Gut Health and Probiotic Foods For Kids
Our gut health impacts every aspect of our health, from our physical health to our mental health and even our risk of chronic disease.
As parents, we have the power to nurture our children’s gut health from a young age and set them up for a healthy future. But how exactly do we do this? Should we be giving our kids probiotics? And what are the best probiotic foods for kids?
Let’s take a look at how we can optimise our kids’ gut health to give them the best start in life.
Why is good gut health so important for kids?
The ‘gut microbiome’ (the bacteria that live in the gut) plays a critical role in children’s overall health, impacting many aspects of their body’s functions, including:
Digestive health
Immune function
Mood and behaviour
Nutrient absorption
Risk of chronic disease
Risk of developing allergies
The gut microbiome changes throughout our lives, but after the age of 3, a child’s gut microbiome starts to resemble that of an adult and becomes more fixed (Kumbhare et al., 2019).
That’s why establishing good gut health in kids, as early as possible, is so important in setting them up for long-term good health.
What exactly is the gut microbiome?
The gut microbiome is made up of trillions of microorganisms called microbiota or microbes. Among these trillions of microbes are thousands of different species.
Each individual has a different make-up of microbes in their gut. Our DNA determines our gut microbiome to begin with, and it’s then influenced by other factors such as our mother’s breastmilk, our diet and environmental factors such as where we live.
Our gut microbiome is made up of microbes that are both helpful and harmful.
In a healthy body, it’s OK to have some potentially harmful (pathogenic) microbes and this doesn’t cause problems. But certain factors can upset the balance of microbes, such as illness, poor diet or prolonged use of antibiotics. This can lead to an overpopulation of pathogenic microbes, which can mean we’re more susceptible to disease.
Gut health and immune function
Infants and young children are particularly susceptible to infections and diseases. The immune system plays a crucial role in just how susceptible a child is and how long infections persist in the body.
70-80% of our immune cells are present in the gut, so there is a very close association between an individual’s gut microbiome and their immune function.
The role of diet in gut health
Many factors influence the makeup of our gut microbiome, including our genetics. But research has consistently found that diet is one of the main factors (Rothschild et al.,2018)
Dietary components such as fibre, vitamins, minerals, specific fatty acids and phytochemicals (biologically active compounds found in plants) have also been found to cause changes in the microbiome (Pham et al.,2021).
This is because different foods affect our gut bacteria and the gut itself differently.
The typical Western diet, which is high in animal proteins, sugar, processed foods and saturated fat, results in less-diverse gut bacteria and promotes inflammation which can increase our risk of health issues and chronic disease.
Fibre and gut health for kids
When it comes to what we eat, dietary fibre appears to be the most significant influencer of the gut microbiome. The foods we eat affect the diversity and composition of microbiota in the gut - those gut bugs are healthiest when their hosts (that’s us) consume plant foods that are high in fibre.
Fibre is only found in plant foods and is the part of a food that isn’t digested in the small intestine.
This means that it moves into our large intestine where most of our gut bacteria live. When these bacteria digest fibre they produce short chain fatty acids that nourish the gut barrier, which in turn improves immune function and reduces inflammation, helping to protect against chronic disease later in life.
The more fibre we eat, the more fibre-digesting bacteria colonise the gut.
So how do we get kids eating more fibre?
Good sources of fibre include:
Fruit and vegetables - fresh, frozen or tinned
Wholegrain bread - wholemeal, multigrain made with wholemeal, or high-fibre white bread
Wholegrain breakfast cereals such as oats, muesli, Weetbix and Weeties
Wholegrain crackers
Nuts and seeds
Legumes such as chickpeas (and hummus), lentils and beans
Brown rice and wholemeal or legume-based pasta
Unfortunately, kids are often not so fond of fibre-rich foods.
Many kids prefer white bread over wholemeal, barely touch their veggies and wouldn’t dream of eating brown rice or legumes, which can make achieving a gut-loving diet a little tricky.
If this is your child, don’t despair!
Here are a few easy swaps to make increasing your child’s fibre intake a little easier:
Switch to wholemeal bread, or high-fibre white bread if your child won’t eat wholemeal
Try smoothies for snacks with plenty of fruit such as bananas, berries or mango, some veg such as spinach (if your kids aren’t opposed to green foods!), milk and yoghurt
Leave skin on fruit and vegetables where possible - such as apples, potatoes, carrots and sweet potatoes
Add a tin of lentils to bolognese sauce
Add some hummus to a wrap or serve it with crackers or veggie sticks as a snack
When baking, swap half the plain flour for wholemeal flour
Add a small amount of seeds such as chia seeds or hemp seeds to porridge or homemade muffins
But….
As with all good things, there is such a thing as too much fibre, especially for young children. Because high-fibre foods are typically very filling, there may be insufficient room left in little tummies for other important nutrients and adequate calories.
For this reason, a moderate fibre intake is recommended for children under 2 and providing a mix of white and wholegrain foods is a good idea.
It’s also important that kids drink plenty of water, as increasing fibre without increasing water can lead to constipation.
Why variety is key
Research into gut health has found that a diverse gut microbiome is a healthy one. That means, it’s good to have lots of different types of microbes living in our gut.
Different species of bacteria prefer different types of food, so by eating a wide variety of foods, we’ve got a better chance of keeping all these species happy and maintaining a diverse range of microbiota in the gut.
This is one of the reasons that ‘eating the rainbow’ is so important.
Including a wide variety of foods - particularly plant-based foods - in your child’s diet not only helps to keep their gut microbiome happy but also helps to make sure they’re getting the nutrients they need.
Probiotic foods for kids
There’s a lot of hype these days about probiotics and their effects on gut health. But what exactly are they and what do they do?
