Alternatives to Neon Electrolyte Drinks

In case one of your tiny loved ones gets the barfing flu this winter (can you believe I just wished that on you?!), I thought I would pass along my recent research on non-neon electrolyte beverages. When EGirl was feeling terrible recently, I decided that the last thing her system needed while it was down and out was a whole mess of artifical colors, flavors, and sweeteners. Naturally, I turned to twitter for advice.

Thanks so much to the many people who helped me out. It turns out that you can make your own electrolyte concoctions, or purchase coconut water at Whole Paycheck or find this premade organic electrolyte drink. I did the first of the two options. I will have to admit that EGirl has tasted Gatorade before so she looked at these drinks like they were rat piss after one sip. I figured she was fine with just water, a little of the electrolyte, and some banana for potassium. Maybe the premade will help us out in the future! Worth a shot with your own kid, though.

Also, you should know there is a natural version of jello (anyone know how to make it with gelatine and fruit juice?), and we always hit up the probiotics for tummy troubles. Now to 'splain to CBoy that the white flour products in the house aren't coming back for awhile. His refrain of WANT COOKIE (animal crackers) is going to get ignored for a bit while we move back into the land of fiber. Hope you and yours are transitioning to fall with happy tummies.



*Photo courtesy of sxc.
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Pro Biotics Pro Pro Biotics

Quick and dirty: if you or your kids have tummy troubles, try taking probiotics. They've been shown to relieve diarrhea and recent research shows they may help reduce colic in unhappy babies, maybe indicating that those sad little people are just (loudly) protesting the state of their intestines. Breastfeeding itself helps maintain beneficial gut flora, but mothers taking probiotics while pregnant/breastfeeding may improve on "gut immunity and probiotic supplementation for formula-fed kids may be helpful in preventing them from getting diarrhea.

The basic idea behind probiotics is that they may help restore balance to the flora in your gut, which live in delicate balance. Antibiotics or stress or illness can wipe out all the bacteria in your gut, giving diarrhea-causing flora a vacuum to fill. Probiotics are supposed to perform the reverse service, kicking out bad bacteria and allowing good bacteria to recolonize your gut. My kids' pediatrician recommended them for me while breastfeeding to pass along to my colicky baby, and to get rid of thrush (a fungal/yeast-based illness). She also prescribed probiotics to prevent diarrhea when my kids needed to take antibiotics. Apparently, research shows that probiotics help alleviate excema and milk allergies in children as well. We now use probiotics with success whenever tummy trouble's an issue for the kids, no matter the cause.

There are multiple strains of probiotics and most doctors I've talked to recommend getting at least three strains in a supplement at one time. Unfortunately, although research is promising regarding supplementation, probiotics are regulated as food and the exact strains found in supplements can vary, so go to a reputable store or pharmacy and talk to a knowledgeable person about which brand to buy. This table catalogues which specific benefits have been attributed to which specific strains (the particular strains matter), and designates brands/suppliers carrying tested probiotic strains. As you might imagine, most products containing research-tested strains of probiotics trumpet this fact in their marketing.

To get the benefits of probiotics, adults can eat yogurt (make your own! it's easy) or drink kefir (yogurt drinks), take pills or buy specially fermented probiotic beverages (holy bleccch in my opinion, BatMama, but my yeast-prone neighbor swears by them). For the kiddoes you can dissolve capsules in water to administer by eyedropper (infants) or give them chewable supplements, yogurt, or kefir (yogurt drinks). EGirl loves the orange flavor of these kid-marketed kefir drinks so we (occasionally, as they fit perfectly into the Whole Paycheck pricing structure) stick them in her lunchbag. Probiotic supplements need to be refrigerated so look in the cold case in the nutrition section of your local health food store.

May your legions of gut flora be well-balanced and strong! Read more!