Probiotics are also known as our good bacteria or gut flora. They are great for our immune system and help our body absorb nutrients and fight off infections.
PROBIOTICS & KIDS
Let’s be honest your kids aren’t going to eat sauerkraut or kimchi at a young age! But it’s been well documented about the incredible health benefits probiotics provides adults, and the same can be said for kids.
Kids need probiotics just as much as we do to maintain and build healthy immune and intestinal function. Starting them early can create a positive path for the future.
There are some great multivitamins with friendly bacteria for children on the market so do your research, and introducing some positive eating habits of probiotics foods can massively help.
Kefir (a fermented milk product – contains around 30 strains of beneficial bacteria and is a rich and diverse probiotic source), it can be an easy way to add healthy, cultured foods to their diet. The key is to look for drinks that contain “live and active cultures.”
You can always blend Kefir to make the taste more palatable for children.
KEEP IT NATURAL
Plain kefir – drink or pour it over cereals and fruit.
PURPLE KEFIR SMOOTHIE
100g kefir, a large handful of blueberries and strawberries (blend)
RASPBERRY KEFIR RIPPLE
100g kefir, a handful of oats, fresh or frozen raspberries, 1 date and a dash of vanilla bean paste (blend)
PEACH AND MANGO KEFIR
100g kefir, a big dollop of probiotic yoghurt, a dash of vanilla bean paste and 1 peeled peach and half a peeled mango (blend)
Shop bought probiotic yoghurts often contain a lot of added sugar, so these are best avoided. They may also have been pasteurised to prolong their shelf life, but in doing some of their ‘good’ bacteria will have been killed off. So it’s worth considering making your own.
Good sources of fermented foods are; organic tempeh, organic miso, live yoghurt, sauerkraut and kimchi. Kefir water and kombucha, drinks are also very good.