We spend a lot of time considering what our children should eat to ensure they’re getting the right nutrients, and while this is vital to their health and wellbeing it can be easy to overlook the fitness of the digestive system into which this food is going. With studies beginning to link gut health to more and more facets of our wider health such as our immune health and mental health, it is important to nurture our kids’ microbiomes right from the start of their lives.
When a baby is in utero, it has no probiotics living in its gut. As a baby passes through the birth canal however, it is inoculated with the microbiome of its mother and it’s from here that their own ecosystem of probiotics in their gut begins to grow. This gut biome continues to grow through probiotics found in breast milk and formula. With over a trillion microorganisms making up an adult microbiome, nurturing the growing family of probiotics living in your child’s gut can give them a great start to life.
What are the benefits of a probiotic for kids?
A good gut health can have an impact on your children’s optimal well-being. Probiotics can help improve it, supporting the digestive system and their immunity.
There are different ways you can help support your children gut health:
- Gut nourishing foods → eating fermented probiotic-rich foods that your kid might enjoy, like flavoured kefir or greek yoghurt, are a great source of good bacteria. Just add some fresh fruit for a gut-nourishing snack.
- Reduce processed foods → excessive sugar in processed foods can have a negative impact on your child’s gut health. Swap processed cookies for healthy homemade snacks and high-fiber foods, such as pears, apples and legumes. Water is also important, as it helps support a good digestion.
- Outdoor activities → getting your children moving is beneficial for their gut health and digestive system. Let them get earthy – running around and play in the sand and dirt can help build their immune system and fight nasty germs.
- Probiotics → ProBiotica™ Kid’s Daily helps support healthy gut microflora and a strong immune system in children. Formulated with three specially cultured, non-dairy, heat-stable, and stomach acid resistant strains of beneficial bacteria, this tasty, vanilla-flavoured chewable helps support a healthy immune and digestive system in kids aged 2 years+.
A probiotic, whether in the form of foods like yoghurt or as a supplement, can aid in the colonisation of your baby or young child’s gut with bacteria, or help to correct the balance of bacteria in their gut should something disrupt it.
Probiotics can offer your child a range of benefits and help to support their growing gut and body. Studies into the use of probiotics in children are still in their infancy, so it is always a good idea to check with a doctor, pharmacist or healthcare professional before giving your infant or small child probiotics.
Learn more about Nutra-Life’s tasty vanilla-flavoured chewable Probiotica Kid’s Daily.
Want to know more about Gut Health? Check out Healthy Gut, Healthy Life video series with Kale Brock.
