Here are 4 simple ways to boost your child’s gut health:
- Feed The Good Bugs
The human intestines are home to more than 100 trillion organisms mainly bacteria. These “bugs” protect against infection, help digest food, bolster immunity.
- Eat Fermented Foods
Fermented foods that contain live, active bacteria cultures — like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and aged cheese—can add more good bugs to your child’s gastrointestinal tract.
- Limit Processed Foods
A diet packed with chips, fast food, packaged cookies, processed meat, and sweetened drinks can contribute to constipation—and may prevent beneficial gut bugs from thriving.
- Say “NO” to non-essential antibiotics
Use these drugs only when needed, not for viral infections like colds, flu, and many ear and sinus infections.
⚕️ In order to ensure you choose the right diet for you, listening to your body and how it responds to certain foods is critical to your recovery. If you have a bacterial overgrowth or gut infections, you may need a stronger approach than diet alone. A functional medicine provider will investigate current diet and lifestyle and tailor a plan to help reduce symptoms and heal the gut for you or your child.
A good rule for everyone, whether dealing with intestinal inflammation or not, is to eat whole and avoid processed.
Eat more of these:
A wide range of fruit and vegetables
Healthy fats, such as coconut oil, olive oil and avocados
Clean, grass-fed or wild proteins, like beef, pork, poultry, fish and eggs
Gluten-free whole grains – some people do better avoiding grain all together for a period of time to accelerate healing
Nuts and seeds
Herbs and spices
Cultured dairy products (if you are dairy tolerant)
Bone broth
Eat much less of these:
Gluten and wheat-based products
Sugar
Processed and snack foods
Artificial sweeteners
Commercial sauces
Alcohol or sugary beverages
Industrial seed oils, like canola, soy and cottonseed oil
We want to help restore your gut and return you to health! SO MANY diseases and illnesses are linked to our gut health, and there is a known connection with autoimmune diseases in particular.
If you suspect you or your little one may be suffering from intestinal inflammation and/or autoimmune disease, please reach out to us for help. ☎️ 815-322-9300