96. Steps to Boost Children's Wellness and Gut Health with Madeline Lauf

USE CODE: "ITSPOTTYTIME" for 10% Growing Up Prebiotics Get it HERE

Founder and CEO of Begin Health, Madeline Lauf, joins us on the Burnt Pancakes podcast to share compelling insights into the world of children's gut health.

 Madeline's mission to revolutionize parental approaches to nutrition shines through as we discuss the pivotal first years of life and their impact on immunity, chronic illness, and even the nervous system. She unpacks the influence of birth methods, breastfeeding, formula innovations, and early antibiotic exposure on developing a resilient gut microbiome, highlighting the importance of nurturing beneficial gut bacteria from an early age. 

Madeline introduces "Growing Up Prebiotics," an innovative product that's changing the landscape of children's digestive health. We explore the pressing health issues in America and the need for preventative measures in early nutrition, focusing on groundbreaking ingredients like chicory root inulin and human milk oligosaccharides. These components not only address childhood constipation but also enhance overall gut health, moving children away from prolonged laxative use.

(01:33) Understanding the Importance of Gut Health 

(09:43) Understanding Gut Microbiome and Nutrition 

(17:37) Children's Misuse of Laxatives 

(20:57) Supporting Bowel Health Naturally 

(24:44) Talking to Kids About Gut Health 

(30:40) Promoting Kids' Digestive Health Through Education

USE CODE: "ITSPOTTYTIME" for 10% Growing Up Prebiotics Get it HERE

📺 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOpw5ui4uxJHx0tLFVtpnfSkpObfc4d-K

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Transcript

00:09 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Hello, hello and welcome back to the Burnt Pancakes podcast. I am your host, katie Fenske, and like always, I'm reminding moms that everyone burns their first pancake. You're going to want to grab a pen and paper to take some notes. Today, because this conversation was so enlightening, I sat down with Madeline Lauf. She's the founder and CEO of Begin Health. It's a science-backed company transforming children's gut health. She is on a mission to change how parents approach nutrition. Her expertise in finance and entrepreneurship helped her to raise millions to develop an evidence-based prebiotic for kids. She's here to share why gut health isn't just about digestion. It's a foundation for a lifelong wellness. We're going to talk about why early gut health is important, how our microbiome helps influence immunity, allergies and disease prevention, and why we really need conversations about constipation and bloating and nutrition in kids. She is a wealth of knowledge. I was so engaged and interested in what she was saying and I love the mission she's on, so please enjoy my momversation with Madeline Lauf. 

01:22 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Madeline welcome to the podcast. Madeline Lauf. Madeline. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much. So excited to be here. 

01:33 - Katie Fenske (Host)
This is a topic I don't know a whole lot about, but I feel like I should, so I'm excited to like pick your brain about all things. Gut health, yes. So why don't you talk to us a little bit like just about gut health? I know, as a parent, we focus on general nutrition, but gut health. I know, as a parent, we focus on general nutrition, but gut health isn't really the top of our mind. We don't really know about it. But why is that so crucial for kids and what impact does it have on them? 

01:55 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Yeah, you know gut health is one of those topics that's been gaining more and more attention. You know you see it more in the adult population and we're so excited to talk about gut health as it relates to overall lifelong health and gut health is really it's truly. You know, we co-evolve with these bugs that live inside of us. There are good gut bugs and there are not so helpful good gut or, sorry, poor gut bugs, and the challenge is that over time, there's so many things that are influencing this gut to our detriment and that is a massive problem because the gut microbiome powers our health and the more and more that we're learning about the gut microbiome is, we're understanding that it is tied to some of these challenges that we are seeing in kids, specifically the rising chronic illnesses, and so people are like, wait, how do you even build a good gut microbiome and that is what we're here to share with families is to the gut microbiome is really your gut print, for life is really built within the first three to eight years. 

03:03
Oh my gosh is really built within the first three to eight years, and that's why we're so excited at begin to focus there, because as adults we can make different choices to influence our gut, but really the greatest opportunity for impact is that early life, and so that's really what we're focused on, because if we can build strong, resilient gut microbiome, we can hopefully have a great impact for your overall lifelong health. 

03:28 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Oh, interesting. Okay, so I have my 10 year old. I guess it's too late. 

03:33 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
A seven year old and a five year old. It's never too late. 

