renee.t.edge How many of you are g҉e҉r҉m҉a҉p҉h҉o҉b҉e҉s and are grossed out by the concept of bacteria on your body? In recent years we have learned more about the importance of the health of our gut microbiome. It is made up of trillions of fungi, bacteria, and other microbes that play a role not only in digestion, but also in:
💩 Gut health including the development of IBS and IBD.
♥️ Heart health and cholesterol control.
😷 Immune system
🍭 Controlling blood sugar levels
🧘♀️ Brain health, including seratonin production. (Up to 90% is made in the gut!)
Those impacts are probably familiar to you, but did you know that gut health has huge impacts on your children as well? Recent research has shown that gut flora in related to behavior, sleep, mood, and stress levels in children. Gut flora has also been linked to anxiety, depression, even hyperactivity and autism in children! Stress experienced by parents and the parent-child relationship quality also affect the gut microbiome research has shown.
Want to improve your health? There are many things you can do to improve your gut flora including taking prebiotics to nourish the good bacteria of your gut, and probiotics to add additional beneficial bacteria to your gut. Choose your supplements wisely, as you want one your body will actually absorb. If the body can’t absorb it the body can’t use it.
Or, you can choose foods that have beneficial effects on the gut flora by including a diverse range of foods in your diet. You will want to include a wide variety of fruits and vegetables including those high in polyphenols such as onions, blueberries, broccoli and almonds. Choose whole grains instead of processed ones. Add in fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, or sauerkraut. By all means avoid artificial sweeteners!
Improving gut health CAN result in calmer, happier children!
Not sure how to approach this on your own? Let’s chat about how health coaching may benefit you.
