Did you know that there are 100,000,000,000,000, that’s 100 trillion bacteria that live in the human gut? To put that into perspective, it’s about the same number as the world’s total debt (a conversation for another day). About 80% of these bacteria are either good or neutral, playing crucial roles in digestion, vitamin synthesis, immune strength, and even mood regulation.
Since bacteria are living organisms, they need food. And their food of choice? It is prebiotics, more commonly known as dietary fibre. In simple terms, probiotics feed on prebiotics. This is why your childhood lessons about eating fruits and vegetables still hold true – they nourish the ‘good’ bacteria that keep your gut in balance, shares Rahul Stepher, co-founder of Drix,
which is a prebiotic soda available in India.
However, modern lifestyles and diets tell a different story. Processed foods, refined carbs, and a lack of fruits and vegetables have dramatically reduced fibre intake, especially among Indians. While urban consumers are becoming more health-aware, they often prefer functional foods and drinks over supplements – for instance, they’d rather sip orange juice than take a vitamin C tablet.
This shift in behaviour has paved the way for innovations like prebiotic sodas – beverages that blend indulgence with function. Imagine your regular soft drink, but without the excessive sugar, artificial colours, or flavours, and instead enriched with dietary fibre. By adding 5–7 grams of prebiotic fibre (about 17% of your daily requirement) to a soda, brands are now redefining how we perceive ‘junk’ beverages.
“The idea isn’t to demonise soda but to evolve it. Traditional colas are being replaced by better-for-you alternatives – from protein shakes to kombuchas – and now, prebiotic sodas are the newest entrant in this ‘functional beverage’ wave. Globally, this trend is already gaining traction, and India is poised to follow suit as consumers seek a balance between taste and health,” he explains.
The gut, often called the ‘second brain’, deserves more attention than it gets. Supporting it doesn’t necessarily require drastic changes – sometimes, it just needs smarter choices. So the next time you reach for a fizzy drink, it might just do more for you than quench your thirst.