03:36 - Katie Fenske (Host)
But it's like I wish I had known this when they were younger. So you talked a little bit about how it like chronic illness and immune systems. How does your gut affect that Cause? Your gut is just your intestines. Um, yeah, yes. 

03:52 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
So it's the, so the gut is. It's really the critical part is in your colon. It's this collection of bacterial and fungi that live inside of us, and they are the good bugs that actually have so many different functions that contribute not only to our digestive health, our immune health and also even now we're learning our nervous system, and so we really want to focus on building and feeding these. They're alive, and what's happening is that we need to feed and nourish them so that they can do their job. And what's happening right now is because of a variety of different influences, which we will talk about, one of them being just your mode of delivery. So if you're C-section birth versus vaginal birth, that right there can influence what the mother passes on to baby, and so if you are a C-section birth, you actually don't receive the same positive gut microbes as you would if you were able to travel through the vaginal canal. So that's the first, your first seeding of your gut microbiome, and the studies are showing that if you did have the vaginal birth, that you do have a higher abundance of the positive gut microbiome. So that is just the first incident. Then you start moving into breastfeeding, If you're able to breastfeed, and for as long as you breastfeed and or if you're infant formula fed. Now one of the greatest innovations in infant formula has been something called the human milk oligosaccharide. It's the leading prebiotic found in human breast milk, the 2FL HMO it's kind of a funky word but this HMO is what is helping the infant formula fed babies have stools and microbiomes closer to that of the breastfed infants. So it's a really great technological breakthrough, if you will, over the last 10 years, which has helped some of those babies build their gut microbiome. So you have the formula infant feeding. 

06:02
You know your early feeding contributes to this, and then there's a variety of others. Your know your early feeding contributes to this, and then there's a variety of others your introduction to antibiotics early in life that can wipe out the good gut bugs. So what are we doing to help revitalize and reseed the microbiome? And then also, just like what you start eating, your early solids, early foods, all the way to. You know, just your early life, when you start potty training, that can start to influence some of that, because if you're withholding and you're having constipation episodes, that can also contribute overall to the gut microbiome. So in general, there's just so many factors that are contributing to our gut and our development, and so you know, at Begin Health, we're so focused on just educating families on what are the ways that we can help support the developing gut microbiome and there's no one size fits all, but there's opportunities to support it. And then there's watchouts on what we can do to try to avoid or limit the negative impact of what's happening to the gut microbiome. 

07:08 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Okay Stuff, I already didn't even realize that. The vaginal birth versus C-section um, I've always heard that antibiotics can kick good bacteria good, good gut health. Um, what are some things we can look out for as signs that, like our child, has poor gut health? Are there any like symptoms of that? 

07:31 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Yeah, so early on, I would say before a baby is one year old. A couple of symptoms are just like their general discomfort level. How colicky are they, do they feel? 

07:42
like they are just uncomfortable. That can be a sign that something is not sitting as well as it could be. Another sign is the constipation. So how generally are the? Is the compensation composition, excuse me, of the stool, and if it feels like it's generally easy to pass, or if it's, you know what the status there is. And then signs on the stool and if it feels like it's generally easy to pass, or if it's, you know what the status there is. And then signs on the skin. So skin can present like an eczema, that there's something that might be underlying that might not be working so well. That is then presenting as eczema. 

08:21
So some of those signs before age one. After age one, of course you do have the constipation, the eczema. So some of those signs before age one. After age one, of course you do have the constipation, the eczema, general discomfort, but you start to see some of the other things start to manifest in, like picky eating. That could be just a sign that something might be off and that's when you start to see some of the allergies kick in, some of the you can even start to see asthma. So these are some of the chronic illnesses that we are starting to learn are connected all together to this underlying gut microbiome, and so you know, there's just so much opportunity to support it. But again, limit what we know is not good. 

09:05 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Right. It feels like there's so much more we're learning Um, just in terms of allergies. Are people seeing that, like the, the amount of allergies has gone up the kids that are allergic to nuts, and this is that associated with our poor gut health? 

09:22 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
You know it's, there's starting to be more and more research in this category. You know I wouldn't say it's like it's exactly like this equals this quite yet we think that there's, you know there's good reason to believe that the kids that do have more of these allergies don't always have the gut microbiome profile that is optimal. And so we do know certain things about good gut bugs. Specifically, we know that bifidobacteria, for example, is one strain of the. Positive gut bugs are great and we should support them. 

