[g_podcast id="12635879"]
Today I have Dr. NicoleKikillus, "Kiki" for short, and Christian Clemens from the "Glücksknirpsen" as my guests.Neither of them had much to do with health during their training.Kiki successfully completed her studies in electrical engineering and information technology and went on to gain a doctorate in engineering (summa cum laude).Christian has a degree in business administration. He worked as a research assistant for several years.
A few years ago, they both started a blog out of passion. A short time later, their 1st German-language children'shealth online congressfollowed. Because the response from participants was so overwhelming, another congress followed a year later. Their successful online business, "Glücksknirpse", grew out of these online congresses.
Today, both work as interviewers, bloggers, "researchers" and developers of online courses.Kiki is a coach for conscious parenting (AwareParenting Instructor) certified by Dr.Aletha Solter and Christian also works as a coach for school problems.
Their children & health project "Glücksknirpse" is intended for parents who inform themselves, think about and make conscious decisions in matters of health, education, nutrition, etc., parents who actively take the health & happiness of their family into their own hands. And children grow up and live happier, more stress-free, full of life, freer and healthier.
We talk about the following topics, among others:
In the next Darmglück episode, I will talk to you about the topic of "microbiome analysis", which is a very detailed analysis and provides us with very precise information about the state of our intestinal flora and the pH value of our intestines. It also reveals whether harmful bacteria or fungi are present, and much more. If you would like more detailed information on this, make a note of this episode and be sure to listen to it.
I'm delighted to have the lovely Kiki and Christian as my guests. Welcome and thank you for taking the time.
You are mainly concerned with the topic of'children'under the name "Glücksknirpse". Ene of the topics is, of course, nutrition, and that's how I came across you.ssen. Now woulde would of course be very interested in how you came up with the topic of'nutrition' and'Nutrition for children' have come.
Christian: I think it was around 2010.I had all sorts of health problems and the doctors were relatively helpless. They could never tell me what I could do. For example, I had osteoarthritis in my toe when I was very young. It was very painful, but nothing could be done about it.
At some pointit got sobad that I startedexperimentingwith my diet.I also had hay fever, for example. There'san Indian doctor whose name I can't pronounce [note:F.Batmanghelidj]. He put forward a theory data-contrast="auto"> that dehydration of the body canalsocausehay fever.That's when we started drinking large quantities of still water. We started to radically reduce sugar, cut out gluten, cut out dairy products and so on. And lo and behold, it actually worked.
After that, we went deeper and deeper and tried out more and more things.That's how we came touse nutrition as medicine.
Kiki: Our first son was born in 2010, andthat's when everything came together. We wanted our son to get the best nutrition.We then spent a lot of time on it.
So that meanssst, your children have actually been able to benefit from your knowledge right from the start.
Kiki: Not yet for the first son.I don't think we werefar enoughalong then. I don't know if you know that: There are BeKi guidelines on child nutrition, which are handed out by the doctor.I remember they were even still hangingon my kitchen cupboard because I used them as a guide at the beginning. However, wesoon threw them away and stuck our own nutritional philosophy on them.Our second son was born in 2013. I think he was already being fed according to our new philosophy.
Christian: Although this philosophy changes from time to time, because you also gain new insights. It's not rigid.
Yes, I think that'sgood. That's what I always tell my customers: Just because it'snow suits you nowssdoesn't mean it has to be that way for the rest of your life. En the one hand, you can be open to new developments or new knowledge knowledgethat you experience, but on the other hand, your body may change, your needs may change, your lifestyle may change. It is important that you are open and flexible.
Christian: Exactly. You can also try things out. For example, we oncea radical raw food week. That wasfor health reasons, because we were hoping to get something out of it. But that was ...
Kiki: Yes, it was difficult with the children.
Christian: Fortunately, it didn't do any good, health-wise, because it was hell.Itwas very exhausting. Not because itdidn 't taste good, butthe preparationalone... I spent a week just standing in the kitchen. But, as I said, it didn't help. Raw food is okay, but notexclusively.
Yes, and maybe not foryou. There are people who swear by it. For for me it would bee it now nothing either. But you can timesan experiment. In just one week nothing bad can happen. Sometimes people say that when I suggestsuggest something like this:"Yes, but then I missthen something". And then I say:"In one weekthere is still no shortage. You can just try it out andseehow how you go."
What do you think is the most common problem that parents who have not yet dealt with nutrition may have to deal with?
Kiki: In my opinion, one of the most common problems is sugar. Many parents wantalow-sugardiet, but then the children are alwaysgivensweets.I think that really is one of the most commonproblems.
Another one, of course, iswhen a child eats avery one-sided diet, for example only pasta with tomato sauce. These are the two most common things.
And why is sugar so bad for children?
Kiki: Sugar is not only bad for children, but foreveryone.Everyone knows that too much sugar leads to obesity, including children of course.When I take mytwo boys to the outdoor poolin summer, I'm often shocked at how many fat children there are.It 's unbelievable.Six percent of all Germanchildrenare obese.That means they don't just have alittle overweight, but they really havereally overweight.
What's more, 13 percentare also overweight. I find that unbelievable. The number of overweight childrenhas more than doubled in the last ten years. I think that's pretty serious, because obesityalso leads to illnesses: High blood pressure,joint diseases... The body is still growing, but it has to put up with a lot. I feel very sorry for these children. They arealso teased. You have the psychological strain on the one hand, and the physical strain on theother.
Christian: Yes, italso causesmental stress.You know that you don't look that great.It's not the child's fault, but it's still somehowslipped intoit.
But there are many other reasons why we should be careful with sugar.Someof them fall into your area of expertise, i.e. gut health. Sugar feeds the microorganisms in the gut, and not just the good ones, but also the bad ones - the ones we don't like so much.It also feeds the famous Candida fungus, which then sends a message to the brain: "More sugar please!"The brain wants to fulfill this wish.That's pretty cheeky!
The sugarthen attacks the intestinal mucosa and the immune system has to see to it that itrepairs it again. But then it no longer has time for the real enemies in the body.
