Golden nutrients for a healthy digestive system in children

The digestive system is where food is converted into nutrients, thereby providing energy for the body, to grow and heal damaged cells. A healthy digestive system is the basic premise for best development of children, ensuring that children eat well, absorb nutrients well, and at the same time support them to increase their resistance, stay away from diseases and stimulate brain development.

1. What is a healthy digestive system?

A healthy digestive system is when food is digested well, the body absorbs nutrients, eliminates residues from the body effectively, bowel functions normally and is less susceptible to digestive disorders.

A healthy digestive system allows comprehensive development for your baby

Children with healthy digestive systems often have the following symptoms:

– Eat well and sleep well without crying, always happy and comfortable

– Less prone to digestive disorders such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating, flatulence…

– Good development in weight, height and intelligence.

– Soft and rosy skin.

2. The importance of a healthy digestive system

Digestion is very important because the body needs nutrients from daily food sources to maintain health and normal functioning. The digestive system is like a “factory” that processes food, providing nutrients to nourish the entire body. These substances include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water that are converted by the digestive system into beneficial nutrients that are easily absorbed by the body, for use in important tasks such as creating energy, supporting growth and repairing cells. 

A healthy digestive system is an important foundation for the comprehensive development of children. A good digestive system will help convert food into nutrients, provide energy for the body and support healthy growth. This not only helps children develop height and intelligence but also maintains overall health. On the contrary, digestive problems such as bloating, indigestion, constipation, or diarrhea can lead to anorexia, reduced appetite and affect the child’s ability to absorb nutrients. This condition, if prolonged, will weaken the child’s resistance, making the child susceptible to illness, fatigue, and slow development, affecting their mental and physical health later on. 

3. Essential nutrients for digestive health

Nutrition plays an essential role in maintaining digestive health. A scientific, healthy diet not only provides the body with the necessary nutrients but also ensures optimal digestive function. Below are some “golden” nutrients that are good for children’s digestive systems.

Fiber

Fiber plays an important role in the body in helping the digestive system stay healthy, preventing constipation and possibly reducing the risk of developing certain diseases related to the intestines. Fiber is often divided into two types: 

– Soluble fiber: This type of fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance, making your baby’s “digestive products” softer and easier to pass. Soluble fiber is found in oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, and barley.

– Insoluble fiber: This type of fiber promotes the movement of food through the digestive system, supporting regularity and increasing stool bulk. Eating foods rich in insoluble fiber, combined with drinking enough water, can be beneficial for people with constipation or irregular stools. Whole wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts, beans and vegetables such as broccoli, green beans and potatoes are good sources of insoluble fiber.

Vegetables are a rich source of fiber for the body

Essential vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals are essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system, supporting the body’s ability to process food, absorb nutrients and eliminate waste effectively. Some important nutrients that parents should pay attention to supplement for their children include:

– B vitamins support energy production, help improve metabolism and support digestion for children. This group is found in cereals, green vegetables, meat, eggs, milk, beans…

– Vitamin C helps soften stools, reducing the risk of constipation by penetrating the digestive tract, bringing water into the intestines. Parents can find vitamin C in foods such as oranges, tangerines, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, berries, broccoli, cereals…

Vitamins make up a very small proportion but are essential for the digestion of food

– Lysine is an essential amino acid that the body cannot produce itself and must be supplied from external food sources. It is an important component of many proteins such as enzymes, antibodies and hormones. Lysine stimulates the secretion of acid in the stomach, supporting the digestion and absorption of nutrients from food. This helps improve children’s digestive function, preventing indigestion, bloating and constipation, children absorb nutrients better, and are guaranteed adequate nutrition for development. Parents can refer to foods rich in lysine for their children such as cheese, beef, chicken, tuna,…

– Zinc affects enzymes in the body, supporting the stimulation of protein synthesis. As a result, children with adequate zinc supplementation will have a feeling of hunger, good appetite, better digestion, and reduced digestive disorders. Zinc is abundant in meats and whole grains.

Lysine and zinc are the key to solving the problem of anorexia and poor digestion in children

Probiotics

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host. Probiotics are used to replenish beneficial bacteria in the gut to help treat or prevent diseases and symptoms related to the gut, minimizing the risk of digestive diseases. Probiotics help to digest food better, keep the body healthy and fight disease, reduce discomfort from abdominal diseases such as bloating, indigestion, and limit diarrhea and constipation,..

In addition to probiotics used to improve the digestive system, currently, postbiotics – a by-product created during the fermentation process of probiotic bacteria is also being researched and applied by scientists. Unlike probiotics, microorganisms need to be kept in an active state to be effective, postbiotics do not need to be alive to be effective. According to ISSAP, postbiotics are “a mixture of inactivated microorganisms and their components that provide health benefits to the host”. This helps postbiotics have better stability, maximizing the effectiveness of use such as: maintaining the balance of microbiota (a large collection of microorganisms living in symbiosis in the human body), nourishing intestinal cells to avoid digestive disorders and enhancing the natural immune system.

Therefore, a good way to balance your child’s microbiome is through a healthy and adequate diet to supplement probiotics and postbiotics. If probiotic bacteria are fed the right foods, they will produce postbiotics in the body. Parents can increase the production of postbiotics in their children’s bodies through a diet rich in fiber such as fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. Or fermented foods such as kimchi and naturally fermented sauerkraut can help meet the need. However, not all foods containing probiotics will increase postbiotics. Therefore, parents can supplement postbiotics for their children through some supplements, thereby better supporting their intestinal health and immune system.

Supporting digestion is one of the most important effects of Postbiotics

In order to provide a good solution for a healthy digestive system in Vietnamese children, Nutricare scientists have collaborated with the Nutricare Medical Nutrition Institute of the United States (NMNI-USA) to launch the nutritional product Metacare 2+. The pioneering product applies Postbiotics probiotic technology, providing up to 10 billion probiotics (Postbiotic Lactococcus Lactis) that are beneficial for children’s intestines, helping to restore balance, prevent diseases and symptoms related to the intestines. At the same time, Colos 24h Colostrum imported from the US is rich in IgG antibodies and soluble fiber FOS in Metacare 2+ also helps children digest better, improve immunity.

In addition, the product also contains 52 optimal nutrients, including Protein, Zinc, Lysine to increase energy metabolism, children eat well, gain healthy weight and catch up with growth. With 3 glasses or 3 cartons of standard ready-to-drink milk, Metacare 2+ nutritional product allows children to minimize the risk of digestive diseases, enhance natural immunity, and have strong resistance to participate in all challenges.

For a healthy digestive system, parents need to create a healthy diet for their children with the above golden nutrients. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that children have a regular and adequate physical exercise. Regular physical exercise helps children’s intestinal peristalsis work effectively, food is pushed out more quickly and easily, without congestion causing constipation.