microbiome Archives - Treat for life

Healthy microbiome depends on the immune system. Boost the immune system in children is possible through supervision of lifestyle in early age. The microbiome is a bunch of microbes in the intestines weighing about 3 pounds. It is the same weight as for 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 the food of making vitamins.

How Are Kids And Microbiome 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 Child’s Life, More Health For 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 hands with sanitizer or dishes in machines. They hunted, planted, cultivated soil touching it whenever it was needed.

Good And Bad Bacteria

Good and bad bacteria are the expressions of lifestyle. Bacteria can change behavior according to the environment, food, and immune system. Usually, the healthy immune system keeps bacteria in the right places. Authors of book Dirt Is Good told 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 system by introducing them to new things such as dirt, animals, friends, or various objects. The well trained immune system would keep microbiome in good shape, not letting them rebel. Nutritious food, fresh air, plenty of play, and moves around will keep 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 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 wellbeing? 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 so much as children who do not have problems with weight.

Help For Obese Children

Nutrition

Proper nutrition plays a vital role. Nutritious food gives minerals and firing. 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. In this way, the body starts to turn 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 the lack of nutrients prompts us to eat more, making us happy.

Children who develop a taste for sweets linger for more of it. It is better to offer them food rich in fibers and 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 not diverse compared to germs from the healthy gut with nutritious food. Besides it, when these microbes change the rhythm of a liver, it becomes not compatible with the rhythm of a 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 leads to the change of quality and quality of microbes in the gut. Later on, it affects circadian rhythm in a liver. The liver, which is the storage of glucose, does not work together with the brain. These systems interpret time differently. I called systems because it is the more complicated process involving not just organs, but tissues, nerves, vessels, and so on.

How Can You Help?

Providing nutritious food would help gut microbiome happy and healthy. Researchers found out that there is a constant interaction between the microbiome, immune system, and brain. When 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 Child Is Obese?

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’ microbiome. Maybe it sounds gross, but if somebody does not have the strong will to keep up with the diet, this procedure can be a savior. Fecal transplants are from healthy individuals and carefully inspected.

Probiotic therapy works for animals in a significant way. Mice after probiotic 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 Diet Work For Microbiome?

When we introduce 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 amounts of children’s food. The microbiome changes when sugary and processed food introduced. The move prompts to weight gain and inflammation. A healthy diet and watching over how much one eats prevents obesity.

Disclaimer

Boost Immune System For Children