3 Effective ways to improve your child’s gut health

Mums Tips

Feeding the Family

Published on Saturday, 12 November 2022 15:35

Last Updated on 12 November 2022

Monica Costa

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Your children’s gut is crucial to their overall well-being, as it is responsible for absorbing nutrients to aid their growth and development and eliminates waste and toxins from the body. Additionally, it is your kids’ best defence system against illnesses. Research indicates that poor gut bacteria balance can increase their risk of developing eczema, asthma and other gut-related conditions. A 2020 study also linked gut microbiome to children’s behavioural problems. Therefore, prioritising your kids’ gut health becomes essential to prevent these. Here are some effective ways to achieve this. 

 

• Nourish the good bacteria 

The human gut is home to various bacteria colonies, and promoting the growth of the good ones is essential. Good bacteria can boost your immune system by preventing disease-causing organisms from getting out of control and causing illnesses. Moreover, it helps the body to break down and absorb medications and food. Fortunately, you can nourish your kids’ good bacteria with the right steps. You can include fermented foods like vanilla greek yogurt, pickles, kefir, tepache and cheese into your children’s diet. Consequently, you want to encourage them to consume high-fibre foods like chickpeas, broccoli, lentils, beans, raspberries, apples, and so on. As a tip, avoid giving your kids saccharine, aspartame, sucralose, and other artificial sweeteners. 

 

• Don’t use antibiotics unnecessarily

Indeed, antibiotics are beneficial medications and can even save lives. However, they are often misused, which can be more harmful than beneficial. They can’t distinguish good bacteria from bad ones, meaning they will destroy any. This, in turn, can leave your body open for any disease-causing microbe to invade your children’s bodies. Also, antibiotics misuse can transform bad bacteria into superbugs, a new variant resistant to the effects of these drugs. And this can be fatal if your kids are infected with them and can’t respond to treatments. Additionally, your kids risk gaining excess weight due to their microbiome functionality alteration. Therefore, you want to avoid misusing these drugs. Instead, leverage them when it’s necessary to do so, so keep this in mind.  

 

• Let your kids play with their pets and explore your garden

Admittedly, many parents cringe at the thought of their kids playing with pets. However, this can be beneficial for their gut health. Research showed that infants exposed to their pets had more diverse and richer bacteria that improved their health while recording lower levels of streptococcal bacteria. Seeing these perks, you want to encourage your kids to play with your furry friends if you haven’t already. However, you want to ensure that your pets are well-trained and receptive to your kids to prevent biting and other hazards. You also want to encourage your kids to play in your garden. Digging the garden soil will expose them to good bacteria, so keep this in mind. However, you want to inspect your garden to eliminate hazardous materials like garden tools, pesticides, fertilisers, and so on. You also want to eliminate toxic plants like poison oak, poison ivy, and the rest.