20 Foods to Support Your Baby’s Gut Health

The first year of a baby’s life and what they eat can shape their gut health in more ways than we think. As a Holistic Nutrition Consultant for Babies, let me share with you 20 foods to support your baby’s gut health.

Not until I became a mother did I learn the importance of gut healing foods. Growing up, I always had health problems from asthma, to eczema, to food allergies and a sensitivity to gluten.

It wasn’t until I began to support my gut through the use of probiotics and gut healing foods that my gut health really improved.

With a baby, you can begin to support their little gut microbiome from as early as when they are in the womb. But if you already have a baby earthside, it is not too late to begin supporting their health by supporting their gut.

If you don’t know my health story of my three eldest children, here is a little snippet: When I was pregnant with my two eldest daughters, I did not intentionally eat to support my pregnancy and take the right supplementation throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. They both grew up with food allergies, asthma and severe eczema between the both of them.

By the time I fell pregnant with my third baby, I had studied holistic nutrition and had acquired the knowledge I needed to support my pregnancy with the right kind of nutrition and supplementation. My third baby grew up not suffering from any allergies, eczema or asthma to this date and he is now two years old.

Coincidence? I think not! I truly believe you can begin supporting a baby’s gut health right from the start of conception and in their first two years of life.

If you want to learn more about how to support your pregnancy through nutrition and more, check out my book Your Holistic Guide to Pregnancy Nutrition.

Let’s dive into the best kind of foods to support your baby’s gut health.

20 Foods to Support Your Baby’s Gut Health

I am going to categorise the below foods with their health benefits to show you why these foods are great for your baby’s gut health.

For building and diversifying your baby’s gut microbiome:

Probiotic-rich foods like:

1. Plain yoghurt
2. Kefir (milk once over one year and coconut)
3. Sauerkraut (begin with the brine and then introduce blended vegetables)
4. Kimchi
5. Miso

You can also give your baby a baby-safe probiotic supplement before and while they are introduced to solid foods, to ensure that their gut has a variation of good bacteria. I recommend this probiotic for babies).

For strengthening the intestinal barrier of a baby’s gut (which reduces the risk of food sensitivities and allergies):

1. Homemade bone broth (excellent source of gelatin, containing collagen; the main structural protein of the connective tissue).
2. Animal protein: beef, pork, chicken and wild game
3. Organ meats (small quantities only. You can use a powder if you don’t want to buy the actual meat itself).
4. Liver pate (recipe)
5. Eggs (can also be an allergen, so ensure your baby has been introduced to eggs safely first).

Anti-inflammatory foods are rich in antioxidants and help to support a baby’s immune system. They can also help to calm the inflammation associated with eczema (study).

1. Dark leafy greens (mix into other foods or blend in smoothies)
2. Blueberries
3. Pineapple (raw on empty stomach is best for digestion)
4. Papaya (raw on empty stomach is best for digestion)
5. Celery
6. Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli)
7. Coconut oil
8. Wild salmon
9. Oily fish
10. Colourful vegetables

Decreasing a baby’s toxic load

In order for gut supporting foods to have their full effect, it is important to know that a baby’s body is like a little bucket.

That bucket becomes fuller overtime with positive things like anti-inflammatory foods or negative things like sickness. If your baby’s body (or bucket) overflows with negative things like lots of sugary foods, lack of sleep, sickness, nutrient deficiencies and so on, it is likely that your baby will react to certain foods and toxins that they once did not.

In order to keep your baby’s body (or bucket) from overflowing with negative things, then eating more gut supporting foods is a great start.

Some other positive contributors to a baby’s gut health are:

• Sufficient sleep
• Natural skin care products (with no toxic chemicals in it, like fragrance)
• Natural cleaning products
• Reducing plastic use
• Natural bedding
• Sufficient outside play
• Hydration
• Sufficient active play
• Social interaction

Of course, there will be days when sickness strikes or they have had a little too much sugar, but when you are engaging in the above suggestions in how to support their bodies, then it is less likely that their body will be overburdened by negative triggers.

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