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Improving your child’s gut health is essential for supporting their immunity and overall well-being. If you’re looking to improve their digestive health, focusing on gut health is a great starting point. In this article, we’ll explore practical ways to improve your child’s gut microbiome with everyday foods they’ll enjoy eating.
Improve gut health with fibre-rich foods
It might surprise you, but fibre-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are essential for feeding the beneficial bacteria in your child’s gut. Encouraging a variety of these foods is key to laying a strong foundation for a healthy gut microbiome.
Fruit with skins on
Children often prefer fruit without the skin, but encouraging them to eat apples and pears with the skin on boosts their fibre intake.
Nuts
Chopping nuts into yoghurt or encouraging your child to eat a mix as an afterschool snack can increase their intake of fibre, minerals and powerful antioxidants for good gut health.
Wholegrain bread
Switching from white to wholegrain bread for sandwiches in packed lunches also provides important fibre for promoting good gut bacteria.
Prebiotic foods
Common foods like oats, onions, garlic, and bananas are rich in prebiotics—fibres that feed beneficial gut bacteria and help maintain a healthy microbiome. Incorporating these into your child’s diet is easy and supports digestion and overall gut health.
Oats
Oats are perfect for breakfast in porridge or in baking (think oat based cookies or flapjacks that kids love)!
Banana
Bananas make an excellent after-school snack, can be added to smoothies or chopped up to make fruit salads.
Onions and garlic
Sautéing onions and garlic as a base for soups, sauces, or stews is a simple way to add prebiotics to meals.
Since prebiotics act as “food” for gut bacteria, these small dietary additions can have a positive impact on their gut health.
Probiotic foods
In addition to fibre, probiotic foods also play an essential role. Fermented foods like kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut are becoming more popular. While research on their gut health benefits is ongoing, there’s no harm in introducing them if you enjoy eating them as a family. Kefir can easily replace milk over breakfast cereals and swapping regular cheese for mature cheddar or Gouda can expand your child’s probiotic intake. However, be aware that not all cheeses contain live probiotics, as some bacteria are lost during processing.
For a family-friendly option, a small spoonful of kimchi can be mixed into rice. But if these foods aren’t a hit, try not to worry. Focusing on fibre-rich, plant-based foods is still the best approach to supporting gut health.
Probiotic Supplements
While probiotic foods can support gut health, supplements may offer additional benefits in certain cases. For instance, if your goal is to reduce how often your child becomes unwell with colds or coughs, probiotic foods alone may not be enough. Specific probiotic strains have been shown to be more effective for reducing the frequency and severity of upper respiratory infections, supporting their overall immune function.
If immunity is a primary concern, consider a probiotic supplement. Consult your family doctor or paediatric dietitian to help you choose the most evidence-based probiotics for your child.
Limit processed foods
Reducing processed and sugary foods is just as important as increasing fibre intake when it comes to maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. Once your child is eating fibre rich foods regularly, consider cutting back on processed and high-sugar foods like biscuits and fried snacks. This is important for maintaining a healthy balance of gut bacteria. If your child enjoys baking, you can make homemade snacks like oat biscuits or flapjack in the weekends. If time is short and you’re buying their snacks, opt for bakery items from the supermarket and keep an eye on nutrition labels. With the exception of added vitamins and minerals, the key is to choose shorter ingredient lists with fewer additives, salt and sugars.
Hydration and physical activity
Did you know that hydration and exercise can impact your child’s gut health? Encouraging them to drink enough water and stay physically active is essential for maintaining good digestive health. Activities like cycling, scooting and playing outdoors all count toward their daily physical activity, supporting a healthy gut. Staying hydrated helps soften stools, making it easier open their bowels. Regular movement also promotes gut motility, reducing and preventing the risk of constipation. Both hydration and exercise are therefore key to supporting overall gut function.
Bottomline
Supporting your child’s gut health doesn’t have to be complicated. By consistently offering a variety of fibre-rich foods, limiting processed snacks, adding probiotics and prebiotics and helping them stay active and hydrated sets them up for better digestive health. Gut health plays a key role not only in digestion but also in immunity and overall well-being, so these small, everyday changes can make a big impact in the long run.
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