What kids eat can influence whether or not they get asthma.

It’s all about good gut-health.

But if  you think the bacteria causes asthma, think again. According to this research, it’s the absence of certain microbes that is the problem.

And unbelievably, one of the solutions is to go beyond rice cereal when you’re weaning your infant. Keep reading. This is important stuff.

According to The Wall Street Journal article, Get Your Children Good and Dirty, “3-month-olds who had four particular microbes in their feces were much less likely to get asthma later in life.”

It’s not just asthma, though. Good gut bacteria is also linked to fewer instances of diabetes, allergies,inflammatory bowel diseases, autoimmune diseases, autism, obesity and certain types of cancer.

1) Let your kids get dirty. 2) Don’t overuse antibiotics. 3) Feed your kids a diverse set of foods.

Good gut-health early in life matters because this is when the whole system is getting “set.”  Good gut-health, it turns out, is a function of having lots of different buggies in our bodies. I believe the researchers more formally talk about a, “diverse community of microorganisms.”

“As a practical matter, this means we shouldn’t feed a baby only rice cereal for weeks until the package is finished. We should offer a variety of grains, including oats, rice, barley and quinoa. It is also important to offer whole grains instead of refined ones. The Western diet is extremely low in fiber, and refined grains contain very little of it.”

Bacteria responds to diet. That’s why eating a variety of foods is the best way to increase microbial diversity.

So here’s the deal. Don’t use the go-slow weaning approach. I’ve long said that it teaches kids to expect a monotonous not a varied diet. Now you also know that it may impact good-gut health and your child’s chances of getting one of these diseases and disorders.

Instead, mix it up. Did you know that 75% of the world’s food comes from just 12 plant species and five animal species. And three plants—rice, corn and wheat—account for 60% of the calories we get from plants? That’s crazy.

Read Early Vegetable Variety: The French Advantage and How Do I Introduce Baby Food? Think Variety.

~Changing the conversation from nutrition to habits.~

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/get-your-children-good-and-dirty-1473950250