Sugar also attacks the brain. We haven't really focused on this yet. It is actually a relatively new discovery - even for us- that, for example, too high a blood sugar level causes memory cells to die and that sugar moleculescan attach themselves to the surface, to theproteinsof nerve cells. Dr. Sabine Paul calls this "candying".This means that you then have a "candied brain", which means that the nerve cells can no longer function properly or die. In other words:If the child gets too much sugar,not onlyis their immune systemweakened, but also their brain power.
I don't think this has been fully taken into account. That's why I'd like to say that here.
Yes, a very good point. Exactly. And it's also the case when a child has to concentrate at schoolbut but then constantly runs up the sugar level,whichsubsequently quickly drops again,is calledsst is always:"Yes, then you just take a glucose when you have an exam"but that'sprecisely counterproductive. The effect only lasts for a very short timeand then the child falls back into a hole.That manynot even realize. You think, "Yes, I need sugar to concentrate", but thats that this only lasts for such a short time and then I have toeven concentration afterwardsmany people don't know.
Christian:Then there are a lot of people withADHD sick children.Here, too, a lot can be achieved with a change in diet. Not for all children, but for someit helps to cut out or greatly reduce sugar and carbohydrates. Many, many children are really successful with this and can then concentrate better again.
Howshould this be approached according to your recommendation? After all, most children like to eat sweets.ssand probably also crave it when they are daare used to it. How would you approach something like this?Maybe parents listen parents listen, whonow say: "Well,in the first few years of my children I didn't pay that much attention."
Christian: The stupid thing is that once you've grown to love something, youdon't want to let it go. Unless youhave to do it. It'susually the case that you're only willing to change something in your lifewhenyou're inpoor health.
Butsometimesit's enough to read a book, such as"Sugar, the secret killer" by Dr.Mosetter.After that you arequite shocked. I don't know if that was the case for us, but we did a radical sugar stop once.
This radical methodwas only temporary. If you have been data-contrast="auto"> have had no more sugar ,you canthen start again witha little sugar. Thenyou willappreciateit again. Perhapsthis is advice for other parents: avoid sugar altogether for a while - in the hope that your partner will follow suit - and then slowly start eating it again.slowly again slowly. And then experience this appreciation.I don't know if you know this: There' sabar ofchocolatein the organic marketthat only weighs 35 grams called "Ombar".
Christian: I would probably have eaten two of them after lunch in the past, and now the four of us share them. The children even suck them! That sounds like poor children, butthis chocolateis really expensive. But the childrenenjoyit. Theyeven set an example for us: "Daddy, enjoysen! Don't just chew,enjoyssen!"For us, it's like a party when it comes tosweets.
Kiki: And another tip for parents: I think what's really important is inner clarity. For example, there was a study that showed that sugar is the gateway drug for children is.Children whoate a lot of sugar and fat at a young age are much, much morelikelyto drink alcohol as teenagers.
If you know these facts, then you are very clear inside. Then you can also cope better with your children's frustration.You can accompany thechildrensensitively and say:"Yes, you'd like some chocolate now, but I haven't got any and we can't go out to buy any now."In my experience, it only takes two or three days. As parents, you have to go through this calmly and sensitively. Then you can make a fresh start.
Does it make sense?to explain this to the children to the children? Othen you simply say"It is so because I say so"? What guess you advise?
Kiki: That depends on how old the children are.I wouldn't overwhelm themwhile they' re still very young. I wouldn't explain it to a two-year-old, but whenthey 'rea bit older, you can explain it in a child-friendly way. You can then say:"You, I'vedone something wrong. But I now know that sugar is not so healthy for your body and I want you to grow up healthy." Then that's okay.
Christian: Well, we explain to our children - in a child-friendly way - that the intestinal barrier is broken and then "the bad guys can get into our bodies without the police being able to do anything about it". Luckily, it was relatively easy for us,perhaps due to theseradicalmeasuresat the beginning.
But it's also important that youregularlyrereadthese sugar facts. Otherwise you forget them after two or three years and become a bit more lax. That's okay, but every now and thenyou have tothink"Oh man, now I have to pay attention again."I also think that's a good way torekindlemotivation.
The sugar we consume, for example in coffee or chocolate, only makes up 20 percent of our sugar consumption. It'sjust the tip of the iceberg. The other 80 percent is in the convenience food we consume. We don't even realize this because sugaris treacherously disguised under other nameson the ingredients lists.
If we now say:"Hey, let 's leave outall this sugar in the form ofsweets", then we are still eating 80 percent of our sugarin convenience food. That's why it's important to change our thinking. That might be a bit much all at once, but it's important to say:"Okay, we'll make our food fresh now." Cooking ourselves from organic products and good ingredients. Thenyou'vereally reducedthe sugar, that remaining 80 percent.
That I recommend this to all my listeners and all my course participants and customers anyway. and clients. From In my view it isthe most important thingto cook fresh and not to use ready-made products,at least as good as none. Nobody dies from itif hetimes a finished product, but on the wholesson the whole, I always recommend it. It's also like this: Wf you eat fewer convenience foods, you'll also be less hungry for sweets.sses. The fact that you naturally eat less convenience productsn you also always eat sweetsss, the hunger for sweets growsmore and moremore sweetnessssit. Dt will also be very, very difficult.
One point that you mentioned very briefly, Christian, I also see as very, very important, and that is that both parents are on board.They have to also set an example, with live it. It's not acceptable for parents to do something sweet when the children are in bed.sseat something sweet, but that they say:"No, we all do it this way." Dthenyou radiate that, and then you stand behind it, and thenhave that clarity you were talking about, Kiki. I I think that's also very, very important.
Christian: And it's also just a matter of habit. It's hard at first, and then it gets easier and easier at some point, and then youdon't have any more cravings. Now is actually cookie time, but I don't really feel like it.That actually happens at some point.
Kiki: And then thesweets you buy arefar toosweet. Our children always say:"We don't like that." Once grandmahas bought thekidssomewhere, thebig onealways says,"Mom, your ice cream tastes the best. The other one is sosweet."
