microbiome

A healthy microbiome depends on the immune system. Boosting the immune system in children is possible through the supervision of lifestyle at an early age. The microbiome is a bunch of microbes in the intestines weighing about 3 pounds. It is the same weight as the brain. Humans have nearly ten thousand microbial species. There are at least one hundred microbes for one human gene. Bacteria are responsible for biochemical activities such as digesting carbohydrates from food or producing vitamins.

How are kids and microbiomes connected?

The period from birth to three years is busy for children’s microbiome. For three years, the child’s microbiome has been continuously changing. By age three, the microbiome will have the same behavior pattern as adults.

Adults have stability and bounce back after challenging the microbiome. The first three years are essential in the toddler’s life — all interactions with food, people, and the environment influence the quality and behavior of the microbiome.

More dirt in a child’s life, more health for the microbiome and immune system

Children who play outside, interact with animals, and have many siblings or friends around develop a robust microbiome and immune system. How does it happen?

It is the same as the training. The child is exposed to various unharmful bacteria, which train the immune system to adjust and deal with multiple intruders.

Our ancestors did not wash their hands with sanitizer or dishes in machines. They hunted, planted, and cultivated soil touching it whenever it was needed.

Good and bad bacteria

Good and bad bacteria are expressions of lifestyle. Bacteria can change behavior according to the environment, food, and immune system. Usually, a healthy immune system keeps bacteria in the right places. The authors of the book Dirt Is Good said that

some of the bacteria that are considered to be beneficial to your gut when stressed, turn to the dark side and infect your body’s tissues.

Bacteria behave in an excellent or harmful way depending on circumstances. For example, E.Coli usually sits quietly in the gut, but when food changes, stress, or toxins bother us, E. Coli can cause diarrhea or urinary tract infections.

It is fascinating how a robust immune system keeps things in check. Meningitis bacteria reside in the back of the throat and nose. However, just one in a thousand can be infected thanks to close contact with the carrier.

Everything is connected

Parents can boost children’s immune systems by introducing them to new things such as dirt, animals, friends, or various objects. A well-trained immune system would keep the microbiome in good shape, not letting them rebel. Nutritious food, fresh air, plenty of play, and moves around will keep the microbiome and immune system in balance. Microbiome and immune system correlate. The immune system is healthy, microbiome flourishes.

Here is an interesting video about a connection between the gut microbe and the brain. Unfortunately, we forgot many beneficial things. Slowly, we return to the unique and unharmful lifestyle.

Do you have any thoughts about the importance of food to our well-being? It would be great to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.

Help for obese children must be constructive and based on scientific facts. Obese children can have more problems in life compared with tiny peers. First, the appearance is different. Modern clothes do not fit. Big children cannot enjoy activities as much as children who do not have problems with weight.

Obese children do have an unhealthy microbiome that does not provide benefits for food digestion and absorption. Besides, obese children consume processed food that lacks vital nutrients.

Help for obese children

Nutrition

Proper nutrition plays a vital role. Nutritious food gives minerals and other nutrients such as proteins, vitamins, amino acids, and bioflavonoids. Processed food offers empty calories, which are later on converted to fat. Sugary drinks lead to the risk of catching diabetes and weight gain.

Microbiome

There is evidence that children’s microbiome can influence weight gain. Microbes can change the way how the body gets energy from food. Circadian rhythms are affected by microbes too. This way, the body turns how and when the liver works. Liver stores glucose which is converted to energy when it is needed.

Without proper energy, children can become sluggish. It is the same pattern as with adults. When we feel tired, we grasp for coffee and something sweet. Processed foods lift us for a while, but lacking nutrients prompts us to eat more, making us happy.

Children who develop a taste for sweets linger for more of them. It is better to offer them food rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. In this way, children will be fulfilled and will not crave sweets.

Think about the time when they were born. Babies do not know what sweets are. They crave them when candies and cakes are always around and introduced to them.

A diet full of processed and fatty foods triggers the growth of different bacteria. These microbes do not have a day-and-night rhythm. They are less diverse than germs from the healthy gut with nutritious food. Besides it, when these microbes change a liver’s rhythm, it becomes incompatible with the rhythm of the brain. The perception of time differs for the liver and brain. It creates turmoil as the body is not balanced anymore. One of the results is the increased storage of fat.

Do you see how everything is connected? Processed food changes the quality and quality of microbes in the gut. Later on, it affects the circadian rhythm in the liver. The liver, which stores glucose, does not work together with the brain. These systems interpret time differently. I call systems because it is the more complicated process involving not just organs but tissues, nerves, vessels, etc.

How can you help?

Providing nutritious food would help the gut microbiome to be happy and healthy. Researchers found out that there is a constant interaction between the microbiome, immune system, and brain. When the microbiome changes, neurotransmitters produced by bacteria start to behave in a harmful way. It means that children can feel not real hunger but increased cravings instead of it. The satiety feeling changes. Children do not think about limits when they eat. Processed food is high in calories. It means that children can gain weight faster.

You can protect children against obesity by introducing them to healthy foods. Everybody would be happy: children, microbes, and you.

What to do when a child is obese?

The authors of the book Dirt Is Well advised changing the microbiome using fecal transplant, severe changes in the diet, or probiotic therapy.

There are reports that fecal transplants make positive changes in individuals’ microbiomes. Maybe it sounds gross, but this procedure can be a savior if somebody does not have the strong will to keep up with the diet. Fecal transplants are from healthy individuals and are carefully inspected.

Probiotic therapy works for animals in a significant way. Mice, after probiotics, got better insulin production.

The dietary approach works best. However, to see changes and diet take at least nine months. Maybe with children, diets would work better compared with adults. You can divert the child’s attention to games or play outside. Adults are different. They cling to old habits and later complain about why their weight increased more than before the diet.

How does the diet work for the microbiome?

When introducing healthy products, harmful bacteria do not get sugar and other junk from processed food. Bacteria starve to death, and good bacteria change it.

Good bacteria restore a healthy relationship with the liver and brain. Circadian rhythm works as Nature created: in the balance.

Conclusion

Obesity hurts self-esteem and opens gates for disorders. The best way to avoid weight gain is to have a healthy diet and control the amounts of children’s food. The microbiome changes when sugary and processed food is introduced. The move prompts weight gain and inflammation. A healthy diet and watching how much one eats prevents obesity.

Disclaimer

Boost Immune System For Children