By Sarah Hanratty – Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner

Exposure to bacteria and viruses will challenge your child’s immune system. Especially at this time of year when coughs and colds are almost a certainty. A healthy diet helps our children to meet these challenges, recover quickly and continue with learning and thriving. There is a specific area of our children’s bodies that has a major influence over their immune health. Our children’s digestive system contains around 70% of their immune system cells. The microflora that live within the intestines have a substantial role to play in enhancing your child’s immunity and well-being.

There are billions of bacteria in our gut and we now understand that their influence on our health is vast. From cognitive well-being to weight and immunity our microbiome can influence it. The key to a healthy microbiome is diversity. We know that the more different types of bacteria in our gut the healthier it is. It is important that we don’t allow a handful of less beneficial strains to become dominant as this can negatively affect health.  Our gut bacteria are influenced by what we eat; eating a diet that isn’t varied can lead to a limited diversity of gut flora. It is also affected by our mum’s microflora during pregnancy and labour and some medications.

How to improve your child’s gut flora.

1. Eat a Rainbow: Encourage your child to choose foods that are many different colours. The polyphenols within yellow, red, orange, green and purple foods help to build diversity within the gut bacteria. They are known to enhance Akkermansia Muciniphila which is a species of gut bacteria known to impact on weight and being lean. Polyphenols are also potent antioxidants which can help the body repair after illness. These foods will also provide fibre for the gut bacteria to feed on. Consider challenging your child to eat a rainbow each day choosing any variety of colourful fruit and vegetables, include; spinach, purple sprouting broccoli, carrots, yellow or red peppers, blueberries, plums, raspberries. etc.

2. Choose a Mediterranean diet: We know that a diet that is built upon vegetables, fruit, nuts, olive oil, garlic, seeds, fish and other fresh protein sources helps gut bacteria to thrive. The omega 3 fats in oily fish can favourably influence gut flora and immune health. Omega 3 fats can also improve cognition, help visual development and influence allergy development in children. Choosing oily fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, trout or sardines 2-3 times a week is recommended. Alternatively, you choose vegetarian sources like chia and flaxseed.

3. Let potatoes and rice cool: When we allow potatoes or rice to cool, resistance starch develops. Resistant starch is good food for the gut bacteria. It can’t be digested and it makes it way to the intestine where it feeds the gut bacteria. Consider using cooked then cooled rice or new potatoes in salads. Or you can freeze bread before toasting it for a similar effect. Including resistant starch is an easy, child-friendly way to improving their microbiome.

4. Include fermented foods: Fermented foods are packed with gut friendly microbes. Live yogurt is probably the most child-friendly option, but if you have a child who is adventurous with foods consider introducing them to kefir, sauerkraut or kimchi, all of which can be found in larger supermarkets. Fermented foods can be useful after an illness that has required antibiotics. Antibiotics effectively obliterate the unwanted bacteria but they can also impact the beneficial bacteria in the gut. Signs that your child’s gut flora may need support include regular struggling with loose or sluggish bowel movements or excess wind and/or bloating.

5. Spend time outdoors: This last step is not related to diet but is equally important to developing a healthy gut microbiome. Research suggests that playing outside in the garden increases our exposure to soil microbes and this positively impacts our immunity. It also lessens the likelihood of developing allergies or asthma in childhood.