Would that a tip from you too? That you shouldsss sweets yourself - if at all?
Kiki: Definitely. Then you have full control over howsweet you want to make it. You can make just about anything yourself. You can make chocolate yourself. It's actually really quick. Cookies too, of course. We make our own ice cream. We also make gummy bear substitutes. That's our fruit leather from the dehydrator.
So it's not that our children don'tget anythingsweet, but they don't get these bought things.When I always tell themthatmy children havenever eatenHanuta, Duplo, Mars,Snickers, Kinder chocolate orsimilar, most of them think:"Oh my God, the poor children!" But I don't think they 're poor. Ithink they're lucky.
Whatdo you advise peoplewho perhaps don't have such an environment? Kiki, you also mentioned the fact that sometimes the bigssparentsfor parents don't have any understanding for this and might stillcandy .
Christian: We recently had a campaignin which we tried to educate people about the fact that sugar should not be trivialized. I think the only thing thatreally helps is education. You couldhave a fact sheet that you can hand out sothat it becomes clear:"Hey, dear grandma/kindergarten group leader, take a look here: Sugar candies children's brains, poor memory, it weakens the immune system, etc." This is not a trivial matter!
But I don't thinkmost people know any better."A little bit of sugar won't do any harm." Butthey don't think about the 80 percentof theicebergthat's underwater. I think, yes, a fact sheet like this would be good, ormaybeyou could give awayDr. Mosetter'sbook.
Kiki: I think education is important.It's also important to talk to the children.Because when they meet up with their friends, they're already older.They already understand a bit andyou can talk to them. With our children, they really only accept very little from their friends.If someone has chewing gum, they don't actually take it.It 's somehow not important to them.
I think a bigssissue with children is also the topic of 'reward'. I knows not whether you can tell from your own childhood. Did for example a good gradegotthen as a reward you get an ice cream or a bar of chocolate. Do you have any ideas on how to reward children without it being something sweet?ssanything to do with sweets?
Kiki: No rewards at all! Our philosophy is: neither punishment nor reward. Rewarding leads to absolute dependency. At some point, childrenonly do everythingbecause they get a reward. But for me, that's completely the wrong motivation.Theyarealways panting aftera reward.Even in adult life,they will alwaysask: "Where is my reward?" So it's best not to give them a reward at all.
AndFood not as a distraction either!I see that a lot. A child falls down and cries.Suddenly someone pulls gummy bears out of their pocket and says:"Here, thenyou don't have to cry anymore." Thatcan I can't do that.
Christian: Always apply the Pareto principle.We don't have to do it perfectly. It's enough if we do italmost perfect. We can also allow exceptions from time to time. And we can also reward sometimes, but it shouldn't become the rule.Ifit becomes the rule, e data-contrast="auto">s for conditioning .Andthat is not good.If a child eats jelly babies at a friend's house, yes, that'sjust the wayit is.
One problem that many adults have is that they are too sweet.ssss when they are stressed. And I would actually like to talk to you about this too. Firstly, do children already have stress?
Christian: Well, wecould give you quite a long answer here. I'll try to keep it very short. You probably mean psychological stress.For example:"I'm overwhelmed", or"Oh, I can't do any more, so many to-dos!"
Right. Too much to do or ... I knowdon't I don't know, I havee I don't have children. But I sometimes see that children apart from schoolstillthis lessons thenstillsoccerball, and then they also have to study for school.Sometimes I ask myself: is that stressful too?
Christian: Well, I think you've already answered that question yourself. The way you said itme at least stressed me out. So, yes. It's getting worse and worse.
Children don't have to play anymore. Theyare no longer play,because "Playing is useless. It's no good for the future. Good grades and a good degree,that for life, but playing is garbage," is the motto.
In fact, life for children is also becoming more and more psychologically stressful.There is also bullying or pressure to perform andcompetition. There is not just"the stress".
We have a stress modelaccording to which there are seven types of stress.one of these types of stress.There is, for example,'metabolic stress'.If the bodygets too much sugar, this leads to stress. If it doesn'tget enough nutrients, this leads to stress. If it doesn'tget enough water, that's a huge stress. Thenthe body has to think:"Okay, now I've gota bit of waterhere, which organ should I give it to? All right, the braingets it." All other organs are undersupplied. Stress.
Then there's'sensory stress'.For example, young children experience thisat nurserydue to all the noise. Or'energetic stress'. Youmight think this is esoteric, but radio masts and permanent Wi-Fi cause stress.
There is a mix of different types of stress. Even'spiritual stress'...This is one of our Favorite topics.You have to do what the adults want you to doat school for 13 years.You must not follow your... as Maria Montessori says:"You must not follow the blueprint of your soul, but the blueprint that some adults give you, which may not suit you at all." What stress! Well, I remember that from the old days, I didn't find it funny
To answer your question: yes, children have ahugeamount ofstress. But we shouldreallylook atall seven types of stressand not just the one stress we always have in our heads.
Yes, that's what I always tell my clients. Thatfor example a relationship, that is not going well, is also a stress factor. Orboredom can also be, for example, many people are very stressed. Alsonoise and all these things...
Sugar is actually another stress factor thatphysical effects and cortisol upwardsup.Stress hormonesincreasewhen sugar or insulin levels are constantly elevated.This then once again poured oil on the fire.
Kiki:Since you' ve just mentioned cortisol again: When young children have to be separated from their mothers indaycare centers, that'spure stress forthechildren. There are also studieson this.There kleine childrenhave a Cortisol levels like a manager who has to save a company from bankruptcy. Children really do havea lot of stress. I don't think we even realize that.The way we treatour children: Punishing, threatening, scolding ... it all causes stress.
I also havethe impressionthat many children today are so excited and so loud loud. I knows whether that could also be a sign of stress?stress?
Kiki: Of course. Hyperactivityis alsoa sign of stress. Of course it is. Or of"my barrel is full".
