A healthy gut is necessary for us to avoid many diseases secondary to inflammation. Many autoimmune diseases and food sensitivities all begin in the gut. Prebiotics and probiotics are necessary to restore the normal flora that helps us naturally digest food, assimilate nutrients and stay healthy. Antibiotics, dysentery are two common reasons the normal flora is affected as well as the foods we eat. You can keep your gut healthy naturally by avoiding meats raised with antibiotics and hormones which leach into the food supply. You can also feed the bugs in the gut with green leafy vegetables which will assure that more healthy flora grows and keep you healthy. To assure things stay healthy and to replace bacteria that are needed in the gut, pre and probiotics supplementation can help. Check out this advice from two medical specialists Ask the Doctors: Probiotics and prebiotics are both keys to gut health With some simple lifestyle choices, you can improve your gut health. By Eve Glazier, M.D. and Elizabeth Ko, M.D. Mar 19, 2021, 9:00am CDT Dear Doctors: I want to get my gut into better shape. I’m not talking about a flat stomach — after having three kids, that ship has sailed — but about the gut microbiome. Do I need to take probiotics? Answer: The gut microbiome refers to the trillions of microorganisms that make our digestive tracts home. These include the vast colonies of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, friendly viruses, and other microbes that interact with our bodies and, in many cases, help keep us healthy. Research keeps uncovering ways that the gut plays a role in health, including how it affects the immune system, blood-sugar regulation, the cardiovascular system, cholesterol, weight, and even mental health. With some simple lifestyle choices, you can improve your gut health. To understand how, we should define two important terms — the probiotics you mention and prebiotics, equally important to the gut microbiome. Read more