Your Child’s Gut Health

Why What We Feed Our Kid’s Guts Matters

1. Better Digestion: When the gut is healthy, it can better break down food and absorb nutrients, which means kids can get more of the nutrients they need to grow and develop.
2. Stronger Immune System: The gut is home to millions of bacteria, some of which help to protect the body from harmful bacteria and viruses. A healthy gut can help to support a strong immune system, which is especially important for kids who are constantly exposed to germs.
3. Improved Mental Health: Recent research suggests that the gut-brain connection is real, and a healthy gut can positively impact mental health. Studies have shown that children with good gut health have better mood, behavior, and cognitive function.
4. Reduced Risk of Chronic Disease: Poor gut health has been linked to chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. By improving gut health in kids, we can potentially reduce the risk of these diseases later in life.
5. Better Sleep: A healthy gut can also improve sleep quality, which is essential for kids’ growth and development

Factors That Influence Gut Health in Kids

Since what we eat affects our gut health, nutrition and diet is a good place to start. In general you want to feed your kids a variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins. Avoid sugary drinks and processed foods. 

Other things contribute to gut health as well. Sometimes our kids need antibiotics, which can be life-saving, but they can also disrupt the good bacteria in the gut. Getting enough sleep and regular exercise are also essential for good gut health. Sleep helps the body repair and regenerate, and exercise stimulates the muscles in the digestive system, which can help move food through the gut

What Nutrition to Focus On

Food really should be the focus over supplements. There’s still much we don’t know about supplements, like probiotics, and while they may be helpful, what may be even more helpful is focusing on the foods that feed the good bacteria in our kids guts. So I am going to focus on the foods to feed your kids here. It’s your job to offer them, and model eating them, and it’s still up to them to eat them.

Probiotics, aka the Good Bugs

The human intestines is home to more than a 100 trillion organisms, mostly bacteria. We can influence the make up of these organism by consuming more of the good ones. Fermented foods contain live, active bacteria cultures. Some fermented foods to try with your kids:

• Yogurt and kefir
• Some aged cheese
• Now foods like cottage cheese, sour cream and ice cream may be fermented
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Miso
• Nondairy yogurts

Prebiotics, aka the Food the Good Bugs Like

All those 100 trillion plus organisms that help digest food, fight infection, boost our immunity, prevent chronic diseases, and benefit our mental health have to eat. And what the good bugs like to eat are known as prebiotics. These are a variety of fibers found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes. Some really great sources include bananas, barley, oats, berries, asparagus, garlic and onions.

Fiber

Prebitoics are technically fiber, but it’s worth talking about fiber in general. There are two types of fiber and they have different functions. It’s a good idea to give your kids a variety of different types of fiber.

Insoluble fiber

This type of fiber promotes the movement of material through the digestive system by holding onto water and increasing stool bulk. It can be of benefit to those who struggle with constipation or irregular stools. Whole-wheat flour and whole grain products, wheat bran, nuts, beans and vegetables, such as cauliflower, green beans and potatoes, are good sources of insoluble fiber.

Soluble fiber

This type of fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like material. It can slow down the passage of food from the stomach to the intestine and can help lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Soluble fiber is found in peas, beans, oats, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, barley and psyllium.

How much fiber do kids need?

There’s two different sets of recommendations for kids. The first is the rule of 5 which the American Academy of Pediatrics uses. You basically add 5 to your child’s age to give you the grams of fiber your child should eat. I tend to think this is on the low side, but can be a starting place for kids who don’t currently eat much fiber. The other set of recommendations come from the Institutes of Medicine. Here’s what they recommend:

There’s two different sets of recommendations for kids. The first is the rule of 5 which the American Academy of Pediatrics uses. You basically add 5 to your child’s age to give you the grams of fiber your child should eat. I tend to think this is on the low side, but can be a starting place for kids who don’t currently eat much fiber. The other set of recommendations come from the Institutes of Medicine. Here’s what they recommend:

• 1-3 years old: 19 g
• 4-8 years old: 25 g
• Girls 9-18 years old: 29 g
• Boys 9-13 years old: 31 g
• Boys 14-18 years old: 38 g

Processed Foods

Unlike other groups on this list, this is what you want to limit. Highly processed snack foods, sugary foods and drinks can adversely affect the balance in your kids’ guts.  However, it’s fine for kids to have these foods occasionally, and including them in your child’s diet can help promote a positive relationship with food.

Fluids/Water

Water plays a major role in your child’s gut health. I sometimes think if it as the forgotten nutrient. Fluids help regulate bowel movements, prevent constipation, and help breakdown food. But did you know getting enough fluid also helps prevent inflammation and benefits the good bacteria in your gut?