We talk a lot about loving your gut for long-term health and happiness (it’s one of Sarah’s favourite topics after all). But how worried should we be about gut health in kids?
Does the gut play the same role in preventative health and immunity in little ones as it does in adults? And if so, what can you do to set kids up with gut-lovin’ behaviour for life? We spoke to dietician and 8-Week Program gut health expert, Kerith Duncanson to find out.
Little guts: The same…
A little one’s gut does play a similar role in bowel regularity, immunity and preventative health as it does in us grown ups.
“As most parents would know, a child with an unhappy tummy is one grumpy child!” says Kerith.
“The bacteria-coated gut lining forms a very delicate but important barrier between the environment and our internal body systems. So it’s role as a gatekeeper is vital to child immune and nervous system functioning.”
… but different.
But there are some differences in both the population and function of our gut-dwelling microbiome.
“Children tend to have more bacteria to support ongoing development (like vitamin synthesis) while some of the bacterial populations that dominate adult guts are associated with inflammation and obesity,” says Kerith. (Though she notes these differences are also affected by where you live and what your gut is exposed to.)
Be alert, but not alarmed.
Kerith says we should certainly be mindful of our children’s gut health, but not overly concerned by it. “The gut is incredibly adaptable and resilient, but it does not like prolonged assault by antibiotics, or being starved of its preferred fibrous, unprocessed foods.”
She also notes that the habits established in childhood become harder and harder to break as we get older, so we really can’t underestimate the gift of good childhood nutrition.
“A childhood of highly-processed food invariably results in an adolescence and adulthood filled with the same foods,” says Kertih. “And a legacy of lifestyle-related chronic disease.”
Establish gut-lovin’ behaviour early on.
These simple solutions can help establish the all important gut health connection in kids, setting them up for a lifetime of good gut behaviour and thriving health.
- Teach a little JERF love. Encourage a diet of mainly unprocessed foods that help to feed good gut bacteria.
- Don’t obsess about germs. Healthy gut flora in kids is actually boosted by a little dirt. It’s the way the gut learns to defend the body from infection.
- Avoid unnecessary antibiotics. Antibiotics don’t discriminate between good and bad bacteria, so while necessary in some circumstances, prolonged or unnecessary use can wreak havoc on microbiome in both kids and adults.
- Introduce some gut-loving foods. Try your kids out with fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut, full-fat yoghurt, or get them to help you whip up a batch of gut-loving gummies. (If you want to introduce your little ones to kombucha, we recommend speaking with your healthcare practitioner first.)
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