Probiotics are defined as ‘live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer benefit to the host’.
Probiotics have been shown in some studies to reduce gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, improve digestion and reduce inflammation. But despite the hype, the extent to which they can positively impact our health isn’t quite known yet.
Probiotics are measured in what’s called ‘colony forming units’ (CFUs) which indicates the number of viable cells. Probiotic supplements may contain anywhere from 1 to 50 billion CFUs and possibly even more.
In order be classified as a probiotic food, the probiotics contained in that food need to be safe, characterised (the strain is identified and named using genus and species), supported by a clinical trial demonstrating their effectiveness and provided in a sufficient dose to stay alive as it passes through the digestive tract.
Fermented Foods vs Probiotic Foods
Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi and kefir are often described as being probiotic foods.
But although fermented foods contain live cultures, or have at some point, they can’t automatically be classified as probiotic foods unless they meet the criteria outlined above - i.e. the particular strain has been identified, and this strain has been shown to provide a potential health benefit.
Any fermented food which has been heat treated won’t contain live cultures anymore, so cannot be classified as a probiotic food.
The best way to check whether a fermented food is classified as a probiotic food is to look for CFUs listed on the nutrition information panel.
Foods that often have CFUs listed include:
Yoghurt with live cultures - look for one with 1 billion or more probiotics per serve (1 x 10(9) CFUs)
Kefir (a fermented milk drink)
I find that the easiest and most acceptable probiotic food for most kids is yoghurt - just make sure you choose one that says it contains ‘live cultures’ and ideally, go for an unsweetened yoghurt and add some fruit for flavour (or go for the lowest sugar-flavoured yoghurt you can find).
If your child doesn’t like yoghurt on its own, try adding a little bit to a smoothie so the flavour isn’t obvious.
Dairy-free yoghurts such as coconut yoghurt do sometimes have live cultures added to them, but make sure you check for CFUs listed on the nutrition information panel to determine if it meets the criteria of a ‘probiotic food’.
Foods that may contain probiotics
Below are some fermented foods that may not meet the definition of a probiotic food but can still contain some beneficial microbes. Just be warned - some of these are a pretty hard sell for kids (fermented cabbage anyone?) but you never know until you try right?
Yoghurt - my personal favourite fermented food for kids. As above, look for one with no added sugar or sweeteners.
Kefir - a fermented milk drink with a slightly sour, yoghurt-like taste. Can be added to smoothies instead of yoghurt, or try a fruit-flavoured version (once again, go for one with no added sugar).
Sauerkraut - shredded cabbage fermented in brine which can be mixed into meat and vegetable dishes or served as a condiment for more adventurous kids! Go for raw or unpasteurised sauerkraut as pasteurised versions will have lost much of their bacteria during processing.
Miso - a paste made from fermented soybeans, salt and rice or barley which is often used in Japanese cuisine. Can be consumed as a soup, made into a sauce or used as a marinade on meat, tofu and vegetables.
These foods are all fermented foods but may not meet the criteria of a probiotic food. If you do decide to include them in your child’s diet, start gradually to allow their gut to adjust.
Yoghurt with live cultures makes a great probiotic food for kids
Prebiotics
While they sound very similar, prebiotics and probiotics play very different roles when it comes to gut health.
Prebiotics are substances that pass through the gastrointestinal tract undigested and then feed the beneficial bacteria in our large intestine.
This stimulates the growth of these bacteria, allowing them to thrive.
Foods that act as prebiotics include:
Oats
Resistant starch found in cooked and cooled potato, rice and pasta
Onions
Garlic
Legumes
Unripe bananas
Asparagus
Apples
Top tips for encouraging good gut health in kids
Serve plenty of fibre-rich foods
Including plenty of fibre in your child’s diet is really important for gut health - which ideally means plenty of wholegrain breads and cereals, fruit and veg, nuts, seeds and legumes, but even if all you can do is switch to a high fibre white bread, it’s a great start!
Just make sure that you don’t overdo it, as there is such a thing as too much fibre, especially for kids.
Eat the rainbow
Diversity is one of the keys to good gut health, so try to include a wide variety of whole, plant-based foods in your child’s diet including whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins.
Add some good bacteria
Probiotic foods provide a natural source of probiotics. Yoghurt with live cultures is a great place to start and is generally accepted by most kids. If you need a dairy-free option, try a plant-based yoghurt with live cultures.
See the above ‘probiotic foods for kids’ section for information on how to identify a probiotic food.
Feed the good bacteria
Include prebiotic foods to feed beneficial bacteria such as oats, legumes, onions, garlic, asparagus and cooked and cooled pasta, rice and potato.
Limit highly processed foods
A high intake of highly processed snack foods and sugary foods and drinks can lead to reduced diversity in the gut microbiota. However, it’s fine for kids to have these foods occasionally.
Plenty of water
Adequate hydration is essential for good digestion in kids and is part of creating the ideal environment for a healthy gut microbiome.
Water and milk are the best drinks for children.
Plenty of exercise
The amount of physical activity kids get can affect their gut microbiome. Recent studies suggest that exercise can increase the number of beneficial microbes and microbial diversity (Santarossa et al.,2021).
Adequate sleep
Sleep plays a crucial role in the mental and physical development of children and is also closely associated with gut health, with sleep quality being found to be positively associated with microbial diversity (Smith et al., 2019). So - while I know it’s easier said than done - try to ensure your child is getting the sleep they need.
Overall, a balanced diet with plenty of fibre, adequate hydration, sleep and exercise is key to optimal gut health in children.
But make sure you consult your child’s doctor if you’re concerned about their gut health or any other aspects of their health, or before making any significant changes to their diet or lifestyle.