Here at Little Inca, we’re dedicated to creating products that help support your baby’s gut microbiome. Our team spend months before developing each product to make sure we’re up to date with the latest gut microbiome research, to ensure we pack as many gut-friendly ingredients into our products as possible. But why is your baby’s gut microbiome so important?
Well, let’s just talk a little bit more about what the gut microbiome actually is. It’s a mass of teeny tiny organisms – bacteria, yeasts – which create a living community within your baby’s digestive system, from their mouths right down to their lower gut. This gut microbiome is like a garden – continually growing and changing – and reacting to its environment.
But why do you need to look after your baby’s gut microbiome?
There is so much research going on around the globe exploring the relationship between our gut microbiome and our health. Did you know that:
- Our gut microbiome helps us to absorb essential vitamins and minerals
- Our gut microbiome actually talks to our brain and is even called our second brain by many researchers!
- Our gut microbiome is a key part of our immune system, helping to keep our tummies healthy and happy
- Our gut microbiome even helps with getting tummies going and having a healthy poop
- Our gut microbiome can protect us against heart problems, obesity and even diabetes later in life
This is just a little bit of the research going on around the world. Researchers have even analysed the gut microbiome of toddlers and compared this to their health as older children. They’ve found links between a healthier gut microbiome at around the age of 2 and a child’s risk of developing obesity when they are teenagers. What that means is, if you can help to support your child’s healthy gut microbiome now, this may help them to be healthier later on in life.
It’s a continually evolving world… and as parents we can help to support a healthy gut microbiome right from the first days of feeding. When weaning, it’s important to gradually introduce your baby to a variety of different plant foods – vegetables and some fruits of all different colours, easy to digest grains such as quinoa which are also rich in soluble fibre. The right fibres and different colours in plant foods really help to support a diverse and rich gut microbiome for your baby, right from the early days of weaning.