Children have astressvessel, and this psychological stress accumulates there.There are a number of different signals that tell you when thevessel is full andcannot empty.One of them is definitely hyperactivity. Others are beingloud, resistance -"I'm not doing this now!" - Tantrums and crying. You just have tomake surethat youempty thesevesselsregularly and that you can relax.
Christian: But it's important that you can interpret these signals. If your child frequently rages or defies you, then this could be a sign that the poor child issimplyunder too much stress. A six-year-old can't just sit down on the yoga mat and try torelieve stress in some other way.She will just throw a tantrum.And then it would be counterproductive to stop the tantrum; instead, it isextremely important tolovingly accompany the tantrumso that this stress can be released.
In other words, to feel the feeling, so to speak.
Kiki: Exactly. That's very, very important, because such strong feelings,"negative" feelings, are not recognized at all in our society. You're not allowed to have them. You're not allowed to rage. You can't be aggressive. You 're not allowed to cry. These are all feelings that are not welcome in our society, especially not in children.
By suppressingnegative feelings, children never manage toreduce this psychological stress.We adults, we can talk about it when we're stressed. Then we tell each other. But unfortunately, children's brains are simply not yet developed enough to be able to do this through language. They can only do it through their feelingsat that moment.
Yes, I think that's why it's important for adults to tackle stress from different angles. Ene side is nutrition. Other sides then things like doing what I like to do, socializing with people I like, going into nature...There are there are somany things,things can do, andwhat can also be done in parallel,in order to then this Barrel againtoempty again.
Christian: Exactly.Perhapsalways bear in mind that-we didn't invent this theory- chronic stress makes you chronically ill.Or the other way around:behind every chronic illnessischronic stress.So, if you are somehow ill, you canthinkto yourself:"Okay, there are seven types of stress. What triggered the illness? Which mix?" It's usually a mix and not just one thing.
Kiki: But I think, Julia, you said something really important: nature. Which children still go to the forest today? Or in nature?They are at school from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. or have afternoon lessons. Then there are violin lessons, then maybe tutoring and so on. They have no time at all to play freely in nature.Yet this is so important, especiallyin the forest.
Christian: But also exercise.They say that our bodies are still genetically stuck in the Stone Age. That meansthe body's program is movement. But we just sit. Our poor children!Theysit from the age of six. From the age of sixat the latest, they sit all day.They can no longer follow their biological program. It's no longer possible. The bodyneeds movement, it needsneeds contact with nature.
Incidentally, the body also needs sun. Everyone puts sun cream on at the outdoor pool and puts sunglasses on their children, but the retina needs sun too. And we do everything we can to make surethey don'tget any sun, that they don'tget any exercise, that they don't get to see nature.gets. And of course that's a huge stress. But we don't have that on our radar because it's just not cool and... yes, because we're made to panic so much. The sun is terribly bad. Playing is terribly pointless, as I've already said.
That's true.Idon't wantnot saywe need to go back to the Stone Age, but we also need to reflect: What does 'species-appropriate lifestyle' actually mean? And we humans also deserve a 'species-appropriate lifestyle'. We have tothen give it to ourselves. I also think it's nice when you can cultivate this as a family and do something together. I think that'squite wonderful.
Christian: What you say is, in my opinion, the key to a healthy childhood. If we manage to minimizeall these stressors, then that is a species-appropriate life. Then nothing stands in the way of good health. You just have to know it.
That's right. Wow can my listeners contact you? Where can they find you? And what do you have that you can use to support people?
Kiki: Our website is www.gluecksknirpse.de. You can find all sorts of things there: Blog articles, interviews, online courses.
We have lots of different things. My hobbyhorse is parenting. We have conscious parenting. We have an online course on anger, defiance and aggression - how to lovingly accompany this, which I have already mentioned.
We also did a homeopathy self-help course together with a naturopath, which you can also find there.
We also have a mindfulness course in our program with an expert, Lienhard Valentin.
Our latest course is a nutrition course. It's the "brain food course" with Dr. Sabine Paul.I think it's really exciting because we've always wanted to doa nutrition course. Unfortunately, it's difficultto simply say to a family: "So, we're going tocompletelychange your diet."
That's why we've now tried toboost the family dietwithhealthysweetsand snacks. And I think we, and Sabine Paul in particular, have succeeded very, very well.The course is also available to buy from us, but unfortunately not always.If anyone is interested: There is a waiting list.
Surely you also have anewsletter, on whichyou can subscribe to, and then you willdefinitely when the course starts again.
Kiki: Yes, of course. That in any case. The link is: https://www.gluecksknirpse.de/service/anmeldung/glueckknirpse-newsletter/
Do you have anything else to add?
Kiki: Yes, Iknow something else.Since we've already mentioned school: Christian also offers school coaching. If you have stress with your children and school, then a new perspective on school could perhaps also bringsome relaxation.
Thank you very much.Is there anything else you would like to pass on to my listeners? I knowssthat I have many mothers who listen. I knowss but also that I have many largessmothers who listen. Is there anything else you would like to say?
Christian: Be open,be informed. And with every book you read, every interview you watch, every podcast you listen to, you get new impulses, new opportunities for improvement. In this way, your life becomes more and more species-appropriate from month to month. More and more stressors are being minimized and we are moving further and further towards health.
Kiki: And to quote Astrid Lindgren:"Give your children love, love and more love."
How lovely. Thank you very much and thank you for taking the time. I wish you all the best.
Links to the episode:
Kiki & Christian's website: https://www.gluecksknirpse.de
Online course "Brain and Immune Food": https://www.gluecksknirpse.de/onlinekurse/gehirnfood-immunfood-gesunde-suessigkeiten-snacks/
Further online courses from Kiki & Christian: https://www.gluecksknirpse.de/onlinekurse/
Newsletter registration: https://www.gluecksknirpse.de/service/anmeldung/glueckknirpse-newsletter/
Book tips: by F. Batmanghelidj: "You're not sick, you're thirsty - healing from within with water and salt"
& by Mosetter K, Simon A et al: "Zucker - derheimliche Killer".
Now I recommend you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I really appreciate a review on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because those reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.
