Fruits and vegetables rarely mess up. Meats can be loaded in bad fats, fish may swim in mercury, some grains inflame with gluten and milk may spark allergies. But our perfect palette of fruits and vegetables offers not only beauty but super nutrition, especially if grown organically.
We also look to this group to supply our microbial populations with noshing material.
A prebiotic is an indigestible carbohydrate that nourishes or helps to stimulate the growth of probiotics. Perhaps the best-known example of a prebiotic is the fiber inulin. Inulin is a soluble fiber with strong bonds to carry it through to the large intestine almost completely intact. Inulin can be found in bananas, garlic, and onion, as well as asparagus, artichoke, wheat and chicory root.
Research appearing in the International Journal of Food Properties takes a look at the oligosaccharide (from the Greek oligos meaning a few and from sacchar meaning sugar) content in 32 fruits and 41 vegetables.
Results:
“Blueberry, pear, watermelon and nectarine from the fruits, and garlic, spring garlic, leek, white onion and scallion from the vegetables formed statistically significant clusters reach in oligosaccharides.”
Interesting points:
The nectarine had the highest amount of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) – (0.89±0.031 g/100 g FW).
Scallion had the highest amount among vegetables tested: (3.32±0.108 g/100 g FW.)
No one needs an excuse to eat a nectarine. Biting into a juicy nectarine at the height of the harvest is one of life’s sweet pleasures. Finding out the sleek peach or Prunus persica var. nucipersica is full of fructooligosaccharides is like finding out that cute guy has brains too. What a combo.