09:57
But what we don't quite know yet, and where the research is leading, is what is the entire makeup of the gut microbiome, because it's more than just one species, it's several species and how they all work together. So it's not just a moment in time of just like one species, it's actually how do all the species that you have work together? And I think that's what really excites me about this area is that we are learning more and we can start to understand how we can pull different levers within those species to possibly drive health outcomes. So we're not quite there yet, but what we do know is we can feed the good gut bugs that we do know of, and we can do that using nutritional interventions, and that is what I'm so excited about is that there is nutritional interventions, and that is what I'm so excited about is that there is. 

10:47 - Katie Fenske (Host)
There are current levers that we can pull. Okay, so you're talking about nutrition. Um, what are some things that we can? Is it just through our diet and through supplements? How can we feed our gut? 

10:59 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Yeah. So there's so many wonderful ways to support our gut and there's some things that are very clear If we can try to stay away from them. 

11:07 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Okay, I need a list. 

11:09 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
So, when it comes to the positives feeding the good gut bugs number one, I love getting your good gut bugs through food, specifically fermented foods and yogurts. Now, kiddos don't always love fermented foods. Fermented foods and yogurts Now, kiddos don't always love fermented foods, Of course if you can try to get them to do it. Yes, exactly, my favorite for kids is through kefir. So kefir and yogurt. Yogurt has the live bacteria. 

11:37
And so that is probably the easiest way for kids If you can try to introduce them to fermented foods like you know, pickled beets or, uh, sauerkraut, you know those type of cheese great what? 

11:52 - Katie Fenske (Host)
what is it about um pickled food that is good for them? 

11:56 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
so it has the live bacteria in him okay, okay yes, so that's what helps support it is the good gut bugs that are in the food, so they're alive that way. The other way is you could do a probiotic but I'm not as big of a fan of probiotics by just consuming a probiotic, and there's a lot of reasons for that, for understanding how the living bacteria actually can make it through the whole digestive system, and there's still not a consensus. If, like I mean there there are good studies out there, but it's just you know if you can get it through food, that is how I recommend it. Okay. The other way is eating more prebiotic rich foods. So the probiotics are the living bacteria, the prebiotics are the food for the good gut bugs. 

12:47 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Okay, that was a question I was going to ask. I'm like I don't know the difference. Oh, interesting, okay. 

12:53 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Yes, so we consume a variety of prebiotic rich foods and those can come in very different aspects, like sweet potatoes, for example, artichoke and there's just a number onions. You know, leeks, like there's just so many again harder for to get those, um, in kids sometimes. Yeah, but there is a variety. Fruits and vegetables are a great way to get prebiotics in your nutrition and so we created a prebiotic growing up prebiotics that is chicory root inulin, and that is what supports and feeds the good gut bugs when you are not able to get them through food. But we always say if you can get your nutrition through food, please. That is our number one recommendation. So other ways to support the gut microbiome that's developing is playing with animals actually you know, getting outside. 

13:50
Yes, it's that exposure to the good bacteria, animals, the soil playing outside. It's just building those positive gut microbiome and the things that we know that you want to try to avoid antibiotics. A lot of times there's an opportunity to not. It could be a virus, but you might have been prescribed an antibiotic. If you can avoid that, of course this is all up to you and your doctor, but it's just one of those things that we do know that antibiotics can be overprescribed. You know parents want to feel like they're doing something when their kiddo is sick, but sometimes you might not need it if it is viral, right. 

14:30
And so trying to limit our exposure to antibiotics when possible, limiting our exposure to the inflammatory, or just processed foods that are not great for us, that do not support the developing gut microbiome. So I would say another one that is actually often overlooked is just environmental toxins as well. So, for example, air fresheners Like air fresheners are, they're not that you know there's a lot of chemicals in them, and so trying to avoid certain situations where you're overexposing yourself to, you know, in a tight space with air fresheners. So I don't know. Those are just some, some of the tactics to try to avoid the things that contribute to a bad microbiome versus things that you want to support your gut microbiome. 

15:28 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Interesting. Tell me a little bit about your journey getting into the Begin Health company and what your product is. 

15:37 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Yeah. So you know, I think for me, I'm so passionate about just our state of health in America. We are sick. As a nation, we've been sick. It's been chronically worse and worse and worse, right, and it gets to a point where it's like something is wrong. It's not OK that you know 60 percent of kids are now on track to having these challenges or having digestive issues. You know that I think it's 70% of Americans in general are on prescription medication and it's like this is this is not how we were meant to live and something is very, very wrong. 

