When our children experience issues like ADHD, food allergies, or irritability, we are often quick to assume it was something they were born with or that it has to do with the natural hormones of growing up. However, many of these and other issues can actually be the result of poor gut health. Believe it or not, your child may have an imbalance in their gut, which is often caused by the food they eat. But there is good news. In many cases, you can correct this imbalance and the illnesses that come with it simply by switching your child to a paleo diet.
Signs of Having Poor Gut Health
Before you learn about how paleo helps children and adults with their gut health, it helps to first know what signs to look for. In addition to having physical discomforts like abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, or gas, your child may also exhibit many other worrisome symptoms. Some of them can even be related to their psychological and mental health, such as having mood swings and irritability, anxiety, or depression. Your child might even exhibit signs of ADHD or other concentration issues or have developed multiple infections, rosacea, or food sensitivities.
How Paleo Helps With Gut Health
Inside your child’s gut are intestines that require a certain type of bacteria to help with food digestion. The system works smoothly when the right foods are consumed, but when a high amount of grains and carbohydrates are consumed, it can affect the effectiveness of digestion. This can ultimately affect your child physically, then mentally. This is why frequent infections are often a sign of poor diet. With the paleo diet, all the best foods are being consumed by your child, which can aid in proper gut health. Needless to say, once your child starts eating the right foods, their gut will begin to heal and many of their illnesses will go away on their own.
Paleo Dietary Tips to Follow
For proper gut health, you should start by choosing the right foods. You can easily introduce gut-healthy foods to your child’s plate that are on par with the paleo lifestyle but still tastes great. For example, if they are accustomed to eating white potatoes as a side dish with chicken, you can replace them with sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of fermentable fiber, which will be great for proper intestine health. Omega-3 foods are also a good option, such as serving salmon as the main protein source with dinner. Another easy tip is to use bone broth whenever you are preparing the broth for soup.
Foods to Avoid For Proper Gut Health
It can also help to know what foods not to feed your child. This is not only good for the paleo diet, but for general intestine health as well. While some oils are good for your child, stay away from vegetable-based oils like soybean, corn, and vegetable oil. You also want to limit sugar and keep the carbohydrates on the low side. You should also not be feeding them grains or legumes.
With these simple tips, you can improve your child’s gut health and introduce paleo-friendly foods at the same time.
