Our Favorite Ways To Benefit from Prebiotics

Have you been living up the Rowdy lifestyle? Taking mid-winter hikes and trekking through the snow until you reach the very top. Finally signing up for that yoga teaching class because you’re so excited to teach others how great it feels to move. Or how about hitting the gym every morning this week and showing up to the rest of your day feeling energized, focused, and healthy?

Here at Rowdy, that’s what we’re all about--preparation, perseverance, positivity, and the most powerful foods we can get! Nothing replaces the feeling of being happy, healthy, and ready to tackle all of life’s adventures.

Do you want to know our secret? How do we stay adventuring and live healthy every day? Well, you see, none of it would be possible without a gut that’s in tip-top shape!

What Are Prebiotics?

A healthy gut all starts with feeding it the right foods. If being healthy is important to you, like it is to us, you’ve probably heard of probiotics and all the amazing benefits they have for your overall health. But did you know prebiotics are just as important? What the prebiotics vs. probiotics difference?

Well, probiotics wouldn’t even be able to do their job without prebiotics. These little non-digestible fiber compounds are known as oligosaccharides and ferment in the body. This results in a whole bunch of different good-for-you effects including better immune system, lower risk of disease and assistance in weight loss. 

Our Favorite Prebiotics Foods

Prebiotic foods aren’t just full of gut-health power, they’re all tasty and delicious too! Here are the non-digestible fiber foods that we love to munch on everyday.

Prebiotics Foods List:

•    Asparagus
•    Bananas
•    Burdock root
•    Chicory root
•    Chinese chives
•    Dandelion greens
•    Jerusalem artichokes
•    Honey
•    Legumes
•    Maple sugar
•    Oats
•    Onions
•    Rye
•    Yacon Root

The 10 Top Benefits of Prebiotics

Now that we know how great prebiotics are for the health of our microbiome, we can’t stop there. Prebiotics are filled full of many other important health benefits, so let’s talk about them all.

Here are the top 10 benefits you can enjoy simply by adding prebiotics in your daily diet.

1. They Keep Your Gut Happy and Healthy 

In partnership with probiotics, prebiotics are great for gut health. These fibrous foods help maintain a healthy gastrointestinal system by increasing the presence and diversity of good bacteria. The good bacteria are able to use the prebiotic fibers to survive and produce short-chain fatty acids. Some of these fatty acids can then be used to improve the lining of the gut. Prebiotics also help improve overall digestion and reduce the risk of leaky gut syndrome, Candida virus, IBS and other intestinal issues.

2. They Reduce the Risk of Cancer 

Healthy consumption of prebiotics has been shown to decrease the number of free radicals and cancer cells in the body. Specifically, colon cancer is associated with increased toxins in our bodies that are not removed quickly enough. Many studies have shown a decrease in tumors and cancer cells in those who eat a diet packed with prebiotics.

3. They Keep Your Blood Pressure in Good Shape

While prebiotics don’t directly lower blood pressure, eating prebiotics helps balance the body’s mineral and electrolyte levels. When this happens, blood pressure levels begin to decrease because minerals and electrolytes are directly related to blood pressure. How cool, right? Something to remember when it comes to blood pressure and prebiotics though is that plant-based prebiotics (Fructo-oligosaccharide) have shown signs of lowering levels while animal-based prebiotics (galacto-oligosaccharide) have not. So stick with the plants and lower your blood pressure!

4. They Help Your Body Properly Absorb Nutrients

Remember how we said probiotics wouldn’t exist without prebiotics? Prebiotics help probiotics recolonize in the gut. When your body is able to properly absorb nutrients, it turns off its autoimmune responses helps you convert food into energy more readily. Plus, by better absorbing nutrients, including minerals like magnesium and calcium which are needed for bone health, prebiotics also play a part in protecting your bones.

5. They Help Maintain Healthy Hormone Levels

A happy gut is a happy YOU! Plenty of recent studies have found links to our gut health and our mood regulation. Some are even calling our gut our second brain (which definitely feels true when you skip lunch!) Prebiotics and probiotics help your body absorb essential nutrients that help build hormone chemicals. In fact, some research links mood disorders like anxiety and depression to imbalanced gut health.

6. They Help Reduce the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease 

People who eat a diet rich in prebiotics have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Getting your daily recommended dose of prebiotics (about 4-6 grams) helps to reduce glycation, a known cause for increased free radicals in the body. Prebiotics also have what is known as a hypo-cholesterolemic effect which helps the body fight off cardiovascular disease.

7. They Increase Immune Function and Lower Inflammation in the Body 

Prebiotics and probiotics help with healthy bowel movements, which helps reduce allergies and infections while boosting overall immunity. They also help our bodies absorb essential nutrients, which gives the body energy to keep immune function running smoothly and keep inflammation at bay. Inflammation is linked to a laundry list of diseases that can occur in the body, but prebiotics keep levels of good bacteria up, which keeps inflammation down.

8. They Help Prevent Hair Loss 

An unhealthy gut can make us more sensitive to hair loss. Hairguard tells us how reduced inflammation, balanced hormones, and a strong immune system all play a significant role in promoting a healthy scalp and hair growth.

9. They Help You Maintain a Healthy Weight

Eating tons of fibrous foods (aka prebiotics and probiotics) can help you stay fuller longer and stay on track with your weight loss goals. Yep, that’s right--prebiotics are great for weight loss. They are also directly linked to the prevention of obesity and balanced energy levels.

10. They Help You Manage Stress 

Research has recently shown that gut health impacts the body’s ability to create and release stress hormones. Consuming prebiotics can make positive cortisol changes in the event of stress.

Looking for a quick and easy way to add prebiotics to your diet? Check out our prebiotic snack bars for a great tasting way to improve your gut health.

Everyone's Favorite Prebiotic Snack Bar

Rowdy Bars are full of prebiotics along with many other good-for-you ingredients. These pocket-sized snacks are packed with protein to keep you energized, healthy fats to sustain energy and produce important hormones, and prebiotics to keep your gut feeling great.

Here are some of the powerful ingredients you can find in our Rowdy Bars flavors.

Egg White Protein

Egg whites are packed full of protein and give each of our bars their 8+ g of protein power! They also are high in water, low in calories and fat, free from cholesterol, and are great for controlling a healthy weight.

Nuts & Seeds:

You’ll find a nutty ingredient in every one of our bars, and here’s why. The tasty nuts and seeds in every Rowdy Bars flavor are rich in protein and healthy fats, low in carbs, and thriving with all kinds of vitamins and minerals.

Dark Chocolate 

Yum, yum, yum--who doesn’t love chocolate? Good news for all of us is that dark chocolate has so many great health benefits. This tasty treat is full of powerful antioxidants, polyphenols, and flavanols. These good-for-you properties help improve blood flow and lower blood pressure, raise HDL and protect LDL from oxidation. Plus it’s great for the skin!

Want to get on the Rowdy Bars train too? Order your favorite flavor, or try one of each in our 4-Bar Variety Pack. 

Happy snacking!