Trust your gut part 1: Social media trends
Key Takeaways:
- Prebiotic sodas are good for a fiber boost but not a fiber replacement.
- There’s no scientific evidence to support the use of apple cider vinegar in any form to improve gut health.
- Protein-packed foods can also be used as a boost but not as a replacement for healthy lean meats, nuts, beans, etc.
No matter where you look – stores, social media, commercials – you’re bombarded with ads promoting all sorts of products intended to improve your gut health and overall nutrition.
But how do you separate fact from fiction to know what really works and what doesn’t?
In this blog, we’re going to address three popular nutrition topics and what you should know before purchasing them.
Are prebiotic sodas beneficial for gut health?
It’s not a yes or no answer because it depends on a lot of factors.
Prebiotics are fermentable, and they act as food for the live bacteria in your gut. Most of them are good bacteria and you need them for your gut health. The concept of feeding those good live bacteria in your gut is a good concept. In that way, yes, the prebiotic drinks are good if you’re trying to get a little bit more boost to your fiber intake.
The amount of fiber in these may vary from 2-9g. If you don’t have any fiber in your diet and you suddenly start drinking one or more of these sodas per day, that’s a lot of sudden increase in fiber intake. You are inundating your gut bacteria, which can give you new symptoms or increase in your preexisting symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, etc.
Are they complete replacements for your healthy fiber intake in terms of replacing your fruit and vegetables? I would say no. But if you’re looking for a healthier soda alternative that can give you a bit less of the negative effects of soda and a bit more fiber and good effects in terms of your gut health, yes, that could be a better alternative to soda.
The health effects of these prebiotic sodas are not confirmed or approved by the FDA, so you must be very careful about how you use them.
In a nutshell, they can be good or bad, depending on what you’re looking for. If you want to replace your bad sodas with these healthy alternatives, that could be a good idea. But if you want all your fiber intake to come from these sodas, that might not be a good replacement.
Are apple cider vinegar gummies a gimmick, or do they provide a benefit?
Again, it’s not a very straightforward answer.
Few studies have been done on the liquid formulation of apple cider vinegar, but there are no clinical trials on the gummies.
The liquid has been extrapolated into these gummies, which doesn’t always work because the bioavailability of the acid in gummies is not as much as what’s in the liquid.
The acid in gummies can cause increased acidity in your stomach, giving rise to reflux symptoms, stomach upset, dyspepsia symptoms, bloating, etc., so I would say they’re probably not as beneficial.
Even the liquid apple cider vinegar doesn’t have as much data. There are a few studies, but they are not very conclusive.
When you’re taking a parent product that itself doesn’t have great data and extrapolating that information into a different formulation, which also doesn’t have any studies or evidence, it doesn’t work well.
There are a lot of products online and in stores – including chips, peanut butter and jelly treats, and toaster pastries – that promote their protein content. Are they a good source of protein? Can you consume too much protein?
There is such a thing as too much protein. Like with fiber, when your body cannot process the sudden intake of large amounts of protein, it might be more harmful than beneficial for you. Again, you must be very careful and cautious about how much protein you’re taking in.
If you’re looking for that little extra boost, yes, that might be good. But compared to dietary healthy proteins like lean meats, beans, lentils, or chickpeas, these are not complete replacements.
More to come in part two
In the next part of this blog, we’re going to talk about common gut health misconceptions.