Kid's Health: Nourishing Nutrition & Functional Lab Support
- Nourish Health
- Apr 27, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 26
Nutrition for kids follows many of the same principles as adult nutrition—children need a balance of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats to support growth and development.
However, the ideal approach can vary based on a child’s unique health challenges and needs.
That’s where functional lab testing becomes valuable. While basic nutritional needs are universal, each child’s body is different. A personalized, bio-individual approach can be a powerful tool to support your child’s health and development more effectively.
Challenges Faced by Children
Similar to our adult clients, our young clients are experiencing a growing number of health challenges. An increasing number of parents are contacting us about persistent rashes such as eczema, anxiety, chronic stomach problems, and more. Let's examine some of the most common issues I encounter in my practice and consider some initial steps we can take to encourage a positive change in health.
Skin Issues
Eczema is one of the most common skin concerns I see in practice. While many parents try a variety of topical treatments, lasting relief often remains out of reach. That’s because skin issues are typically rooted in both internal and external imbalances. To truly resolve them, we need to uncover the underlying cause. In these cases, we often recommend a comprehensive stool analysis and food sensitivity testing. The HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) is also an excellent tool for assessing mineral imbalances that may be affecting the skin. Together, these tests provide valuable insights and often lead to quicker, more lasting improvements.
Attention and Behavioral Challenges
One of my favorite areas to collaborate with parents on is addressing their child’s behavioral challenges. While some behaviors may have genetic roots, we often find they’re linked to nutritional imbalances, inflammation, mineral and heavy metal disturbances, and gut dysbiosis. Common functional labs we use include the OAT (Organic Acids Test), HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis), comprehensive stool analysis (GI Map), and toxicant exposure assessments. Learn more about how we approach ADHD in our clinic.
These are just a few examples—many cases are complex, involving multiple systemic issues influenced by lifestyle factors over time. We do not diagnose; rather, we see diagnoses as labels describing symptoms. Our focus is on uncovering hidden healing opportunities within the internal and external environment that may be stressing the body. Functional lab testing is key to identifying specific areas for intervention, helping to gradually restore balance and support lasting health.
Foundational Biomedical Tests for Kids
Functional labs act like a magnifying glass, revealing the intricate inner workings of your child’s body that might otherwise go unnoticed. These tests provide clear, specific insights that remove uncertainty from an already challenging situation. By using this detailed information, we can create a personalized recommendation plan tailored to your child’s unique needs—moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach. Most of these tests are simple and convenient, often done at home through urine, stool, hair samples, or a skin prick.
Food Sensitivity: Food sensitivity is common and often manifests as GI issues, fatigue, lack of concentration/brain fog, migraine & headache, dark circles under the eyes, skin issues, and many other symptoms. Learn more.
Gut Health Panel: Allows us to test gastrointestinal pathogens like bacteria, parasites, yeast and an imbalance of gut bacteria. Learn more
Organic Acid Test (OAT): The Organic Acids Test (OAT) is considered a “metabolic snapshot” of what is going on in the body. It provides information on important neurotransmitters, nutritional markers, glutathione status, oxalate metabolism, evaluation of intestinal yeast and bacteria, and much more. The test includes 74 urinary metabolite markers that can be very useful for discovering underlying causes of chronic illness. Learn more
Hair Minerals & Metals: Some children with have a hard time detoxing heavy metals from their environment. Hair can give us a reliable representation of heavy metal burden and minerals. The hair shows a three-month window of what has been going on in the body. L:earn more
Nutrigenetic (SNP) Panel: Have you ever wondered how your genes are impacting your body’s nutrition status? Some genes can play a major role in the way we break down and absorb the nutrients from our food and supplements. With 23andMe or Ancestry.com data, we are able to identify mutations in over 35 different genes and adjust diet and supplements to fit your genes.
Environmental Toxin Panel: We live in a toxic world! Toxins from plastic bottles, food containers, air pollution, contaminated water, non-organic produce, and other unhealthy contaminants can build up in the body and exacerbate hormone, weight and mood issues. Via a simple urine test we can measure the buildup of these toxins in the body and make lifestyle changes to help the body naturally detox or use diet/supplements to help bind and excrete toxins. Learn more.
Easy Steps to Get Moving
I understand firsthand how quickly the costs of functional lab testing can add up. When my daughter was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition at age 5, we began a thorough investigation to uncover root causes affecting her health. We discovered mold exposure, gut dysbiosis, high glyphosate levels from chronic outdoor exposure, food sensitivities, and significant mineral imbalances. Addressing these factors has helped stabilize her condition.
While this process has been costly, I consider it a vital investment in her future. It’s well known that one autoimmune condition often leads to multiple others over time. Our goal is to prevent this progression and support her body to function optimally. Beyond lab results, daily environmental exposures also impact our children’s health—many of which you can start minimizing today.
Ditch & Switch: Our daily exposure to toxic substances has significantly risen over the past few decades due to the extensive use of plastics, fragrances, pesticides in food, toxins in personal care products, toxic cooking materials, and more. These toxins place a heavy load on our detoxification systems and can cause symptoms. The simplest and most effective way to reduce your toxic burden is by minimizing the use of everyday products that contain toxins. To assist you in getting started, we have prepared a Ditch & Switch Cheat Sheet. Moreover, to help alleviate the confusion of selecting alternatives, we have provided numerous recommendations in our Nourish Shop.
Clean up the diet: The choices we make in our daily diets can significantly impact our health. Diets rich in processed foods, simple carbohydrates, and high sugar content are often at the core of health issues. We've created a straightforward Nourishing Nutrition Guide, with the help of my children, to help you begin on the right path.
Lower EMF: Studies have shown that when a child uses a mobile phone and holds it against their head, the emitted radiation penetrates their brain to a greater extent than an adult. In fact, a child’s brain can absorb up to 10 times the EMFs of an adult! EMF exposure can decrease melatonin production, which is associated with poor sleep quality. Additionally, there is strong connection between EMFs, ADHD, and other cognitive and behavioral disorders. We have put together a cheat sheet to help you start lowering your child's exposure.
We recommend parents focus on these three areas while awaiting functional lab results. Many notice meaningful improvements in their child’s symptoms simply by implementing these steps. Once the lab results are available, we develop a personalized plan that, combined with these lifestyle changes, often leads to significant progress in addressing the child’s symptoms.
Work With Us
There has never been a better time to dive in and discover ways to help your child thrive. Child clients are a big part of our practice and we work closely with the parents to support the child's needs.
Our process is simple. Reach out to us for a complimentary email dialogue. From there, we can help guide the appropriate steps to begin to support your child's health. We have several packages, that can help save costs to get your child started. These are typically best for parents who are well-versed in health and how to implement health goals. We also work with parents-one-on-one who need a deeper level of support implementing changes.
Resources
Functional Lab Packages, click here
Functional Labs Suggestions per health concern, click here
Ditch & Switch Cheat Sheet, click here
Six Starter Steps for Kids, click here
Kids Nourishing Nutrition Guide, click here
ADHD & Nutritional Considerations Guide, click here
Testimonials, click here
Discovery Email, click here
Our Approach
Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® is a science-based holistic approach to investigating and identifying the root cause of your health problems. Imbalances in your body can lead to symptoms such as digestive complaints, fatigue and weight issues. As a therapeutic partnership between client and practitioner, it is an evolution in the practice of nutrition that better addresses the health needs of our modern society.
Have a Nourishing Day!
