Ouiam El Hassani tells us the importance of microbes and how to find the right balance for your child.
Did you know that the human body has approximately the same number of bacterial cells as human cells? This is always a nice reminder when your child’s behaviour makes you question if an alien has invaded their body. These non-human organisms living in, and on you, are microbes—38,000,000,000,000 of them are bacteria. What they do, how they got there, why we need them and how we can help them thrive is changing how we think and even how we parent.
While a small number of microbes can be pathogenic and harmful, the majority of microbes, especially bacteria, are actually beneficial and critical to our health. The question now is: How do we nurture these ‘good invisible friends’ in your child’s body so they can fight the nasty ones?
One of the most impactful ways you can nurture the trillions of microbes that work hard to keep your child healthy is through nutrition. It is recommended to have:
A high intake of plant fibres through vegetables, walnuts, pomegranates and berries and other high-fibre food.
A high intake of fibre and specific kinds of carbohydrates (like broccoli, brussels sprouts, beans and sweet potatoes)
A high intake of Omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fat (like salmon, sardines, avocados and olive oil)
Food that is low in sugar and preservative agents, that isn’t processed or loaded with additives
Food that is low in saturated fat
An overload of sugar and processed food can hurt the balance of the gut microbiome, which makes it hard to digest food and for a child’s immune system to function. Minimising processed foods and offering your child a diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables can support a healthy and diverse microbiome.
Beyond diet, everything from stress levels, to exercise and sleep can impact the health of your kid’s microbiome.
How to help your child’s microbiome thrive?
Go outside and play: When your child is outside, they are exposed to many different microbes. A handful of dirt can contain billions of microbes—so encourage your kids to get a little dirty!
Brush their teeth: The mouth is the second most diverse part of the body (after the gut), with bacteria living in different areas, like the tongue, cheek, throat and even saliva. These bacteria work to prevent smelly breath, cavities and to make sure nothing harmful finds a place to live. Regular brushing helps keep the mouth microbiome in balance—and a healthy mouth microbiome can even protect other parts of the body like the heart and lungs!
Get quality sleep: Your microbes are happiest when you have a regular sleep schedule.
Enjoy time with pets (if they’re not allergic!): Pets have their own unique microbes, just like us! Pets carry lots of microbes that are different from ours and can help teach your child’s body what’s OK and what might make them sick.
Incorporate a probiotic: While fermented foods and beverages are great additions to diet for other reasons, most do not qualify as a probiotic. Probiotics are beneficial microbes that have been shown to provide specific health benefits.
Hopefully we can now approach the invisible world of microbes with an appreciation and understanding of how they can support and sustain our health.
Be safe and enjoy the dirt!
