Healthy gut - healthy child

While every fart is still commented on in infancy, the rule later on is: you have digestion, you don't talk about it. That's a shame, because what happens in the gut is not only exciting, but also has an impact on our overall health.
The intestine is fully developed from around the age of five. Then there is no difference between children's and adults' intestines. Nevertheless, the childhood years in particular are very important for the development of healthy intestinal flora. Because the gut does not forget. What it once learnt shapes it for life. And a healthy intestinal flora is an important basis for a healthy existence in general. In order for parents to know what they can do for a healthy gut, they should know how digestion works.

Well chewed is half digested

So let's take a deep journey with our food. The digestive system extends from the mouth via the oesophagus through the stomach to the intestines. Various digestive processes take place all along the way. Even saliva plays its part: it allows the food to slide more easily through the throat and kills the first bacteria. And this is where humans can help: If you chew well, you mix everything with saliva and thus help to aid digestion. The food tumbles into the oesophagus in small pieces and is transported further by muscles to finally fall into the stomach - a collecting basin with a volume of almost one litre. This is where the chewed pieces of food meet the stomach acid. It contains specific digestive enzymes that break the food down into even smaller pieces. The pieces of food bounce from stomach wall to stomach wall until they have reached the size of a sesame seed.

Everything affects the gut: butterflies in the stomach, anxiety or stress.

At the end of the stomach is a muscle called the porter. It checks the size of the pieces before releasing them for onward travel. Then the food finally reaches the intestine. With a length of 5 metres and a surface area of 32 square metres, it is the largest digestive organ. It contains a wide variety of microorganisms. Their task is to maintain a stable ecosystem in the body. To do this, the intestine learns to distinguish between normal influences and pests in order to combat the latter.
But of course the gut can only work with things it knows. Many Asians, for example, have a lactose intolerance because they are not used to drinking milk. Their intestines have therefore never developed the enzymes needed to digest it. The intestinal flora of a person from Asia is therefore different from that of a person from Europe or America.
In the same way, the intestinal flora of a person who eats a healthy diet differs from that of a person whose main food is sweets.

The health all-rounder

But even if the gut seems to be a creature of habit, a targeted change in diet can bring about positive changes at any time. Eating a healthy diet reduces the risk of intestinal diseases, haemorrhoids, bowel and possibly stomach cancer. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels are also improved. The gut also has a major influence on the immune system and is therefore the cause of many diseases that would never be associated with it. For example, allergies, skin diseases and intolerances. The intestinal flora also has an enormous influence on appearance and body weight.

Feelings are a matter for the gut

The brain is the organ with the most nerve cells - and right after it comes the gut with a whole million nerve cells. Emotions influence intestinal functions where they arise: in the limbic system, which is connected to the intestines. Everything affects the gut: butterflies in the stomach, fear, stress. When adrenaline is released, this can disrupt bowel function, resulting in flatulence, bloating and constipation. Other hormones, such as anxiety hormones, have the opposite effect and the bowel switches to a draught. The phrase «being scared of something» is therefore no coincidence. Conversely, the gut also has an effect on emotions: 95 per cent of happiness hormones are produced in the gut. So if you want to be happy, you have to keep your gut in good shape. And vice versa: the gut remembers psychological problems. So if you want a healthy gut, you should be happy as often as possible.

Taboo subject of bowel movements

With all these dependencies, the question naturally arises: when is the bowel healthy? The colour and consistency of the bowel movements are a good indicator of whether the bowel is doing well. If it looks like a brown paste, everything is fine. If there are small dark-coloured pellets that leave the feeling that more should go, the bowel is starting to get sick. If bowel movements occur less than three times a week, the amount is small and the stool is hard, this is called constipation. However, you should not immediately resort to medication. Plenty of fluids, a balanced diet and plenty of exercise and relaxation are a good antidote. If this does not get the bowels moving again, you should see a doctor. If the stool is too liquid and can hardly be held in, this is called diarrhoea. The loss of fluids over a longer period of time is dangerous. A doctor should therefore be contacted after three days.
Regardless of the consistency of the stool, most of us actually sit incorrectly on the loo: for a correct posture, the feet should be slightly raised so that the knees are higher than the pelvis. This way, the stool slides better and you don't have to push it with pressure. This in turn protects the haemorrhoids.

If ready-made fruit salad in the fridge is as easy to take as chocolate, it has a chance.

Fart 20 times a day

Fart research - yes, there really is such a thing - is investigating why flatulence smells so different. 30 tonnes of food pass through the intestines in a lifetime, some of which cause flatulence, for example certain types of sugar contained in cabbage, beans and onions. Gases that are in the body also have to come out again, so everyone farts about 20 times a day. The longer food remains in the body, the more gases can develop. To speed up digestion and perhaps reduce farting, it is therefore important to rest after eating! After all, digestion is peak performance for the body. And: even if it is considered indecent to burp and fart: the gases have to come out, there is no other way to digest them. If you hold it in for too long, it will cause pain. If they cannot escape at all, for example in the case of a bowel obstruction, there is a risk of the bowel bursting.
In order to understand how a fart occurs, we now need to take another mental journey into the bowel. Firstly, the chyme enters the small intestine, where it is kneaded - villi support this process. The nutrients are transported via the bloodstream and supply the body with the necessary substances and energy. The small intestine pushes everything that has not been processed further into the large intestine as a pulp. This is exactly where the gases are produced: Nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide - the perfect fart. If it contains at least one per cent sulphur compounds, it smells. Sulphur is found in the diet primarily in animal products such as meat or eggs, but also in plant products such as onions and garlic. The individual intestinal flora decides what happens to the sulphur. Depending on the intestinal flora, one person may stink after eating, while another person may have odourless flatulence. If you suffer from severe flatulence, you should check the ingredients of the food you frequently eat. Ready meals and fast food in particular often contain sugar, which promotes flatulence.

Nutrition for young people

But it is precisely the bloating convenience food that tastes so good to children. And the older they get, the less influence you have on their eating behaviour. They quickly grab a burger from the American giant with their colleagues or eat lunch in the canteen, where they rarely choose salad. Although young people today know a lot about healthy eating and the need for sufficient exercise, they rarely stick to it in everyday life: pizza wins out over vegetables, the Playstation over a walk in the woods. But coercion and pressure are of little help at this age. They spoil the food and the mood. Even before puberty, for the sake of the gut, you should set an example of healthy eating behaviour for your child and make it palatable. As humans are creatures of habit, adolescents will not forget everything, even if they enjoy eating a burger with friends. Maintain regular mealtimes with the whole family so that your teenager also eats healthy food. The ideal would be 30 grams of fibre per day, low fat, plenty of water and exercise.
Regular family meals are also a good way to stay in dialogue with teenagers, get concerns off their chest and talk about important issues. Problems are discussed and solutions found at the family table. This has a positive effect on the atmosphere, but also on the gut.

7 tips for a healthy gut

• A balanced diet consists of plenty of fibre, fruit and vegetables, meat and small amounts of fat.
• Have healthy food on the menu right from the start and make it as easily accessible as possible for young people. If the ready-made fruit salad in the fridge is just as easy to consume as a bar of chocolate, it has a chance.
• Chew well and eat slowly - what you gulp down will strain your bowels afterwards.
• Don't forget to drink plenty of fluids: Water, tea and diluted juices are good sources of fluids.
• Exercise keeps people and their bowels in good shape - take the stairs rather than the lift, a walk, a bike ride or a fitness subscription can also help.
• It is better to rest after eating - because digestion is exhausting for the body.
• Ensure sufficient relaxation and healthy sleep.