Digestive Health for Kids
Digestive upset and complaints are incredible common in children (in adults too!)
The digestive system carries a big job within the the body. It has to take in food, break it down into usable building blocks, decide what is good for us and what it not, distribute the good stuff to where it needs to go, and discard the stuff we don’t need. And don’t forget it also needs to digestion and assimilate information and emotions.
Why do children have more tummy troubles?
Digestion takes a lot of energy. Like a lot, this is why we may feel tired after a heavy meal. for children, they are growing so fast and most of their energy is being used to create new cells (that sounds like an intense job to me!), which diverts a lot of their energy away from there digestive system. They also have a huge amount of new information and new emotions coming in from all directions.
How to ease the burden
There are a few ways you can help to ease the burden on your children digestion system. The first is making sure they are eating foods that are easier to digest. Cold, raw foods require more energy to break them down than warm, cooked foods. Same goes for water, room temp takes less energy to make it usable than cold water.
Sitting to eat meals and taking the time to fully chew food will help the process go more smoothly. I know this is not always possible, but the more you can get them to sit and eat, the better.
Pay close attention to food sensitivities. They may not have allergies, but may have a harder time with dairy, soy, corn, and gluten.
Eat as many whole foods as possible. Processed foods are full of filler, preservatives, and ingredients that should not be allowed to be in food.
Kids who worry a lot may have more stomach aches. Help them to find tools to overcome their worry.
Special concerns
If your child has been on antibiotics, it is important to use a probiotic and possibly a gut repair supplement. I use a DoTERRA pixie stick type probiotic for daily use (I’ll link other supplements below) They think its candy so they remind me every day. I also keep a stronger chewable (Ther-Biotic) incase its needed.
For children with more than the occasion upset stomach or who have other symptoms pointing to a leaky gut, such as eczema, I use GI Repair by Innate Response. This is also good for kids who can not stay away from foods that they are sensitive to.
Fiber is so important to make sure your children are regular. I use a fiber powder in smoothies as needed and make sure they get enough high fiber foods. (If you opt for a gummy, just make sure the sugar content is low)
Digestive enzyme is a good thing to have around incase they eat something that is upsetting their stomach. Klaire Labs makes a good chewable one.
Essential oils are my best friend for stomach issues. I have an essential Oil for Kids online class and Ive made the digestion portion free for you:) go to Teachable and scroll down to contents and you will see you are able to preview the digestive portion.
Link to products mentioned above
As always, these are general recommendations. If you have any questions at all, please reach out and Ill be happy to help
Be Well