Today I have Dr. NicoleKikillus, "Kiki" for short, and Christian Clemens from the "Glücksknirpsen" as my guests.Neither of them had much to do with health during their training.Kiki successfully completed her studies in electrical engineering and information technology and went on to gain a doctorate in engineering (summa cum laude).Christian has a degree in business administration. He worked as a research assistant for several years.
A few years ago, they both started a blog out of passion. A short time later, their 1st German-language children'shealth online congressfollowed. Because the response from participants was so overwhelming, another congress followed a year later. Their successful online business, "Glücksknirpse", grew out of these online congresses.
Today, both work as interviewers, bloggers, "researchers" and developers of online courses.Kiki is a coach for conscious parenting (AwareParenting Instructor) certified by Dr.Aletha Solter and Christian also works as a coach for school problems.
Their children & health project "Glücksknirpse" is intended for parents who inform themselves, think about and make conscious decisions in matters of health, education, nutrition, etc., parents who actively take the health & happiness of their family into their own hands. And children grow up and live happier, more stress-free, full of life, freer and healthier.
We talk about the following topics, among others:
- how they bothcame across the topic of nutrition
- what problems arise when too much sugar is eaten, especially by children?
- how Kiki and Christian bring up their children in a healthy way
- what alternatives there are to conventional sweets for children
- what effect stress has on our health
- and whether children already suffer from stress and what parents What we can do about it
In the next Darmglück episode, I will talk to you about the topic of "microbiome analysis", which is a very detailed analysis and provides us with very precise information about the state of our intestinal flora and the pH value of our intestines. It also reveals whether harmful bacteria or fungi are present, and much more. If you would like more detailed information on this, make a note of this episode and be sure to listen to it.
How it all began...
I'm delighted to have the lovely Kiki and Christian as my guests. Welcome and thank you for taking the time.
You are mainly concerned with the topic of'children'under the name "Glücksknirpse". Ene of the topics is, of course, nutrition, and that's how I came across you.ssen. Now woulde would of course be very interested in how you came up with the topic of'nutrition' and'Nutrition for children' have come.
Christian: I think it was around 2010.I had all sorts of health problems and the doctors were relatively helpless. They could never tell me what I could do. For example, I had osteoarthritis in my toe when I was very young. It was very painful, but nothing could be done about it.
At some pointit got sobad that I startedexperimentingwith my diet.I also had hay fever, for example. There'san Indian doctor whose name I can't pronounce [note:F.Batmanghelidj]. He put forward a theory
After that, we went deeper and deeper and tried out more and more things.That's how we came touse nutrition as medicine.
Kiki: Our first son was born in 2010, andthat's when everything came together. We wanted our son to get the best nutrition.We then spent a lot of time on it.
So that meanssst, your children have actually been able to benefit from your knowledge right from the start.
Kiki: Not yet for the first son.I don't think we werefar enoughalong then. I don't know if you know that: There are BeKi guidelines on child nutrition, which are handed out by the doctor.I remember they were even still hangingon my kitchen cupboard because I used them as a guide at the beginning. However, wesoon threw them away and stuck our own nutritional philosophy on them.Our second son was born in 2013. I think he was already being fed according to our new philosophy.
Christian: Although this philosophy changes from time to time, because you also gain new insights. It's not rigid.
The most common nutritional problem in children
Yes, I think that'sgood. That's what I always tell my customers: Just because it'snow suits you nowssdoesn't mean it has to be that way for the rest of your life. En the one hand, you can be open to new developments or new knowledge knowledgethat you experience, but on the other hand, your body may change, your needs may change, your lifestyle may change. It is important that you are open and flexible.
Christian: Exactly. You can also try things out. For example, we oncea radical raw food week. That wasfor health reasons, because we were hoping to get something out of it. But that was ...
Kiki: Yes, it was difficult with the children.
Christian: Fortunately, it didn't do any good, health-wise, because it was hell.Itwas very exhausting. Not because itdidn 't taste good, butthe preparationalone... I spent a week just standing in the kitchen. But, as I said, it didn't help. Raw food is okay, but notexclusively.
Yes, and maybe not foryou. There are people who swear by it. For for me it would bee it now nothing either. But you can timesan experiment. In just one week nothing bad can happen. Sometimes people say that when I suggestsuggest something like this:"Yes, but then I missthen something". And then I say:"In one weekthere is still no shortage. You can just try it out andseehow how you go."
What do you think is the most common problem that parents who have not yet dealt with nutrition may have to deal with?
Kiki: In my opinion, one of the most common problems is sugar. Many parents wantalow-sugardiet, but then the children are alwaysgivensweets.I think that really is one of the most commonproblems.
Another one, of course, iswhen a child eats avery one-sided diet, for example only pasta with tomato sauce. These are the two most common things.
Why sugar affects gut health, among other things
And why is sugar so bad for children?
Kiki: Sugar is not only bad for children, but foreveryone.Everyone knows that too much sugar leads to obesity, including children of course.When I take mytwo boys to the outdoor poolin summer, I'm often shocked at how many fat children there are.It 's unbelievable.Six percent of all Germanchildrenare obese.That means they don't just have alittle overweight, but they really havereally overweight.
What's more, 13 percentare also overweight. I find that unbelievable. The number of overweight childrenhas more than doubled in the last ten years. I think that's pretty serious, because obesityalso leads to illnesses: High blood pressure,joint diseases... The body is still growing, but it has to put up with a lot. I feel very sorry for these children. They arealso teased. You have the psychological strain on the one hand, and the physical strain on theother.
Christian: Yes, italso causesmental stress.You know that you don't look that great.It's not the child's fault, but it's still somehowslipped intoit.
But there are many other reasons why we should be careful with sugar.Someof them fall into your area of expertise, i.e. gut health. Sugar feeds the microorganisms in the gut, and not just the good ones, but also the bad ones - the ones we don't like so much.It also feeds the famous Candida fungus, which then sends a message to the brain: "More sugar please!"The brain wants to fulfill this wish.That's pretty cheeky!
