If we've met in person, I'm sure we've landed on the subject of poop. I never thought the topic would be of daily discussion, but it is, thanks to the wonderful world of motherhood.
My second son struggles with going to the bathroom, and from talking to fellow moms, I've learned he's not the only one; that in fact, it's very common. It downright sucks, and I'm desperate to do anything to help his potty experience be easier.
I've tried stuff like MiriLAX, but it doesn't work. Frankly, we attribute his "issues" to his lack of eating. Yep, I'm talking about the kid who lives on Mac & Cheese, yogurt, and crackers... clearly no sign of fiber. Duh.
Enter my friend and Health Coach, Michelle Gulbas, of Eat Well Michelle. Her sons REQUEST snacks like fruits and veggies, leaving me in kid envy.
Michelle has given me advice on sneaking more fiber into my son's diet, and I have to admit- the tricks seem to be working. Since I'm clearly not alone on this poop journey, thought I'd share her insight.
According to Michelle, fiber is super duper important. Toddlers (ages 1-3) should be getting 19 grams of fiber per day and kids (4-8) should have 25 grams per day. In addition, girls (9-18) should have 26 grams/day, and boys (9-13) should have 31 grams/day.
Due to today’s Western diet, it is estimated that the average American consumes half of the recommended fiber intake each day! And as Michelle puts it: this is why kids don’t go number two.
Michelle says poop should be an every day occurrence, even though many kids seem to be going 2-3 times a week. The goal is to try and aim for 8 grams of fiber per meal to get your child to the daily recommended amount. Snacking on fiber rich foods will also help them reach the RDA.
Along with water, some easy high fiber foods include: bananas, chips, peas, oats, almonds, raspberries and avocados. But if your kid is like mine and prefers something a little more "snacky," Michelle has shared five healthy, on -the -go snacks that have at least 3 g of fiber per serving.
Roasted Chickpeas- made of chickpeas, sunflower oil, sea salt.
Goji berries- featuring almighty antioxidant powers.
Baked Apple chips- real apples, baked' til they're crave-ably crunchy.
Popcorn- the first popcorn snack made with organic grass-fed ghee. Made with better-for-you ingredients like pink Himalayan salt.
Oat bars- the soft-baked oat bar blends whole grain oats, apples and spinach to create a nutritious snack.
More questions? Michelle's Instagram has a whole bunch of ways and recipes to treat your kids to healthy, delicious, nutritious meals.
Nadine Bubeck is a TV personality, fashion designer, author, blogger, and Scottsdale-based blessed boy mom.
