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Healthy and sustainable diets are naturally high in wholefoods that are predominantly plant-based, and these are the foods that tend to be highest in naturally occurring prebiotics...
Healthy and sustainable diets are high in undigestible fibres that are essential to feeding and therefore influencing the diversity and composition of bacteria in the gut. Dietary fibre is important for:
- Slowing the rate of absorption of nutrients from the small intestine, which assists in regulating blood glucose levels
- Bulking and regulating transit time through the gastrointestinal tract
- Acting as prebiotics and reducing the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut
- Being the fermentation substrate for the production short chain fatty acids
The role of fibre
There are many types of fibre, and they all have a different role to play in our gut health, with not all types of fibre being prebiotic. This highlights the importance of eating a wide range of plant-based, high fibre foods, which aligns with a healthy and sustainable diet. Foods that are particularly high in prebiotics are:
- Vegetables: garlic, onion, leek, beetroot, sweetcorn, cabbage, fennel, and peas
- Fruits: nectarines, white peaches, watermelon, grapefruit, pomegranate, dates, and dried figs
- High protein plant foods: chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, soybeans, baked beans, cashews and pistachios
- Wholegrains: barley, rye bread and crackers, pasta, wheat bran, wheat bread and oats.