The sugarthen attacks the intestinal mucosa and the immune system has to see to it that itrepairs it again. But then it no longer has time for the real enemies in the body.
What you understand by the term "candied brain"
Sugar also attacks the brain. We haven't really focused on this yet. It is actually a relatively new discovery - even for us- that, for example, too high a blood sugar level causes memory cells to die and that sugar moleculescan attach themselves to the surface, to theproteinsof nerve cells. Dr. Sabine Paul calls this "candying".This means that you then have a "candied brain", which means that the nerve cells can no longer function properly or die. In other words:If the child gets too much sugar,not onlyis their immune systemweakened, but also their brain power.
I don't think this has been fully taken into account. That's why I'd like to say that here.
Yes, a very good point. Exactly. And it's also the case when a child has to concentrate at schoolbut but then constantly runs up the sugar level,whichsubsequently quickly drops again,is calledsst is always:"Yes, then you just take a glucose when you have an exam"but that'sprecisely counterproductive. The effect only lasts for a very short timeand then the child falls back into a hole.That manynot even realize. You think, "Yes, I need sugar to concentrate", but thats that this only lasts for such a short time and then I have toeven concentration afterwardsmany people don't know.
Christian:Then there are a lot of people withADHD sick children.Here, too, a lot can be achieved with a change in diet. Not for all children, but for someit helps to cut out or greatly reduce sugar and carbohydrates. Many, many children are really successful with this and can then concentrate better again.
Sugar alternatives for children
Howshould this be approached according to your recommendation? After all, most children like to eat sweets.ssand probably also crave it when they are daare used to it. How would you approach something like this?Maybe parents listen parents listen, whonow say: "Well,in the first few years of my children I didn't pay that much attention."
Christian: The stupid thing is that once you've grown to love something, youdon't want to let it go. Unless youhave to do it. It'susually the case that you're only willing to change something in your lifewhenyou're inpoor health.
Butsometimesit's enough to read a book, such as"Sugar, the secret killer" by Dr.Mosetter.After that you arequite shocked. I don't know if that was the case for us, but we did a radical sugar stop once.
This radical methodwas only temporary. If you have been
Christian: I would probably have eaten two of them after lunch in the past, and now the four of us share them. The children even suck them! That sounds like poor children, butthis chocolateis really expensive. But the childrenenjoyit. Theyeven set an example for us: "Daddy, enjoysen! Don't just chew,enjoyssen!"For us, it's like a party when it comes tosweets.
Accompany your child calmly, calmly and sensitively when it comes to giving up sugar
Kiki: And another tip for parents: I think what's really important is inner clarity. For example, there was a study that showed that sugar is the gateway drug for children is.Children whoate a lot of sugar and fat at a young age are much, much morelikelyto drink alcohol as teenagers.
If you know these facts, then you are very clear inside. Then you can also cope better with your children's frustration.You can accompany thechildrensensitively and say:"Yes, you'd like some chocolate now, but I haven't got any and we can't go out to buy any now."In my experience, it only takes two or three days. As parents, you have to go through this calmly and sensitively. Then you can make a fresh start.
Does it make sense?to explain this to the children to the children? Othen you simply say"It is so because I say so"? What guess you advise?
Kiki: That depends on how old the children are.I wouldn't overwhelm themwhile they' re still very young. I wouldn't explain it to a two-year-old, but whenthey 'rea bit older, you can explain it in a child-friendly way. You can then say:"You, I'vedone something wrong. But I now know that sugar is not so healthy for your body and I want you to grow up healthy." Then that's okay.
Christian: Well, we explain to our children - in a child-friendly way - that the intestinal barrier is broken and then "the bad guys can get into our bodies without the police being able to do anything about it". Luckily, it was relatively easy for us,perhaps due to theseradicalmeasuresat the beginning.
But it's also important that youregularlyrereadthese sugar facts. Otherwise you forget them after two or three years and become a bit more lax. That's okay, but every now and thenyou have tothink"Oh man, now I have to pay attention again."I also think that's a good way torekindlemotivation.
The sugar we consume, for example in coffee or chocolate, only makes up 20 percent of our sugar consumption. It'sjust the tip of the iceberg. The other 80 percent is in the convenience food we consume. We don't even realize this because sugaris treacherously disguised under other nameson the ingredients lists.
If we now say:"Hey, let 's leave outall this sugar in the form ofsweets", then we are still eating 80 percent of our sugarin convenience food. That's why it's important to change our thinking. That might be a bit much all at once, but it's important to say:"Okay, we'll make our food fresh now." Cooking ourselves from organic products and good ingredients. Thenyou'vereally reducedthe sugar, that remaining 80 percent.
Set an example for your children
That I recommend this to all my listeners and all my course participants and customers anyway. and clients. From In my view it isthe most important thingto cook fresh and not to use ready-made products,at least as good as none. Nobody dies from itif hetimes a finished product, but on the wholesson the whole, I always recommend it. It's also like this: Wf you eat fewer convenience foods, you'll also be less hungry for sweets.sses. The fact that you naturally eat less convenience productsn you also always eat sweetsss, the hunger for sweets growsmore and moremore sweetnessssit. Dt will also be very, very difficult.
One point that you mentioned very briefly, Christian, I also see as very, very important, and that is that both parents are on board.They have to also set an example, with live it. It's not acceptable for parents to do something sweet when the children are in bed.sseat something sweet, but that they say:"No, we all do it this way." Dthenyou radiate that, and then you stand behind it, and thenhave that clarity you were talking about, Kiki. I I think that's also very, very important.
Christian: And it's also just a matter of habit. It's hard at first, and then it gets easier and easier at some point, and then youdon't have any more cravings. Now is actually cookie time, but I don't really feel like it.That actually happens at some point.
Kiki: And then thesweets you buy arefar toosweet. Our children always say:"We don't like that." Once grandmahas bought thekidssomewhere, thebig onealways says,"Mom, your ice cream tastes the best. The other one is sosweet."
Would that a tip from you too? That you shouldsss sweets yourself - if at all?