16:13
And so for me, I wanted to address this and I wanted to take this challenge on, but not from the perspective of we need more healthcare. It's we shouldn't be sick to begin with, and to me, the greatest opportunity for that was starting at the earliest ages and making sure kids healthy, kids stay healthy and we can get unhealthy kids healthy, and because if you can make that, then that will create a generation of strong, helpful kids. So that was my passion for starting this, and I think that you really have to look at those first foods and the first introduction to our nutrition, and what I noticed was that, you know, the first introduction is to those infant formulas that are fantastic and life-saving when you are unable to breastfeed or produce, but have a lot of opportunity for improvement and getting them closer to. Innovation is needed to get them closer to breast milk, which is the perfect food for humans. It was like literally built by humans for humans, and it's like intelligent. Right, it's fascinating. It's fascinating. It was like literally built by humans for humans, and it's like intelligent. 

17:22 - Katie Fenske (Host)
It's fascinating. It's fascinating, it's so brilliant. 

17:26 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
And we have an opportunity to improve that. And so I kind of got into this thinking like what, what areas are there the greatest opportunities for impact? And actually, through a series of investigations, we found that one of the greatest things that kids were doing, based on what their pediatrician was prescribing, was a laxative for constipation. 

17:50 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Okay, I was going to bring this up because I am a potty training consultant and when I get kids with withholding, instantly they say our doctor said just take Miralax, that's going to fix it for them. Most of the time it's more of a anxiety, not just physically I'm constipated, but I was like that's not going to fix it. Like does that just make you like when you hear that? 

18:14 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Oh a hundred percent and this is what we found through this investigation. And it was like, hey, well, wait, your kiddo is a picky eater and wait, they're on a light like a laxative for years. And we know the FDA does not approve of laxative use beyond seven days for anyone, including adults. We know that it's not approved for kids under the age of 17. And yet kids are on laxatives for years. 

18:41
In fact, I was actually speaking to a radiologist this last weekend. They were saying that actually, when they're looking at some of these x-rays, it turns out that like nine and 10 people are backed up, and so you know it's not always something that is so clear, because actually you can have a daily bowel movement and still be carrying a large fecal load, and so you know it's. It's just one of those things that if, unless you're really focused on it, you you might actually miss it. So the kids were turned out that they were constipated, they were struggling to poop, they were using the laxatives and we're like we need to fix this and we don't cycle. It's a cycle, yes. So when and kids are smart and you as a potty training consultant you probably know this like if they have a painful bowel movement. They are smart enough to know that they don't want to keep having the pain, don't want to do it again. They don't want to do it again. So then again, like you're saying that vicious cycle then they withhold it even longer, which then makes it even worse, that makes the inflammation happen more, that contributes to the negative gut microbiome environment. So we were like we need to solve this and that was why we built growing up prebiotics which help. The studies demonstrate that the level of the chicory root inulin that we use can help soften stool over six weeks' time and help improve the comfort and quality of the bowel movement so that the kids are able to poop in more comfortable ways. 

20:14
We also included the leading prebiotic in human breast milk, the human milk oligosaccharide, which is so cool. I mean, that was the greatest innovation that has happened in this category in a while, because now what we're doing is helping the prebiotic that's in breast milk now be available for kids beyond the breastfeeding years. And so a lot of the kids aren't getting the HMOs after age one when they're off of formula. If they weren't breastfeeding they really didn't get them. And so now the HMOs after age one, when they're off of formula If they weren't breastfeeding, they really didn't get them, and so now the HMOs, which we know are so beneficial for the good gut bugs that actually also have immune health benefits, we can now get that in these kids as well. 

20:53
So we launched this product in 2021. So it's been already four years on the market and it's just been remarkable the amount of kids that we have been able to get off of long-term laxative use and using more. We call it the poop vitamin, but it's really supporting the goal, which is to be able to have comfortable bowel movements. But we're actually supporting the underlying issue, which is the balance of the gut microbiome, and so we're really excited that, unlike a laxative which just kind of puts a bandaid on it, we're trying to support the overall environment so that it's really getting to the root of the issue. 

21:36 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Oh my gosh, I love that. I feel like all my clients would feel a sigh of relief, because it isn't. It isn't easy to just be like, okay, I'm just going to give them a laxative, it just flushes them out and then we're back to the same problem. It happens all over again. Um with this product. Kid kids get too many prebiotics. Probiotics Can you ever like overdose and have too many gut bugs? 

