A couple of months ago I was listening to a podcast that mentioned this children's book called "Buddies in my belly" by Sarah Morgan, and it's a great story that talks about the importance of feeding all of the "buddies" or probiotics in our bellies that help us be and stay healthy. This books walks you through what types of foods (that could be palatable to a child) are recommended to feed the good stuff in our bellies.
Gut health and leaky gut is a hot topic right now. It's something that many people are working on, and is often very out of balance for most of us. I think that working on healing your gut and keeping your gut healthy through food is the most sustainable way to work on your gut health, here are the top three things that you can add into your diet (or continue consuming) that will help you keep your gut/digestion system healthy.
Eat:
1. Homemade (organic/grass-fed) bone broth
2. Naturally fermented foods like kombucha, raw sauerkraut (this one from Traders Joes is my favorite), kimchi, and kefir
3. Eat foods that support probiotic growth in your gut (fruits, vegetables, good fats, raw dairy, coconut)
Avoid:
1. Foods that are difficult on the gut (lectins and gluten)
2. Refined sugars
3. Limit antibiotics to only when needed
4. Toxic chemicals (e.g., pesticides and chemicals in unfiltered water)
If you want to teach your children about what goes on in their belly and help them to understand more of what they need to feed their bodies to keep them health and strong, I highly recommend the Buddies in My Belly book - and I learned something by reading it to them too!
For a deeper dive into leaky gut and gut health with more details on the science as well, here are two highly credible resources from Chris Kresser and from Dr. Axe that I'd recommend you check out to learn more.
For a deeper dive into leaky gut and gut health with more details on the science as well, here are two highly credible resources from Chris Kresser and from Dr. Axe that I'd recommend you check out to learn more.