How much does a consultation with Kate Troup cost?

An initial consultation with Kate Troup is from $295 for 90 minutes, while follow-up consultations are from $185 for 45 minutes. Pathology, DNA and microbiome testing are billed separately at lab cost, typically ranging from $250–$650 depending on the test. Most private health funds offer a partial rebate for naturopathic consultations.

What happens in the first naturopath appointment with Kate?

Your first 90-minute consultation is a deep clinical history covering gut health, hormones, energy, mood, sleep, family history, previous testing, and treatments you have already tried. Kate then recommends the most appropriate combination of DNA, microbiome, and functional pathology testing. You leave with a clear next-step plan, even before your results come in.

Prebiotics are specialised fibres and compounds that feed beneficial gut bacteria. While probiotics often get most of the attention, prebiotics are what help your existing microbiome grow, diversify and produce many of the compounds that support digestion, immunity, metabolism and overall health.

Different prebiotics feed different groups of bacteria, which is why there is no single “best” prebiotic.

If you react poorly to a prebiotic supplement or food, it may be a sign that an underlying gut imbalance needs further investigation rather than proof that prebiotics are bad for you.

Most people have heard of probiotics.

They’re found in supplements, yoghurt, kefir and fermented foods, and they’re often marketed as the solution to digestive problems.

But there is another group of compounds that may be even more important for long-term gut health:

Prebiotics.

Unlike probiotics, which are living microorganisms, prebiotics are substances that selectively feed beneficial microbes already living in your gut.

Think of it this way:

Probiotics are the seeds.
Prebiotics are the fertiliser.

Without the right fuel, even the healthiest microbes struggle to survive and thrive.

“You can’t rebuild a healthy garden by adding new plants if you never feed the soil.”

Kate Troup Naturopath

What Are Prebiotics?

The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) defines a prebiotic as:

“A substrate that is selectively utilised by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.”

In plain English, a prebiotic is something your body cannot digest but your beneficial gut microbes can.

When these microbes ferment prebiotics, they produce compounds called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) including:

Butyrate
Acetate
Propionate

These compounds help:

Maintain the gut barrier
Support immune function
Reduce inflammation
Nourish the cells lining the colon
Support metabolic health

Prebiotic	Primarily Feeds	Food Sources	When I Might Use It
Inulin	Bifidobacteria , butyrate-producing bacteria	Chicory root, Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus	To increase microbial diversity and support short-chain fatty acid production in clients with low fibre intake.
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)	Bifidobacteria and other beneficial fermenters	Garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, bananas	To encourage growth of beneficial bacteria where microbiome testing suggests reduced diversity. Can be poorly tolerated in some people with SIBO .
Galactooligosaccharides (GOS)	Particularly Bifidobacteria	Legumes, lentils, chickpeas, beans (supplemental GOS is most commonly used clinically)	One of my preferred prebiotics for increasing Bifidobacteria and supporting gut barrier function. Often used where testing shows low Bifidobacteria.
Resistant Starch	Butyrate-producing bacteria including Roseburia and Faecalibacterium	Cooked and cooled potatoes, cooked and cooled rice, green bananas, legumes	To support butyrate production, bowel regularity and gut lining health. Particularly useful where butyrate producers are depleted.
Pectin	A broad range of beneficial microbes	Apples, pears, citrus fruits, berries	Useful for gently increasing fibre diversity and supporting short-chain fatty acid production. Often well tolerated.
Partially Hydrolysed Guar Gum (PHGG)	Bifidobacteria and butyrate-producing species	Supplemental form	Frequently used in IBS, constipation and SIBO protocols because it is often better tolerated than inulin or FOS.
Arabinogalactans	Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli	Carrots, tomatoes, radishes, larch tree extract	Sometimes used when immune support and microbiome diversity are both priorities.
Kfibre (Sugarcane Fibre)	Broad range of fibre-fermenting bacteria; may support Akkermansia indirectly through polyphenol content	Supplemental form	Useful when I want to support microbial diversity with both prebiotic fibre and naturally occurring polyphenols. Often well tolerated compared with rapidly fermented fibres.
Polyphenols	Not technically prebiotics, but function similarly	Berries, cocoa, green tea, olives, pomegranate	Often overlooked. These compounds help shape the microbiome and encourage growth of beneficial species while reducing opportunistic microbes.

While polyphenols are not technically classified as prebiotics, they behave in many similar ways. Research increasingly shows that polyphenols from foods such as berries, cocoa, pomegranate, olives and green tea can influence microbial diversity, support beneficial bacteria and contribute to short-chain fatty acid production.

This is one reason why whole plant foods often provide microbiome benefits that extend beyond their fibre content alone.

Clinical Pearl

One of the biggest misconceptions about gut health is that there is a single “best” prebiotic.

Different microbes prefer different food sources. The healthiest microbiomes tend to be those exposed to a wide variety of fibres, resistant starches, polyphenols and prebiotic compounds, rather than large amounts of any single prebiotic.

This is why dietary diversity is consistently associated with greater microbial diversity, and better long-term gut health.

Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs): Nature’s Original Prebiotic

One of the most fascinating discoveries in microbiome science is that human breast milk contains large amounts of specialised prebiotics called human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs).

What’s remarkable is that babies cannot digest HMOs. In other words, nature designed breast milk to nourish the baby’s microbiome as well as the baby itself.

Researchers are now studying supplemental HMOs for their potential benefits in adults, particularly in supporting beneficial bacteria and gut barrier function.

The FUT2 Gene, Secretor Status and 2′-Fucosyllactose

One particular HMO called 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) has attracted significant attention.

This is where genetics becomes interesting.

The FUT2 gene determines whether someone is a “secretor” or “non-secretor.”

Secretors produce fucose-containing compounds in their saliva, mucus and intestinal lining. These compounds help provide food and attachment sites for certain beneficial microbes.

Non-secretors often have a different microbiome composition and may be more susceptible to certain gut-related issues.

This is one reason why FUT2 status can influence microbiome diversity and resilience.

Interestingly, supplemental 2′-FL is now available and is being studied as a way to support some of the beneficial microbial functions that FUT2 secretors naturally provide.

If you’ve had DNA testing and discovered you’re a FUT2 non-secretor, this is an area worth understanding.

Why D0 Prebiotics Make Me Feel Worse?

This is one of the most common questions I hear in clinic.

Many people take a prebiotic and experience:

Bloating
Gas
Abdominal pain
Changes in bowel habits

They then conclude:

“Prebiotics don’t agree with me.”

But often this just isn’t the case and is in fact a helpful diagnostic clue.

A strong reaction to a prebiotic can be a clue that the underlying microbiome isn’t functioning as it should.

In other words, the reaction may be providing useful information about the state of your gut ecosystem rather than proving that prebiotics are inherently bad for you.