10/10/2025
🌿 Kids’ Behaviour & Gut Health: Understanding the Link Through a Holistic Lens
As parents, we all want our children to thrive — physically, emotionally, and socially. So when behavioural challenges arise — from tantrums, mood swings, and anxiety, to difficulty concentrating or hyperactivity — it’s natural to seek answers.
What many don’t realise is that behavioural symptoms are often rooted in the gut. Yes — the digestive system plays a huge role in how your child thinks, feels, and responds to the world.
This is where naturopathy, functional medicine, and holistic health come together to offer deep, supportive answers — not just band-aid solutions.
🧠 The Gut–Brain Connection: What’s Really Going On?
The gut and brain are in constant communication through what’s known as the gut-brain axis — a two-way highway involving the nervous system, immune system, and microbiome (the trillions of microbes living in the gut).
Here’s how imbalances in gut health can influence your child’s behaviour:
Dysbiosis (an imbalance in gut bacteria) can lead to the production of compounds that affect mood and focus.
Leaky gut can allow inflammatory substances to cross into the bloodstream, impacting brain function.
Gut bacteria help make neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA — both crucial for calm, happy, regulated behaviour.
Poor digestion = poor absorption of key nutrients like zinc, magnesium, and B vitamins, all needed for healthy brain function.
⚠️ Common Signs Your Child’s Gut May Be Affecting Their Behaviour
Tantrums or mood instability
Anxiety or separation issues
Trouble focusing or sitting still
Aggression or defiance
Sleep issues
Digestive complaints (tummy aches, constipation, bloating, reflux)
Food intolerances or picky eating
🔬 Functional Medicine Testing: Deeper Clarity, Real Answers
At Barefoot Holistic Health, I use evidence-based functional testing to get to the root of what’s going on.
Common tests I may recommend include:
Comprehensive Stool Testing – assesses gut bacteria, parasites, inflammation, digestion, and more
Organic Acids Testing (OAT) – reveals neurotransmitter balance, detox capacity, and microbial overgrowth
Food Sensitivity Testing – identifies inflammatory triggers often missed in standard allergy testing
Nutrigenomic Testing – looks at how your child’s genes influence nutrient needs, detoxification, brain chemistry, and more
These tests are non-invasive, child-friendly, and incredibly helpful for creating targeted, effective treatment plans.
🌱 Natural Treatments That Build the Body (Not Deplete It)
Rather than using suppressive or stimulant-based approaches, naturopathic care focuses on restoring balance and supporting the body's own healing systems.
Some key treatment pillars include:
✅ Restoring the Gut Microbiome
Use of probiotics and prebiotics specific to your child’s needs
Removing overgrowth of harmful bacteria or yeasts (gently and safely)
Nutritional support for gut lining integrity (e.g., glutamine, zinc, slippery elm)
✅ Nutritional Therapy
Nutrient repletion based on testing (e.g., magnesium, B6, omega-3s)
Wholefood-based dietary guidance to reduce inflammation and boost mood
Addressing blood sugar regulation for more balanced energy and behaviour
✅ Nutrigenomics Support
Using genetic insights to personalise nutrition and supplementation
Supporting methylation, detox pathways, and neurotransmitter production
Tailoring plans to work with your child’s body, not against it
✅ Lifestyle & Emotional Support
Calming techniques like breathwork, movement, and mindfulness for kids
Screen time management and nervous system regulation
Parental support and tools to feel confident, not overwhelmed
🌸 Holistic Health is Family Health
When we address the root causes, behavioural challenges often begin to soften. Sleep improves. Moods stabilise. Your child becomes more resilient, more connected, and more at ease in their body and brain.
And best of all — they’re supported naturally, gently, and holistically.
💛 Ready to Support Your Child’s Health – from the Inside Out?
Whether your child has a diagnosis (like ADHD, ASD, anxiety) or just isn’t quite thriving, I’m here to listen and guide you with compassion, experience, and natural tools that truly work.
💻 Learn more or book online: www.barefootholistichealth.com
📞 Call or text Nicki on 0478 303 376
📱Like my page: Barefoot Holistic Health
📸 Follow me on Instagram: barefootholistichealth
With heart and holistic care,
Nicki 🌿
