It’s a challenge isn’t it?
Trying to work out whats going on with your child?
You’re told they’ll grow out of it, but what if it’s a sign of something deeper that needs to be solved? Medications, especially reflux meds can make the situation much worse long term, even if you get some temporary respite. All too often, as your child grows, this initial spitting up can go on to manifest as food intolerances, tummy aches, a constant sniffle or snuffly nose, extreme fussiness, and even anxiety, irritability, behavioural or learning problems, or skin issues such as eczema.
It really does make sense to take control as soon as you can.
We need to look after our children’s tummies for their long term health.
Why?
The digestive tract is home to 500 species of bacteria which are tremendously important and need to be supported. They help digest food, make vitamins, and play an important role in immunity and mental wellbeing. These bugs act as a barrier to all the stuff we don’t want - so it makes sense to look after them and treat them well.
Children need probiotic AND prebiotic foods and/or supplements, alongside a good balanced diet of plant foods and decent amounts of protein.
I’m under no illusions as to how hard this can be in these modern times, but read on for all my tips and short cuts to help your child achieve health and rid them of these pesky tummy and tummy related symptoms!
To start, there are “good” bugs called probiotics, which we can constantly replenish. They need nourishing food to help them grow and PREbiotics (not Pro) are the fibre-rich foods that probiotics feed and grow on.
They have to be eaten regularly to maintain colonisation of the good bugs in the gut.
Two of the main PRObiotic bacteria that reside in the digestive tract are Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. These can be taken in the form of supplements or included in the diet in the form of fermented (or probiotic) foods.
Food Sources
Here are some examples of common probiotic and prebiotic foods:
Dairy probiotic foods: acidophilus milk, buttermilk, cheese (aged), cottage cheese, kefir, sour cream, yogurt (plain, no added sugar, active cultures)
Non-dairy probiotic foods: fermented meats, fermented vegetables, kimchi, kombucha, kvass, miso, natto, pickled vegetables (raw), sauerkraut, tempeh, non-dairy “yogurt” (plain, no added sugar, active cultures)
Prebiotic foods: apple, asparagus, banana, burdock, chicory, cocoa, dandelion greens, eggplant, endive, flaxseed, garlic, honey, Jerusalem artichoke (sunchoke), jicama, konjac, leek, legumes, onion, peas, radicchio, whole grains, yacon.
Tips for Getting Probiotics
To maintain colonization in the digestive tract, probiotics must be taken or eaten regularly. General recommendations call for ingesting 1 to 25 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) daily. To put these guidelines into perspective, most store-bought probiotic yogurts contain about 1 billion CFUs per serving.
To get the maximum benefit from fermented foods, it’s important to read product labels and choose only those that contain “active, live cultures” and preferably raw, unpasteurized, perishable ingredients.
Organic brands are the best choices, as they are not typically heat-treated after fermentation, so more of the good bacteria are present.
Fermented foods can also be made at home. Though the probiotic content will vary by batch, home fermenting is a safe way to ensure that you are ingesting beneficial bacteria, as various cultures around the world have done for centuries.
Other ideas to support a child’s gut and microbiome
If a baby is born via caesarean section or has been exposed to antibiotics within the first six months, consider supplementation with a Bifidobacterium-based beneficial bacteria.
Expose them to fresh air as much as possible and keep your house well ventilated.
Spend as much time outside and once they are on the move encourage time playing, crawling, rolling and running in grass and even in the mud.
Avoid ultra-processed convenience ready-made foods, white flour and refined sugars.
Aim to feed the “rainbow” of fruits and vegetables a day and aim for a minimum of “5 a day”. Find clever ways to get more into your kids via smoothies, ice lollies or grated/blended/chopped into muffins, waffles and pancakes or savoury rice dishes / bolognese / cottage pies etc.
Bolster up the diet with pulses, wholegrains, nut butters and ground nuts and seeds.
Vitamin D and Omega 3 help to nourish a healthy microbiome.
Aim for variety of food as much as possible.
Eat a rainbow of colour every day! This is a foundational principle covered in detail in my short courses.
As above, consider fermented or cultured foods such as live yoghurt, kefir, apple cider vinegar and miso.
The great news is that even if you are reading this when your kids are older, it’s now well-established that it’s never too late to work on the gut microbiome and eating habits can be changed over time (even if this seems painfully slow!). Since a child’s brain is still developing until their mid-twenties there is still plenty of time to re-set their gut bugs and this might even influence their learning, behaviour and developmental trajectory.
I also have an amazing value short course on kids immunity which covers how to support the gut and help stop your children getting sick with constant coughs and colds - Upgrade your family nutrition and boost immunity. For more details see https://www.functionalherbology.co.uk/online-courses
Source: The Institute for Functional Medicine, 2022