Best Prebiotic Drinks 2021
The road to good gut health is paved with friends, good times, and prebiotics! Prebiotic drinks are delicious and nutritious—your taste buds will thank you later. You can get all of the benefits of prebiotics from these flavorful beverages. Check out the best prebiotic drinks in 2021 here!
What Is a Prebiotic?
In recent years, the known importance of gut health has increased exponentially. The health of your gut is essentially run by all of the tiny microbiota (you can think of these as the “good” bacteria) that line your tummy tract.
If these microbiotas remain in ship-shape, digestion and a bunch of bodily business ventures will gain huge profit margins—we’re talking featured in Forbes level gut health. In other words, a happy and healthy gut means you’ll be happy and healthy, too. Now, what does all of this scientific gut mumbo jumbo have to do with prebiotics? We’ll tell you.
“Prebiotic” is the umbrella term for non-digestible nutrients that stimulate the good bacteria in your gut. Non-digestible may sound no bueno, but never fear! Having these kinds of nutrients in your gut actually helps keep it in tip-top shape.
Studies have shown that prebiotics are linked to a number of great benefits that support overall human health—both mental and physical. Prebiotics are like cardio for gut bacteria. Keeping it active and healthy ensures you can be too. It’s like getting an elliptical for your gut health.
Though prebiotic may sound confusing, tons of stuff you already eat has prebiotic nutrients. Some commonly consumed foods with prebiotics include garlic, bananas, and onions. But you can also get a daily dose of prebiotics delights from dozens of different drinks. These are the drinks that are sweeping the scene right now.
Prebiotic Delights
These drinks will have you saying hallelujah for fiber. Plus, they’re tasty and great for you—so it’s time to get your prebiotics on.
1. Prebiotic Kombucha
Kombucha has a plethora of health benefits that you’ve probably heard all about. Booch has made a splash on the scene as of late and is well known for being a great probiotic drink. That means there are live cultures in it that add to the good bacteria already in your gut. But kombucha is not inherently a prebiotic beverage.
That said, there are certain kinds of specialty kombucha that specifically include prebiotics. They’re tasty and great for your gut, but be sure to grab the specially marked prebiotic kombucha, not just a regular one.
2. Prebiotic Shots
Shots, shots, shots—but make them gut-friendly! If you are seeking out the wild thrill of throwing back a shooter without the bad decisions and hangover, these could be for you. Prebiotic shots come in tons of different flavors, and many different companies offer them. Their flavors can range from orange to banana to ginger and even chicory root.
Prebiotic shots are less of something to sip on and more of a one-and-done drink that you can add to your daily routine. You might want a quick shot before your morning commute, a prebiotic shot on the way to workout, or even a bedtime boost.
Most of the prebiotic shots you will want to try out can be found in health food stores or even a local grocer. These fun-sized prebiotic drinks are usually only about two ounces. You can tuck them into your bag or slip ‘em into your pocket without having to worry about them weighing you down.
Prebiotic shots are a great option for your gut on the go. Plus, these mighty little guys are excellent if you can’t stomach the taste of your healthy drinks—they’ll be over before you know it.
Prebiotic Yogurt Drinks
If you have more of a sweet tooth or you’re just a yogurt fan, a prebiotic yogurt drink is an excellent option. These drinks will bring you back to the childhood days of slurping on your yogurt pouches or sipping on a sweet strawberry yogurt cup. Mmmm, nostalgia.
But, like kombucha, these drinks are not inherently prebiotic. Though a lot of yogurt-based drinks, like kefir, have probiotics, they are not all prebiotic. You have to look for yogurt drinks specifically noted as prebiotic.
Prebiotics feed the probiotics in your gut. So, even if you are consuming tons of probiotics, without the prebiotics to exercise them, your gut is not getting the same benefits. In this case, it’s like an elliptical you put in the basement and forgot about. Be sure you are not flooding your gut with probiotics without giving them an outlet to work with. Probiotics and prebiotics work together. They’re like a cold beverage and a friend: better together.
Smoothies
This one may seem obvious, but a great way to customize your prebiotic consumption is to DIY it. Next time you pile up the goods in your blender, double-check that you put some prebiotics in there. Hit the button and watch your mixture wiz from a chunky mix to a smooth and tasty refreshment.
It is not too tough to find ways to add prebiotics to your smoothies. If you want to get fancy, you can purchase prebiotic powders. These are ground-up fibers meant to scoop into a smoothie as a supplement to what you’ve put in it. With the powder, you don’t have to think at all: just scoop, swirl, and sip.
If you want to flex your creative muscle while you blend, try including these prebiotic foods into your smoothie:
- Oats
- Chicory root
- Bananas
- Apples
- Berries
- Green Veggies
- Dandelion greens
- Flaxseed
- Cocoa
The combinations and options are endless when making a smoothie.
De La Calle Tepache
Tepache is a fermented beverage made from pineapple skin, and, boy, is it a treat! This drink knows all of the steps to the gut health dance—it has both probiotic and prebiotic properties. This drink is delish on a hot summer's day. You can sip in the sunshine, all while doing great things for your immune system.
You’ll love the simplicity of the ingredients in tepache. It doesn’t contain tons of sugars (like many kombuchas do), and it tastes like its Mexican roots. You can even double down on your prebiotic intake with flavors like the Moderno Orange Turmeric. Turmeric contains prebiotics, and the fermentation process of the drink also fosters prebiotic benefits.
Tepache is a win-win when it comes to gut health. Not only does this drink support a healthy lifestyle, but it also goes down smooth. Tepache is fun and healthful—we know what you’re thinking, too good to be true? Nope! Try out some tepache and thank us later.
Sources:
Prebiotics: Definition, Types, Sources, Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications | NIH
What’s the Difference Between Probiotics and Prebiotics? | SCL Health