Kiki: Definitely. Then you have full control over howsweet you want to make it. You can make just about anything yourself. You can make chocolate yourself. It's actually really quick. Cookies too, of course. We make our own ice cream. We also make gummy bear substitutes. That's our fruit leather from the dehydrator.
So it's not that our children don'tget anythingsweet, but they don't get these bought things.When I always tell themthatmy children havenever eatenHanuta, Duplo, Mars,Snickers, Kinder chocolate orsimilar, most of them think:"Oh my God, the poor children!" But I don't think they 're poor. Ithink they're lucky.
Education is the be-all and end-all
Whatdo you advise peoplewho perhaps don't have such an environment? Kiki, you also mentioned the fact that sometimes the bigssparentsfor parents don't have any understanding for this and might stillcandy .
Christian: We recently had a campaignin which we tried to educate people about the fact that sugar should not be trivialized. I think the only thing thatreally helps is education. You couldhave a fact sheet that you can hand out sothat it becomes clear:"Hey, dear grandma/kindergarten group leader, take a look here: Sugar candies children's brains, poor memory, it weakens the immune system, etc." This is not a trivial matter!
But I don't thinkmost people know any better."A little bit of sugar won't do any harm." Butthey don't think about the 80 percentof theicebergthat's underwater. I think, yes, a fact sheet like this would be good, ormaybeyou could give awayDr. Mosetter'sbook.
Kiki: I think education is important.It's also important to talk to the children.Because when they meet up with their friends, they're already older.They already understand a bit andyou can talk to them. With our children, they really only accept very little from their friends.If someone has chewing gum, they don't actually take it.It 's somehow not important to them.
I think a bigssissue with children is also the topic of 'reward'. I knows not whether you can tell from your own childhood. Did for example a good gradegotthen as a reward you get an ice cream or a bar of chocolate. Do you have any ideas on how to reward children without it being something sweet?ssanything to do with sweets?
Kiki: No rewards at all! Our philosophy is: neither punishment nor reward. Rewarding leads to absolute dependency. At some point, childrenonly do everythingbecause they get a reward. But for me, that's completely the wrong motivation.Theyarealways panting aftera reward.Even in adult life,they will alwaysask: "Where is my reward?" So it's best not to give them a reward at all.
AndFood not as a distraction either!I see that a lot. A child falls down and cries.Suddenly someone pulls gummy bears out of their pocket and says:"Here, thenyou don't have to cry anymore." Thatcan I can't do that.
Christian: Always apply the Pareto principle.We don't have to do it perfectly. It's enough if we do italmost perfect. We can also allow exceptions from time to time. And we can also reward sometimes, but it shouldn't become the rule.Ifit becomes the rule, e
Stress in children. Insights into the seven types of stress
One problem that many adults have is that they are too sweet.ssss when they are stressed. And I would actually like to talk to you about this too. Firstly, do children already have stress?
Christian: Well, wecould give you quite a long answer here. I'll try to keep it very short. You probably mean psychological stress.For example:"I'm overwhelmed", or"Oh, I can't do any more, so many to-dos!"
Right. Too much to do or ... I knowdon't I don't know, I havee I don't have children. But I sometimes see that children apart from schoolstillthis lessons thenstillsoccerball, and then they also have to study for school.Sometimes I ask myself: is that stressful too?
Christian: Well, I think you've already answered that question yourself. The way you said itme at least stressed me out. So, yes. It's getting worse and worse.
Children don't have to play anymore. Theyare no longer play,because "Playing is useless. It's no good for the future. Good grades and a good degree,that for life, but playing is garbage," is the motto.
In fact, life for children is also becoming more and more psychologically stressful.There is also bullying or pressure to perform andcompetition. There is not just"the stress".
We have a stress modelaccording to which there are seven types of stress.one of these types of stress.There is, for example,'metabolic stress'.If the bodygets too much sugar, this leads to stress. If it doesn'tget enough nutrients, this leads to stress. If it doesn'tget enough water, that's a huge stress. Thenthe body has to think:"Okay, now I've gota bit of waterhere, which organ should I give it to? All right, the braingets it." All other organs are undersupplied. Stress.
Then there's'sensory stress'.For example, young children experience thisat nurserydue to all the noise. Or'energetic stress'. Youmight think this is esoteric, but radio masts and permanent Wi-Fi cause stress.
There is a mix of different types of stress. Even'spiritual stress'...This is one of our Favorite topics.You have to do what the adults want you to doat school for 13 years.You must not follow your... as Maria Montessori says:"You must not follow the blueprint of your soul, but the blueprint that some adults give you, which may not suit you at all." What stress! Well, I remember that from the old days, I didn't find it funny
To answer your question: yes, children have ahugeamount ofstress. But we shouldreallylook atall seven types of stressand not just the one stress we always have in our heads.
Yes, that's what I always tell my clients. Thatfor example a relationship, that is not going well, is also a stress factor. Orboredom can also be, for example, many people are very stressed. Alsonoise and all these things...
Sugar is actually another stress factor thatphysical effects and cortisol upwardsup.Stress hormonesincreasewhen sugar or insulin levels are constantly elevated.This then once again poured oil on the fire.
Kiki:Since you' ve just mentioned cortisol again: When young children have to be separated from their mothers indaycare centers, that'spure stress forthechildren. There are also studieson this.There kleine childrenhave a Cortisol levels like a manager who has to save a company from bankruptcy. Children really do havea lot of stress. I don't think we even realize that.The way we treatour children: Punishing, threatening, scolding ... it all causes stress.
How do I deal with my children's tantrums?
I also havethe impressionthat many children today are so excited and so loud loud. I knows whether that could also be a sign of stress?stress?
Kiki: Of course. Hyperactivityis alsoa sign of stress. Of course it is. Or of"my barrel is full".
Children have astressvessel, and this psychological stress accumulates there.There are a number of different signals that tell you when thevessel is full andcannot empty.One of them is definitely hyperactivity. Others are beingloud, resistance -"I'm not doing this now!" - Tantrums and crying. You just have tomake surethat youempty thesevesselsregularly and that you can relax.
