A healthy gut is essential for your child's overall well-being, influencing everything from digestion to immunity and even mood. By nurturing their gut microbiome, which is the community of good bacteria in their digestive system, you can help them grow stronger and healthier. Here are five simple and effective ways to boost your child's gut health.
Include fibre rich food:
Fibre rich foods are essential for keeping your kids' guts happy, as they serve as the primary food source for ‘good’ bacteria. The gut microbiota thrives on the dietary fibre found in wholegrains, fruits and vegetables, and by adding these into your child's diet you are helping to regulate bowel movements by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
When fibre reaches the colon, it undergoes fermentation producing short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These SCFAs play a crucial role in nourishing the intestinal lining, reducing inflammation and supporting overall digestive health.
Consuming a diverse range of fiber sources helps to regulate bowel movements, promoting a healthy gut microbiome, and strengthening the immune system, setting the stage for long-term gut health.
Add in probiotics and fermented foods:
Fermented foods contain live bacteria cultures that are an easy way to increase the biodiversity in your child's gut. Foods like yogurt and kefir, as well sauerkraut and kimchi, are a delicious way to introduce that beneficial bacteria to their diet. For example, opting for an unflavoured kefir and adding a teaspoon of honey to sweeten it could be the perfect, gut loving afterschool snack.
Don’t worry we haven’t forgotten about the fussy eaters! Another great way to promote a healthy, diverse microbiota is with the addition of a probiotic supplement to their diet. We recommend the Kids Pre & Probio gummies which contain 5 million live cultures of Bacillus Subtilis DE111, which have been scientifically proven to support a healthy gut microbiome, and to promote digestive and immune health.
Reduce sugary and processed foods:
Excess sugar and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) can be detrimental to gut health, reducing microbial diversity and promoting ‘harmful’ bacteria. UPFs, which often contain artificial additives, emulsifiers, and preservatives, can disrupt the gut lining and impair the balance of beneficial bacteria. While diets high in sugar can lead to an overgrowth of inflammatory bacteria and fungi, potentially causing digestive discomfort, inflammation, and an increased risk of conditions like leaky gut syndrome. Therefore we recommend encouraging your children to opt for whole foods instead of sugary snacks. While, of course, a treat ever so often is fine, choosing healthy options day to day will help to keep their tummies happy!
Encourage hydration:
Water is essential for digestion and helps move fibre through the digestive tract efficiently. Dehydration can affect your child's gut health by slowing down this process and ultimately leading to constipation. Therefore, it is super important to encourage your child to drink plenty throughout the day. Try to promote drinking water over other fluids such as sugary, fizzy drinks and artificial juices.
Play outside:
Last but not least, let them get their hands dirty! Studies show spending time outdoors and engaging with nature introduces beneficial microbes to your child’s system, enhancing microbial diversity and immune function. So encouraging your children to get involved in outdoor activities is a great way to expose them to a variety of natural bacteria to help strengthen their gut microbiome. Not only that, but it also promotes a healthy lifestyle and is great fun for kids!