21:59 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
You know. So that's a great question. I think we're also starting to learn more about that, where it's like you can have overgrowth of good gut bugs too. But really with our products, since it's just the prebiotics, it's a food for the good gut bugs. We know that 95% of kids are not getting the recommended dose of fiber and in fact adults aren't, you know? 

22:23
and so I think the recommended dose for kids is about 19 grams to 25 grams of fiber per day. There's no way most kids are getting that recommended dose, and so our product delivers three grams of fiber in every serving. If you're over the age of four, it's's two doses at, so it's six grams of fiber, and so that really is just making up usually about a quarter or a third of their overall prebiotic or fiber intake for that day. So no, it's just like a food what um? 

22:57 - Katie Fenske (Host)
is there an age limit Like after this age? No, no, no, no. Um, is there an age limit Like after this age? No, no, no, no. 

23:03 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
In fact, growing up. Prebiotics the beauty of them is, as an adult, I take them. A lot of families take them. The what we did is we dosed it for a kid, because so many products are not focused on kids and so a lot of times parents are trying to retrofit an adult product to a child, and so this was really built with toddlers and kids, yeah, in mind first, but as adults and you know, I take it in my coffee every single morning. My family does, our team does and many parents do as well. 

23:36 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Oh my gosh, that's awesome and I bet you see a big behavior change in kids after they've been using it for a while. Like I see that with a lot of clients where they're like my kid's not themselves, Like when I know they need to go, they turn into a completely different child and then once they finally go it could take hours, it could take days back to their normal selves. So I bet that's like a huge relief for people. 

23:59 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Yeah, you know, what we see is that when these kids are uncomfortable, they are just, they're irritable, they're, they're in, you know, in pain in some cases, or bloating, they. They may not even know that it's tied to their digestive system, right, but it's overall just causing an overall sense of irritability. And so what we have seen is that once kids are able to start having daily bowel movements are improving the underlying gut microbiome, they are a little bit more calm and or they're able to sleep better, and so there's general, you know, nervous system relaxation that can happen when you're not in a state of just, you know, anxiety and that kind of state. 

24:43 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Yeah, okay. How would you describe to, let's say, a little toddler potty training that they have bugs in their gut? How do you talk to little kids about it? 

24:52 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Yeah, well, you know, when we were kids, the way that we were talked about with our family was like there's the good soldiers in your body that are fighting for you and so trying to talk about. You know that you need to make them good and strong and that they're trying to make you healthy, and so this is what's helping you, you know, be strong and grow up. You know great, and so that's kind of the way that we talk about it. We've talked about superheroes. You know, in your gut that's another way to talk about these is that we got to feed the superheroes that are kind of combating the bad guys, but and you don't want to feed the bad guys, so we got to make sure that we're eating certain things. 

25:36
Yeah so just kind of making it more fun, relatable. A third way to do it that doesn't have to do with so much fighting Talking about, like the garden, a garden of flowers in your gut and that you need to water and feed your flowers that are inside of you. And so that's another. Like the garden in your gut. Um, that's another way to kind of talk to kids about your gut microbiome. 

26:03 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Awesome. Um, where do you see children's nutrition and gut health heading like in the next few years? Cause I know, like you said, there's research happening. Are there any exciting like innovations or research that you can see coming up? 

26:18 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
You know, I think, um, there there's many. The most important one that I've been so just happy to see is the general conversation that we know our food can be cleaner and can deliver more nutrients. And parents are more aware today than they have been before, especially as millennials are. You know, they've been so kind of conditioned to what's inside, what nutrients, what ingredients are on labels and being just more mindful about general health and fitness, and so I think that, in general, the consumer is demanding better products from companies which is great because so far it's always been. 

27:03
The company produces X, that's the only one on the market, and so you have to go with it. But there are so many more alternatives now and parents are choosing those alternatives, sending a really strong message to corporate America that we need to change, because the customer has changed Right. That means removing dyes from these products, removing seed oils from these products, choosing organic when you can. You know I'm really excited about removing glyphosate from our grain sources. Um, and that's just. You know. 

