teachers and counselors told people to avoid them.  After a period of time I discovered there are several reasons why it makes sense to take vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements in addition to all the illnesses, deaths and nutritional deficiencies I witnessed among people following anti supplement advice.

In my Diagnosis+Nutrition Health Coach Training, I have a section that explains in more detail why I believe people need supplements. This is the only updated training program on 21st century macrobiotic longevity teachings that exists today as other programs are based on the outdated 20th century teachings. These teachings ignore the new scientific discoveries that explain about the need for various nutrients in food and through supplements for modern times.  You can learn more about my program here. https://www.macrobiotic.com/diagnosisnutrition-health-coach-training-program-21-classes.html

A summary of the reasons for the need for vitamin and food supplements include: genetics, our toxic environment, stress, anti-aging, damage from free radicals, agricultural practices and transportation, health history and unique individual nutritional needs. 

Two of the above issues are enough to support why we need extra nutrition.  Many of us have genetic weaknesses because of the 20th century eating practices of our parents. All of our ancestors lived in for the most part unpolluted environments compared to today.  

Food supplements can help us to boost our health. I recommend everyone look into these and others. Here is partial list with some key benefits. There are many more than I’m listing.

1. Cod Liver Oil:  helpful in Syndrome X-obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, adult onset diabetes, and stroke.
2. Green Powders such as Chlorella: help to regulate hormones, help with metabolism, improve circulation, and promotie higher levels of energy. It also helps to reduce weight and body fat, and removes stored toxins.
3. Brewer’s Yeast: Look for low heat processed. It strengthens the immune system.
4. Fish Eggs: This is so concentrated in vitamin A; it is like a food supplement for better eyesight, anemia, immunity and more. Look for ones with no dyes.
5. Gelatinized Maca: increases libido, lifts moods, improves bone density and increases energy. 

 I believe warnings about supplements are often exaggerated in the media for commercial reasons.1

1. http://www.doctoryourself.com/safety.html

​In my Full Spectrum Macrobiotic Approach, I look at food and health from two major viewpoints, the physical and the energetic. The physical view of health looks at substances such as blood sugar, cholesterol, blood counts and the physical structures of the body. The energetic view of the body is addressing the energetic qualities of both the structures and functions of the body. Energetics is viewed through the intellectual process.

In food studies, much valuable information has been gleaned by analyzing the chemical makeup of foods and what happens when these chemicals or nutrients are deprived from the human body. An energetic view of the body is assessing the overall effect of a food on the body and mind by taking into account its physical qualities of structure and growth, and it’s physical makeup.


Both views of health and food are complimentary to each other. It can be limiting to look at only one aspect of the body or food. For example, excess cholesterol or sugar in the blood is seen as a bad thing for health.Most doctors want to lower them without asking the question, why is the body producing excessive cholesterol or not regulating the blood sugar. If the root causes are not found, lowering the cholesterol or blood sugar will not have a full benefit to the body.

Vitamin A is a crucial nutrient for health that is missing in most people’s diets. Vitamin A is also greatly misunderstood.1 Carrots do not contain vitamin A. What they have in them is pro-vitamin A in the form of carotenes which under the right bodily conditions can turn into vitamin A. As we age, the ability to convert the carotenes to vitamin A declines. The mechanism of the conversion is connected to the health of the liver and thyroid. Many people can’t make the conversion well. Diabetics and those with poor thyroid function, a group that could well include at least half the adult US population, cannot make the conversion. Children make the conversion very poorly and infants not at all — they must obtain their precious stores of vitamin A from animal fats.2

This is why pro-vitamin A foods or supplements are so important for overall health. Pro-vitamin A is only contained in animal source foods and cod liver oil. The top foods with pro-vitamin A are sardines, the livers of healthy naturally raised animals, high vitamin cod liver oil and regular cod liver oil. Moderate amounts can be obtained from grass fed butter, raw cheeses and pasture raised eggs. Supplements can be helpful for serious infections on a temporary basis but must be balanced by vitamin D3 and K2.

The highest sources of vitamin A come from the organs of animals. The organs of animals are considered energetically the most gathering and concentrated form of energy that we can consume in foods. Because of this, people with serious deficiencies of vitamin A would only need to consume liver 3 times per week. After the deficiency is corrected, having this amount every other week would keep the body in balance.

Because of this energetic understanding of the foods that pro-vitamin A is derived from, it can be easy to understand how a deficiency of A creates an internal deficiency of vitality and overall health. In fact, vitamin A is necessary for the health of the eyes, the whole gastrointestinal system including digestion and the immune function. Chronic unknown or known infections such as gum disease or infections, that many people suffer from today, tremendously depletes the storehouses of vitamin A.  In addition, vitamin A is crucial for sexual and reproductive function, muscle, bone, skin and hair health. Vitamin A also prevents kidney stones.

Good quality cod oil can be taken for those who do not wish to eat animal foods.  Liver pills from grass fed animals is an option for people who do not like the taste of liver. Vitamin A in pills is derived from fish oil. There are no vegetarian sources of pro-vitamin A.
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1. Solomons, N. W. and J. Bulus. “Plant sources of provitamin A and human nutriture.” Nutrition Review, Springer Verlag New York, Inc, July 1993, 51:1992-4.
2. Jennings, I. W. Vitamins in Endocrine Metabolism. Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Springfield, Illinois.