Common Food Ingredients That Can Cause Your Kids Digestive Issues

As a parent, you want your child to grow healthy and strong more than anything. Navigating their diet can be tricky, especially when they’re complaining of digestive issues. If your child is struggling with their digestion, try eliminating some of these foods.

Dairy

Lactose intolerance is an incredibly common ailment for people, but the symptoms are often ignored. When a child has lactose intolerance, they are not able to properly digest the sugars found in dairy products. If your child is lactose intolerant, they may experience stomach aches, bloating, and diarrhea after consuming dairy. This condition doesn’t cause any harm to the body, but it can be uncomfortable for your child. Luckily, today there are many dairy free options for milks, cheeses, and other dairy products. You can also consult a doctor about other options.

Gluten

Gluten sensitivity is another fairly common digestive problem. Having celiac disease is fairly rare, but sensitivities are becoming increasingly common. If you notice that your child has digestive problems after eating foods that contain gluten, take them to the doctor to get tested. Your child needs a diagnosis by a gastroenterologist to determine if it’s celiac disease. First, they’ll take a blood sample to look for symptoms of celiac disease. If anything shows up, the gastroenterologist may choose to perform an endoscopy. Once they’ve gotten tested, you’ll be able to reevaluate their diet to help their digestion. If your child does not have a sensitivity or celiac disease, there is no need for a gluten-free diet.

Processed Foods

Processed foods are usually good to shy away from for a myriad of reasons. In regards to your child’s digestion, processed foods can contain low levels of fiber and lots of additives. Fiber helps food move through your digestive system. Processed foods don’t have enough fiber to move through your body correctly, so they can cause digestion problems. The additives found in processed foods can also cause your gut’s microbiome to become imbalanced. Your microbiome is a collection of bacteria in your gut, and the chemicals and additives can wreak havoc on it.

Navigating your child’s diet can be tricky, especially if you have a picky eater. This becomes even more difficult if your child is showing symptoms of digestion issues. Try eliminating or altering their intake of these foods to see if it helps. Consult a medical professional if the symptoms are worrisome.

Check out this article on things you can do to help your child maintain a healthy weight!