ReaderYou know you’re supposed to eat fiber…right?? You know this right?
What happens after you eat all that fiber?
Fiber is important because it DOESN’T GET BROKEN DOWN.
Which means it makes its way into the large intestine where your microbiome larger lives.
From here, the bacteria that lives there “eats” the fiber and the end product of that digestion = postbiotics
Recap:
Prebiotic: fiber, the foods that feed bacteria
Probiotic: the actual bacteria, we call it this when it’s in supplement form
Postbiotic: end product of bacterial digestion in the colon ; these are things like Butyrate and other Short Chain Fatty Acids
There is a certain type of fiber called resistant starch that bacteria will consume and produce short chain fatty acids.
Resistant Starch Foods:
- White potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice that has been cooked and cooled (you don’t have to eat it cold, just let it cool first)
- Green bananas and green banana flour
- Oats that have not been cooked – think overnight oats (the heat will destroy the resistant starch
These are easy foods that you’re likely already using in some capacity! If you’re not letting them cool, add that step in. We like batching these foods and then just warming them up throughout the week.
Why creating short chain fatty acids matters to the gut:
- They are anti-inflammatory
- They support the health of the gut lining (supports healing leaky gut and therefore plays a role in Autoimmunity)
- Butyrate (one of the 20 short chain fatty acids) can cross the blood brain barrier and impact things like stress, anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, brain fog, focus
So do your best to get something like this added in every day!
If you can’t tolerate these foods, let me know and I can make a supplement recommendation for you to try that’s very gentle and easy.
DC Strength & Nutrition Quarterly Community Event:
We are collecting donations for our local food bank called Bread for the City.
They are located around the corner from the gym and provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty.
If you’d like to participate in our donation this year, here are easy options to consider:
- Drop off food items at 1209 Blagden Alley NW (list below)
- Venmo the gym and we’ll use the donation to purchase items to donate (we’ll provide proof or purchases made and donated)
- Purchase a grocery store gift card to donate and email it to the gym or drop it off for us to take in
- Drop clothes off at the gym
|
