You shouldn’t be expected to have Superman-level X-ray vision when you scan over your grocery haul to see what could be harmful or beneficial to your digestive system.
So the questions still remain. What should you look for if you’re trying to do a solid for your gut? What’s the difference between prebiotics and probiotics? Oh, what about fiber? So. Many. Questions.
In simplest terms, “The probiotics are the healthy bacteria that help you fight off disease, and the prebiotics are the food they need to stay alive,” Amy Shapiro, RD and founder of Real Nutrition says. You know how you need your afternoon snack to fuel your productive, badass self? Your gut’s the same way.
In order to make this vital info as digestible (see what we did there) as possible, we teamed up with Benefiber, a taste-free prebiotic fiber that helps nourish the good bacteria in your gut, and tapped Amy Shapiro to give us a SparkNotes version keeping your gut happy—all in one handy infographic you can bookmark for your weekly grocery runs.
Scroll down for a gut-health explainer from an RD—including the difference between probiotics and prebiotics, how fiber plays a key role, and what to add to your cart.
In partnership with Benefiber
Top photo: Getty Images/Hinterhaus Productions