Gut Health is kinda our jam!

Digestive symptoms are common in children, but that does not mean they should simply be dismissed as a normal part of childhood. A child with ongoing constipation may also experience reduced appetite, stomach pain, toileting anxiety, irritability or difficulty sleeping. A child with reflux or nausea may begin avoiding food because eating no longer feels safe. Frequent loose stools may affect nutrient status, energy and participation in everyday activities.

Gut symptoms can be particularly complicated for autistic children, ADHDers and sensory sensitive people.

A person may have difficulty recognising early hunger, fullness or toileting signals. Sensory sensitivities can affect food variety, fluid intake, bathroom use and tolerance of supplements. Interoceptive differences may make it difficult to identify where discomfort is coming from or describe symptoms clearly.

Stress, transitions, sensory overload and nervous system activation can also influence appetite, digestion and bowel function.

This means gut support needs to be practical and neuroaffirming.

We do not use restrictive diets automatically. We do not assume that every symptom is behavioural. We do not expect a person to tolerate an unrealistic routine simply because it looks good on paper.

We work with safe foods, existing routines and the person’s current capacity while identifying realistic opportunities to support digestive comfort and nutritional adequacy.

When a child or adult has a restricted diet, the answer is not simply to remove more foods. Food avoidance may be influenced by sensory differences, fear, pain, reflux, nausea, constipation, previous vomiting, low appetite, food allergies or difficulty interpreting internal body signals. Gut discomfort can make feeding challenges worse, while a very limited diet may also influence bowel regularity, nutrient intake and the developing gut microbiome.

Adults often arrive after years of being told that their gut symptoms are stress, something they ate or simply something they need to live with. You may experience bloating by the end of every day, alternate between constipation and diarrhoea, avoid social situations because your gut is unpredictable or feel as though your list of tolerated foods is gradually becoming smaller.