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Nourishing Gut Heath
helping children and teens enjoy real food
learning to like, learning to eat
What, when and how children eat in the early years really matters for lifelong health. Helping children learn to enjoy real food, with regular varied meals in easeful social environments from an early age, shapes their skills and experience towards healthy habits.
Learning to like and learning to eat a variety of real foods is an acquired skill that takes lots of practice from the very beginning. The most sensitive window for learning these skills is during infancy from 6-12 months. Building from here, creating your food environment with confidence and purpose.
Gut health plays a fundamental role in health and wellbeing, influencing digestion, strengthening immunity and boosting mood. Helping kids learn to chew and eat whole plant-based foods is a great way to get curious about their favourite topic - themselves!
keeping regular
Keeping regular is a good sign of digestive and gut health. And yet constipation is a common problem in childhood, causing distress and affecting eating and wellbeing. Constipation describes the slow movement of food residue through the gut; the slower it moves, the harder it becomes, as the bowel absorbs water. Hard pooh can then feel difficult to pass, with holding happening unconsciously to avoiding discomfort. Over time, the rectum can stretch as poohs widen and harden, making matters worse. At the same time, this slow movement of pooh affects surrounding microbes. Via the gut-brain axis, microbes providing feedback to the brain, reducing mood and feelings of wellbeing. Habits which support better elimination include eating regularly, consuming a diverse diet containing plant foods, regular exercise and drinking sufficient water. This keeps poohs soft, and maintains the rhythmic muscular movement of the gut, called peristalsis. Fibres from plant foods, visiting the toilet after mealtimes and the correct toileting position all help children to keep regular.
about dietary fibre
Enough fibre from plant foods is needed to help keep bowels regular. Fibre also acts is food for our gut microbes, with are constantly changing depending on what we eat, how we exercise, and how much sleep, stress or fun we have. Broadly, there are 2 types of fibre: soluble fibre from eg. oats, lentils, peas, apples, pears, chia & flax seeds, and insoluble fibre from eg. wholegrain cereals, husks of beans, nuts & seeds and vegetables. A balance between the two is desirable, as this feeds a greater diversity of those hard-working gut microbes. Do include a range of vegetables, fruits, pulses, nut butters and grains at each day in an age appropriate portion. Find out about portion sizes and fibre content of foods from my blogpost Fibre Portions for Kids
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- toddlers aged 2-5 10g
- school children aged 6-11 10-15g
- puberty & teens aged 12-16 20-25g
- teens - adults aged 17+ 30g
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There are no fibre recommendations for infants in the UK. Because infants have small tummies in relation to their high nutritional needs, plenty of healthy-fats and nutritious foods should be prioritised as well as some gentle, soluble fibres.
helping children form early healthy toileting habits
If your child has fewer than 3 bowel movements per week, regular tummy trouble or ongoing struggles with toileting, then action is needed. Constipation is common, and children will always benefit from a gentle, structured approach with positivity, patience and consistent routines. Regularity with mealtimes, movement and activity, sufficient hydration and variety of plant-based fibres are great goals to aim for!
Irritable Bowel Syndrome - a gut-brain interaction
IBS is a functional condition, which means these is no disease process or medical cause; there is no test for IBS. The FODMAP diet has been a well researched treatment for adults with IBS, but no such evidence exists for children. However, children and teens do experience IBS-like symptoms, and may benefit from a modified FODMAP diet, with growth and nutritional needs prioritised by a paediatric professional. IBS in adults is linked to stress and anxiety conditions, but also depression, and the same may be true for children, but is currently a lack in evidence. Recent research demonstrates a 12-week course of hypnotherapy as effective as diet in managing IBS symptoms in adults. Other tools such as yoga and meditation are likely to provide similar benefits, but have not been yet been tested in controlled trials. IBS research also shows that changes in the gut microbiota influence abdominal pain sensitivity by relaying false information from the gut to the brain. A diverse plant-rich diet plays a pivotal role in maintaining healthy gut digestive and elimination function, microbe diversity, which is likely protective for IBS. This is challenging diet for children to follow. To ensure nutritional needs and growth are prioritised, a health overview is a first step in assessing the suitability of a modified FODMAP diet for any child.
FODMAPs as dietary treatment
FODMAPs stand for Fermentable, Oligo, Di, Monosacchardies and Polyols which are poorly absorbed sugar chains found in everyday foods that are fermented by gut microbes in sensitive people. This causes abdominal pain, bloating and loose stools. FODMAP diets are intended to be followed as a short-term exclusion diet, followed by a period of reintroduction and development of a modified, personal plan. The FODMAP exclusion phase takes 2 weeks, aiming to provide symptomatic relief, thereafter reintroducing foods during a reintroduction phase. A personalised diet is developed which meets nutritional. Restoration of a healthy gut microbiota takes time, by gradually building up a diverse diet, according to individual tolerance. Specific strains of probiotics including Bifidobacteria and lactobacillus may be helpful.
treating IBS in children and teens
A modified FODMAP diet may be suitable for older children and teens following a nutritional health overview. However, the diet can be complex and take time and attention to implement. Treatment for IBS brings together gut microbiota health, mindful eating including chewing well, eating as wide a range of foods as possible, and being prepared to exclude, challenge and reintroduce foods. A modified FODMAP diet can reduce IBS symptoms in children and teens, creating space to work with body-mind (gut-brain) connections which may also involve expressing feelings, understanding feelings and addressing issues with psychological help.
My top-tips for easeful body-mind connection
