The Best Fiber Supplements for Your Toddler

We all want the best in life for our children. Sometimes that may not be the most obvious thing, or what is at the very front of our minds. One way to ensure that they are able to get their best opportunities for digestive health is to start fiber supplements for your toddler.

Fiber provides necessary support to the metabolic process, absorbing excess fluids from the digestive tract. This adds bulk to the stool while almost making them softer and easier to pass. This allows them to feel more fulfilled by meals, allows easier digestion, and prevents painful episodes of constipation.

What Exactly Is Fiber?

Dietary fiber—or as our parents may have referred to it, roughage—is a type of carbohydrate that is naturally found as an indigestible part of the plants we eat. Being indigestible, however, doesn’t mean that your body doesn’t put it to good use. Here are just a number of things that fiber does to help keep our bodies working:

• Encourage regularity of bowel movements.
• Slows down the absorption of sugars and maintains blood glucose.
• Reduces risk of hemorrhoids.
• Eases the passing of stool.
• Regulates hunger.

It is vital to our metabolic process, allowing the nutrients from our food to be slowly digested as it makes its way through the intestines.

How Do We Normally Get Fiber?

We obtain our fiber through our diet, but not all sources are created equally. In fact, most Americans are deficient in fiber, adding to the frequency in which our physicians are seeing bowel disease, constipation, and other forms of gastrological discomfort. Some of the most fiber-rich foods are:

• Wholegrains
• Broccoli
• Beans
• Legumes
• Berries

For some, however, the dietary sources are not enough. There are a variety of fiber supplements that people can use to ensure that they receive at least the minimum amount that they desire. These frequently come in the form of capsules, tablets, or a mix-in powder that can be added to food or drink.

Why Isn’t Diet Enough?

Too often our little-ones will wake us up in the middle of the night with upset tummies, or other gastrointestinal upsets. This can be due to the fact that not everyone’s gut flora is created equally. Our individual bodies can process things differently or may be subjected to external stimuli, such as increased stress, physical activity, or significant changes in routine.

When your child begins showing signs of digestive issues, follow up with their physician for an appropriate assessment of the situation to ensure that there may not be an underlying medical condition that could be the cause of the malabsorption. Once other risks are cleared away, they may recommend fiber supplements. This can ensure that your child is receiving a healthy and stable baseline of fiber intake.

How Do I Know A Supplement Is a High Quality?

When making a choice for something that is going to protect the well-being of our children, we want to make sure it is of sufficient quality. But what is the difference between all these different kinds of supplements? At a glance, it can be very difficult to tell, but as parents, we must once more don our detective hats and pull out the magnifying glance.

Here are some of the key factors to keep an eye out for are:

No refined sugars

Excess sugars are often used to sweeten or flavor them and totally unnecessary to an effective product. Besides, the last thing we want to do is pump our toddlers with tummy troubles up with sugar.

Locally Sourced

Some products may have ingredients that have been sent the world over. When they have been passed through multiple hands, there can be a lack of oversight and quality control. Knowing where your product—down to its base ingredients—is made can assure you that they are safe and held to a consistent standard of quality.

Third-Party Tested

When it comes to someone trying to sell you something, it helps to be able to get an endorsement from someone other than the company that would stand to make a profit. If a product is of high quality, they will list third-party quality and efficacy testing for you to review on your own.

Keep your child’s wellbeing as your number one goal, and remember that sometimes their little bodies need support. Find a reputable brand, and remember to be consistent!