27:37
A huge other topic that has a lot of, you know, controversy around it, but you know we really have to be mindful about how we are feeding ourselves and our families, and choosing to make hard choices, such as creating meals at home when we can versus eating out Like that, is not an easy choice to make when you're a working parent. Time is limited, that's hard. It's hard to do, but we have to, because that is what's going to help our families grow and thrive. The positive on that, excuse me, are that there are more companies like True Foods that are a to-go or, you know more, fast, casual food, that are investing in their supply chains, that are clean ingredients and that are essentially approved for families trying to be healthy, and so there's going to be more and more of those. 

28:34
So you know, to your point of like, what's coming up. I think more and more companies are going in that direction, which is just going to be great for the overall ecosystem of health in this country, right? 

28:46 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Um, okay, totally changing it a little bit. Does it have a flavor or do you put it flavorless? Do you put it in juice? 

28:52 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Do you put it in our product the growing up addicts and begin baby. They're both tasteless and texturalist, so they can go into water, milk or yogurt and there is no taste. And that's been the beauty of the product, because so many kiddos are picky that they, uh, would prefer to not, you know, taste a flavor that they don't love. So, yeah, so we, we've been very successful with having it be tasteless and texturless, though I will say there's a growing call for fun flavors, and so you're working on some of that. 

29:26 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Oh, that's so interesting. Well, I am fascinated by this. I wish I had started this with my kids sooner, but you're right, it's never too late to have healthy kids. 

29:35 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
It's not too late? No, exactly, and you know again, it's hard, it's hard to do. But if we, my main thing is what are small steps that you can take that can start to get you in motion on this path, right? So maybe it's like you know what. Let's just start with cleaner breakfast and we are committing to, you know, this small family routine and we do this every day. We take our prebiotics in the morning, we have yogurt and berries, or you know, instead of maybe a sugary dye cereal. That's a one small step. That is already, you know, a third of the food that will be intake on that day, right? And that's already a really big step, even if you do nothing else in the other two thirds of the day. So just choose small little routines that can be finding an alternative to, or find a substitution for, and all of a sudden you can start living a more gut, health, positive life. 

30:39 - Katie Fenske (Host)
I love that. Okay, where can we find it if we want to find out more about you and your company? 

30:44 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Well, please come find us at beginhealthcom. We're on social media as well. We're always trying to talk more about education and ideas for recipes. We do have a large online community for kids constipation support, specifically um, on facebook. So find us at kids constipation support and you know we're just always excited to chat about this important growing field and to speak about poop. 

31:14 - Katie Fenske (Host)
So I feel like you and I are in the same boat. Ten years ago, if you had said you're going to be a potty trainer, you're going to be talking about poop all day, I've been like no, thank you. And here you are doing the same thing. But hey, I'm passionate about it? 

31:27 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Yes, no, exactly. And so you know, I think we have to not that we need to talk about poop all day long, but it is important to have these conversations with our kids is that it is the biomarker that we are in touch with every single day. You don't need to go get a report, you don't need to, you know, wait for a yearly physical. This is something that you truly have a look into, a snapshot in time of like how does it seem like my digestive system is going based on the quality of your stool, and teaching that early on to kids that this is something that we have to do daily, and so that when they're 25 years old, it's not like the first time which, by the way, that was the first time I heard about having daily movement was like the thing that you wanted to do, and so I think it's just important to have this educational like oh, we need more of like an owner's manual on human health for our kids, and so that's what we're working to achieve here. 

32:30 - Katie Fenske (Host)
I love it. Well, I love your mission, kids, and so that's what we're working to achieve here. I love it. Well, I love your mission. I love what you're doing and all of my potty training clients are going to just need you, so I love it, but thank you so much for coming on. I think you're a wealth of knowledge and I really enjoyed that. 

32:43 - Madeline Lauf (Host)
Thank you, katie, appreciate it. 

32:46 - Katie Fenske (Host)
Okay, I just added yogurt and kombucha and pickles to my grocery shopping list and I'm ready to get my kids healthier. We currently are living off of our snack bar diet during baseball and this is just making me really think there are little things I can do to change to get them a little healthier, and this prebiotic sounds like a thing I really want to try with them. So make sure to check the link in the show notes If you would like to get your own bag of her prebiotics. Um, and learn more about her um from the description below. Okay, Until next week. Um, I hope you're all surviving the beginnings of spring. Um, we're heading into the long haul of school the last few months of school, so hang there, moms. I'm here for you and I'm reminding you that everyone birds their first pancake, so just keep flipping.