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NUTRITION


Probiotics & prebiotics — partners in good health


Good bacteria (probiotics) helps keep you healthy, but it needs to be fueled by prebiotics to do its job.


SOURCES OF PROBIOTICS: Examples of foods that contain probiotics:


• Yogurt • Kefir drinks (fermented milk or yogurt) • Cottage Cheese • Buttermilk • Tempeh (fermented soybeans) • Kim Chi (fermented cabbage) • Miso soup (fermented soybean paste)


*You can check the food label to see if the product has live and active cultures.


SOURCES OF PREBIOTICS: Foods that contain prebiotics include:


By Shawn Dolan A


recent conversation I had with an athletic trainer who works with the U.S. National Volleyball Teams was the inspiration for this month’s topic: How probiotics and prebiotics work together in your body to promote good health and, potentially, improved preparation for competitions. There are millions of bacteria in your


gastrointestinal (GI) system – or what we call the gut. Most intestinal bacteria are found in the colon, some of which are beneficial and some that are harmful. The goal is to keep the beneficial bacteria healthy and happy, and make sure they outnumber the harmful bacteria. Prebiot- ics and probiotics play a role in support- ing the beneficial bacteria while decreas- ing the harmful bacteria.


When athletes have an imbalance be- tween beneficial and harmful bacteria in the gut, it can lead to problems that may hinder performance. Among them: diar- rhea (which often leads to dehydration), constipation, decreased immune health and general GI distress. Situations when the beneficial bacteria might struggle to


58 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at usavolleyball.org/mag


outnumber the harmful bacteria for an athlete include: during an illness, times of excess physiological or emotional stress, feeling extremely tired and tak- ing antibiotics. If the healthy bacteria decline, they struggle to maintain a healthy gut.


Strategies to keep the good bac- teria happy include eating a fiber-rich diet along with consumption of dietary sources of probiotics and prebiotics. Pro- biotics contain living cultures of beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus, acidophi- lus and bifidus. By eating foods that contain these bacteria you can introduce colonies of good bacteria into the colon. On the other hand, prebiotics are not live cultures. They provide food for the good bacteria that already exist in the colon. Prebiotic sources are typically non-digestible portions of carbohydrates. So eating probiotics can increase the good bacteria and prebiotics can en- hance the good bacteria that already exist. Combining the two might be the best approach to a healthy gut! Much like proper hydration and careful attention


• Onions • Artichokes • Bananas • Garlic Chicory roots (most often consumed as a tea)


• Leeks • Asparagus • Wheat bran


*The concentration is typically higher when the foods are eaten raw.


to the right balance of nutrients, add- ing foods that foster a healthy bacterial balance in your body is key to giving yourself the best chance to perform at your peak potential.


Shawn Dolan, PhD, RD, CSSD is a sport dietitian with the United States Olympic Committee. She works primar- ily with team sports based in the Los Angeles area and the Chula Vista U.S. Olympic T in Chula Vista.


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