Christian: But it's important that you can interpret these signals. If your child frequently rages or defies you, then this could be a sign that the poor child issimplyunder too much stress. A six-year-old can't just sit down on the yoga mat and try torelieve stress in some other way.She will just throw a tantrum.And then it would be counterproductive to stop the tantrum; instead, it isextremely important tolovingly accompany the tantrumso that this stress can be released.
In other words, to feel the feeling, so to speak.
Kiki: Exactly. That's very, very important, because such strong feelings,"negative" feelings, are not recognized at all in our society. You're not allowed to have them. You're not allowed to rage. You can't be aggressive. You 're not allowed to cry. These are all feelings that are not welcome in our society, especially not in children.
By suppressingnegative feelings, children never manage toreduce this psychological stress.We adults, we can talk about it when we're stressed. Then we tell each other. But unfortunately, children's brains are simply not yet developed enough to be able to do this through language. They can only do it through their feelingsat that moment.
"Behind every chronic illnessischronic stress"
Yes, I think that's why it's important for adults to tackle stress from different angles. Ene side is nutrition. Other sides then things like doing what I like to do, socializing with people I like, going into nature...There are there are somany things,things can do, andwhat can also be done in parallel,in order to then this Barrel againtoempty again.
Christian: Exactly.Perhapsalways bear in mind that-we didn't invent this theory- chronic stress makes you chronically ill.Or the other way around:behind every chronic illnessischronic stress.So, if you are somehow ill, you canthinkto yourself:"Okay, there are seven types of stress. What triggered the illness? Which mix?" It's usually a mix and not just one thing.
Kiki: But I think, Julia, you said something really important: nature. Which children still go to the forest today? Or in nature?They are at school from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. or have afternoon lessons. Then there are violin lessons, then maybe tutoring and so on. They have no time at all to play freely in nature.Yet this is so important, especiallyin the forest.
Christian: But also exercise.They say that our bodies are still genetically stuck in the Stone Age. That meansthe body's program is movement. But we just sit. Our poor children!Theysit from the age of six. From the age of sixat the latest, they sit all day.They can no longer follow their biological program. It's no longer possible. The bodyneeds movement, it needsneeds contact with nature.
Incidentally, the body also needs sun. Everyone puts sun cream on at the outdoor pool and puts sunglasses on their children, but the retina needs sun too. And we do everything we can to make surethey don'tget any sun, that they don'tget any exercise, that they don't get to see nature.gets. And of course that's a huge stress. But we don't have that on our radar because it's just not cool and... yes, because we're made to panic so much. The sun is terribly bad. Playing is terribly pointless, as I've already said.
That's true.Idon't wantnot saywe need to go back to the Stone Age, but we also need to reflect: What does 'species-appropriate lifestyle' actually mean? And we humans also deserve a 'species-appropriate lifestyle'. We have tothen give it to ourselves. I also think it's nice when you can cultivate this as a family and do something together. I think that'squite wonderful.
Christian: What you say is, in my opinion, the key to a healthy childhood. If we manage to minimizeall these stressors, then that is a species-appropriate life. Then nothing stands in the way of good health. You just have to know it.
That's right. Wow can my listeners contact you? Where can they find you? And what do you have that you can use to support people?
Kiki: Our website is www.gluecksknirpse.de. You can find all sorts of things there: Blog articles, interviews, online courses.
We have lots of different things. My hobbyhorse is parenting. We have conscious parenting. We have an online course on anger, defiance and aggression - how to lovingly accompany this, which I have already mentioned.
We also did a homeopathy self-help course together with a naturopath, which you can also find there.
We also have a mindfulness course in our program with an expert, Lienhard Valentin.
Our latest course is a nutrition course. It's the "brain food course" with Dr. Sabine Paul.I think it's really exciting because we've always wanted to doa nutrition course. Unfortunately, it's difficultto simply say to a family: "So, we're going tocompletelychange your diet."
That's why we've now tried toboost the family dietwithhealthysweetsand snacks. And I think we, and Sabine Paul in particular, have succeeded very, very well.The course is also available to buy from us, but unfortunately not always.If anyone is interested: There is a waiting list.
Kiki and Christian's closing words: "Be open and informed. And above all: give your children love, love and more love."
Surely you also have anewsletter, on whichyou can subscribe to, and then you willdefinitely when the course starts again.
Kiki: Yes, of course. That in any case. The link is: https://www.gluecksknirpse.de/service/anmeldung/glueckknirpse-newsletter/
Do you have anything else to add?
Kiki: Yes, Iknow something else.Since we've already mentioned school: Christian also offers school coaching. If you have stress with your children and school, then a new perspective on school could perhaps also bringsome relaxation.
Thank you very much.Is there anything else you would like to pass on to my listeners? I knowssthat I have many mothers who listen. I knowss but also that I have many largessmothers who listen. Is there anything else you would like to say?
Christian: Be open,be informed. And with every book you read, every interview you watch, every podcast you listen to, you get new impulses, new opportunities for improvement. In this way, your life becomes more and more species-appropriate from month to month. More and more stressors are being minimized and we are moving further and further towards health.
Kiki: And to quote Astrid Lindgren:"Give your children love, love and more love."
How lovely. Thank you very much and thank you for taking the time. I wish you all the best.
Links to the episode:
Kiki & Christian's website: https://www.gluecksknirpse.de
Online course "Brain and Immune Food": https://www.gluecksknirpse.de/onlinekurse/gehirnfood-immunfood-gesunde-suessigkeiten-snacks/
Further online courses from Kiki & Christian: https://www.gluecksknirpse.de/onlinekurse/
Newsletter registration: https://www.gluecksknirpse.de/service/anmeldung/glueckknirpse-newsletter/
Book tips: by F. Batmanghelidj: "You're not sick, you're thirsty - healing from within with water and salt"
& by Mosetter K, Simon A et al: "Zucker - derheimliche Killer".
Now I recommend you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I really appreciate a review on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because those reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.
