7 Diet Tips to Maintain a Healthy Gut in Kids

An unhealthy gut in kids can lead to many health issues like irregular bowel habits, diarrhoea or constipation, vomiting, fussy eating, poor immunity, stomach issues like aches, indigestion and pain, and issues with nutrient absorption.  That’s probably the reason why people say the key to good health is a healthy gut. That’s why it’s important to maintain a healthy gut in kids right from the beginning.

Here are 7 diet tips to maintain a healthy gut in kids.

Why Is Gut Health Important? 

Firstly it’s important to understand why gut health in kids is important. The gut is comprised of digestive organs, right from the mouth to the rectum. Gut microbiomes are microorganisms that are present in the gut. 

These microorganisms are good bacteria which help to maintain a healthy ecosystem in the gut. They help with functions like nerve health, digesting food, and maintaining immunity in kids. All babies are born with a sterile gut, where the intestinal bacteria start to grow immediately after their birth. 

Factors like exposure to germs, use of certain medications like antibiotics and bad diet affect the gut. That’s why it’s important to follow certain tips to ensure a healthy gut right from the time your child is an infant.

Tips to Maintain A Healthy Gut in Kids 

1. Breastfeed Exclusively For 6 Months

Breast milk is extremely beneficial for babies and since a newborn’s gut is sterile, breastfeeding exclusively for at least the first six months after their birth is the best way to ensure good gut health in future. 

2. Keep Them Well Hydrated 

Ensuring that your child has adequate fluids throughout the day is important to maintain a healthy gut in kids. While the best way to keep them is by offering them water, you can also give them fresh fruit juices, coconut water, and food that have more water content like cucumber and watermelon too. 

3. Feed Them Small, Frequent Meals 

Small, frequent meals not only give kids the continuous energy they need throughout the day but they are also likely to get less overwhelmed when they see a small meal on their plate. Most importantly, small, frequent meals help to keep the digestive system working, and refresh the gut as well.

4. Include More Fiber Diet 

Fibre is essential to maintain healthy gut health in kids. Including enough fibre in their daily diet helps to ease bowel movements. Add foods like oats, quinoa, beans, fibrous fruits and lentils to their diet.

5. Include Probiotics In Their Diet

Probiotics like curd, fruit yoghurt, fermented foods, buttermilk etc. contain live bacteria that are good for a child’s health. Adding it to their daily diet ensures a healthy gut.

6. Add Lean Meat To Their Diet

If you are a non-vegetarian, adding chicken to your child’s diet is a good idea as it is easily digested. And helps in better absorption of nutrients. That helps in keeping the gut healthy. 

7. Avoid Fatty Foods

When you give kids a diet that is rich in fat it affects the good bacteria in the gut, therefore it is advisable to avoid adding fatty foods like fries, chips, candies, aerated beverages, and other junk foods. Include healthy fats like corn, nuts, eggs, avocado etc. for healthy gut health in kids.

Cover image source: freepik