The post Natural support for kids with Allergies/Intolerances appeared first on Optimal Family Wellness.

What is toxicity?

When we use this term, it refers to chemicals and toxins in our immediate environment that have the potential to cause harm to our bodies. This includes furniture, carpet and paints, foods and drinks we consume, medications, body products like shampoo and toothpaste, the air we breathe, and the products that we use to clean our homes and clothes. Many of these products contain highly toxic compounds, that have been shown to seriously harm our health in one way or another. 

Babies and children are particularly susceptible to these toxins for a number of reasons:

1. They are smaller than adults, but consume more food and water per weight, giving them more exposure to chemicals within this food and water.
2. Small children often spend a lot of time on the floor, on carpets, or on grass that may have been sprayed with chemical weed killers and fertilisers. 
3. Their liver and detoxification pathways are not fully mature yet, so they can’t optimally get rid of chemicals. 
4. Brain development is rapid in children. Toxins can seriously impair this development. 

On a positive note, our bodies are naturally made to detoxify environmental chemicals and toxins. However, if we have constant exposure at a rate that we can’t detoxify quickly enough from, our bodies become inflamed, and signs of illness start to appear. 

Eczema, asthma, behavioural issues, insomnia, frequent sickness, and infections. These are all classic inflammatory signs in our children. 

Natural detoxification for children

So, how can you naturally help your child’s body to detoxify efficiently?

The human body is clever, and it has natural means of detoxification that include:

• Regular bowel motions
• Sweat and other body secretions
• Breathing
• The lymphatic system, which is stimulated by movement

So, some of the best things we can do for our kids include supporting the above processes. 

Regular bowel motions

You can encourage regular bowel motions in your child by making sure they consume lots of fresh fruit and vegetables through their day. A smoothie is a wonderful way to get veggies into kids. Snack platters of chopped fruit and veggies are also a great way to offer kids their fruit and veg.

Hydration

Keeping them hydrated with plenty of fresh filtered water is also important. It will help with regular bowel motions, and also stimulates the lymphatic system, assists efficient breathing, and helps to replenish lost sweat. Water is key!

Get moving

Get the kids outside or down to the park, running, playing, and moving. This really stimulates the lymphatic system and assists detoxification perfectly. One of the best ways to do this is on the trampoline, and most kids won’t say no to lots of fun bouncing and jumping around. 

Sunshine

Our sun Vitamin, Vitamin D, is super important for supporting our kids immune and nervous system health. Would you believe it, it’s also necessary for detoxification! So let your kids enjoy some time in the sun without sunscreen. Just 10 to 20 minutes, in the morning before 10am (or after 4pm) is best in sunny Australia. 

Leafy greens

These are superb detoxifying wellness agents. Leafy green veggies contain copious amounts of nutrients and antioxidants, which are super important in helping the liver work efficiently. If your child doesn’t like greens, add them to smoothies with banana and mango, or make green juices with apple added in. 

Sleep

When kids sleep, their brains work hard to remove toxins. Sleep also allows the body to rest, heal, and recalibrate, which is important for your child’s overall wellness too. Making sure your kids get enough sleep for their age will help them in many areas, including detoxifying efficiently. If you need help in this area, please get in touch with me, as there are many avenues of support available that we can explore together. 

Nutrition

Its important to reduce processed foods, flour products and added sugars in your childs diet. These foods are inflammatory, dampen the immune response, and create a lot of hard work for the liver. Instead, focus on feeding your kids fresh whole foods. Loads of fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds, good quality organic yogurt and butter, eggs etc. Things like fruit and veggie smoothies, snack platters with loads of fresh foods, chia puddings, homemade muffins with low sugar and added seeds, gluten free bread with avocado are all wonderful ways to get more nutrition into your kids. 

In conclusion, heavy duty detoxification is not usually necessary for children. It’s more about sticking to the above habits, and creating a low toxin environment for our children, that will help their natural detoxification pathways to work efficiently. 

If you feel that you need some specific support in this area for your kids, you can get in touch with me HERE.

Until next time,

Allison

The post Is detoxing important for your child? appeared first on Optimal Family Wellness.

As a parent, it’s always hard to see our little ones suffering with tummy troubles and belly aches.

Even if they can’t tell us they’re hurting, we usually know. 

But upset tummies and digestive difficulties can present in a variety of ways, and it’s not always obvious.

These issues can have an impact on other aspects of a child’s health, including moods, behaviour, concentration, skin conditions, allergies, immune health, and more. 

You might have heard the saying, good health starts with gut health.

And it’s true. 

The gut or gastrointestinal system plays host to a dynamic microbiome, which is made up of bacteria, viruses and microbes.

The balance of this bacteria can have either a positive or negative influence on health, and there are steps we can take to encourage more healthy gut flora. 

1. Reduce processed foods

Since the introduction of ‘TV dinners’ in the 1950’s, Australians have clung tightly to the convenience of processed foods. 

Increasingly, family households are made up of busy working parents, and children who spend a lot of time in daycare, school and after-school activities. So it’s understandable that we reach for quick and easy options come meal time. 

But at what cost to our health?

A recent study found that more than half of what Australians eat is processed, or ‘ultra processed’, meaning it contains several artificial ingredients made using methods that can’t be replicated at home. These foods not only offer limited nutritional benefits, but can be very difficult for the digestive system. Processed food products also increase bad bacteria in the gut. By enjoying natural wholefoods more often than processed foods, we can feed the good gut bacteria, and help restore balance to the microbiome.

2. The toilet test

If your child is no longer in nappies, it might have been a while since you’ve seen what they’re passing. Both faeces and urine can hide some clues about your child’s health. Very yellow urine can be a sign of dehydration (or can occur with some supplements), dark sticky urine can be an indicator of diabetes, and stools can occur in a wide range of variations. For more clues about number twos, see my article What is your child’s poop trying to tell you. 

3. Fibre, fluid and ferments

You’ve probably heard about eating fibre to keep regular, but there’s more to it than that. Research has found dietary fibre can positively change the gut microbiota and alter metabolic regulation in humans. Fluids are essential for supporting the transition of food through the digestive system, and keeping enzymes and bacteria in balance. While fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, fermented vegetables, kefir, and yoghurt can feed and replenish good gut bacteria.

4. Prioritise probiotics

There are many different strains of probiotics, and they all work on different areas of health and wellness. Saccharomyces boulardii is effective for the treatment of gastro while Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG has been used successfully for respiratory tract infections. Certain probiotics can also be beneficial for restoring good gut bacteria after antibiotics. So it’s important to seek support for choosing the right probiotics for your children. 

5. Get their hands dirty

“A little dirt never hurt anybody”. They’re the wise words of every grandparent reassuring worried new mums and dads after children take their first taste of a mud pie. It’s inevitable that children are going to get dirty, and it turns out it can be beneficial for their health. The book “Dirt is Good: Why kids need exposure to germs” explores the science behind childhood exposure to bacteria and how it can actually support and strengthen the immune system. This is especially relevant in the post-pandemic era after children have been isolated at home, using hand sanitisers and spending less time outdoors.

For more support with children’s gut health, book an appointment with Allison. 

The post Tummy troubles: Five ways to support your child’s gut health, naturally appeared first on Optimal Family Wellness.