5 Tips to Boost Your Child’s Immune System
It’s this time of the year when viruses are all around us, and so Covid is still out there. Our children are around so many other kids all day and are prone to catching colds, coughs, and flu. It’s essential to boost your child’s immune system to keep them strong and healthy during the cold season.
The immune system is the body’s first line of defense. It helps fight off harmful germs before there’s any illness. When you are sick, your immune system becomes very active in fighting off germs that may have caused the illness.
You can take some actions to boost your child’s immune system. Here are our best tips!
How to Boost Your Child’s Immune System
1. Keep a healthy diet
Boosting your child’s immune system can be very simple. All it takes is adding more nutritious foods to their diet. They should eat a variety of fruits and veggies every day as that boosts the body’s antioxidant and increase immunity.
Some of the best foods your child can eat are:
Berries– Berries are beneficial antioxidants and keep the immune system fighting. There is a variety of berries like blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, blackberries, strawberries, and cherries. They can be added to a smoothie or yogurt and so eat them fresh!
Citrus fruits– Citrus fruits are essential for a strong immune system, and they are high in vitamin C. Fruits like oranges and tangerines are more common and most kids like them as snacks.
Green leafy vegetables– They are packed with essential vitamins and carotenoids that help to build a robust immune system.
Root vegetables– Root vegetables work specifically for the respiratory system. They can be carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes. Squash or pumpkin are loaded with beneficial antioxidants including vitamins A and C, magnesium, and manganese. You can add them to a soup, roast them in the oven, add them to stews or mash them.
Nuts and seeds– These are high in vitamin E which is known to help build immunity. Seeds like sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and pumpkin seeds are always a great addition to salads. Nuts like cashews, almonds, walnuts, and peanuts are great for a snack.
Yogurt– The yogurt is full of probiotics (good bacteria) which help to prevent bad bacteria from colonizing the stomach.
Water– Drink plenty of water every day. A child needs about eight glasses of water each day to keep their body hydrated and healthy.
2. Get them active
Kids need one hour of exercise a day. Active is not just playing sports or training in a gym, it could also be playing for an hour at the playground or going for a walk or biking, and even swimming. Active children have more robust immune systems, and more energy and are happier than inactive children.
There are many benefits to being physically active. Playing outside can help children develop their motor skills, strength, and endurance. These are all important for growing bones, muscles, and the heart.
3. Make sure the kids get enough sleep
Kids need their sleep to refresh and recharge their bodies. Children need 9-12 hours of sleep each night (the amount of sleep a child need varies by age and also from child to child ). The key is to keep a healthy schedule. Limit the use of devices ( they should be shut off an hour or two before bedtime), go to sleep at a regular time each night, and create a sleeping environment that is dark, cool, and quiet, all these will help create a bedtime routine with healthy sleep.
4. Daily Vitamins
If the kid’s nutrition is good and they eat enough fruits and vegetables, I wouldn’t give them supplements. But since kids can be very picky and parents are struggling with convincing them to eat fruit and veggies, then they should be consumed wisely.
Vitamin C is the most important vitamin for the immune system and children need to get enough vitamin C in their diet. Supplements of this vitamin can be taken daily throughout the late fall and winter months, to help prevent illness. Vitamin D is essential, especially with the lack of sun on winter days. When there are sunny days the best way to get is by being out in the sunshine for 10-15 minutes without sunscreen. But on days with no sun, it’s better to use a supplement.
In any case, it’s recommended to consult the pediatrician or family doctor about the amount and how to take supplements.
5. Manage stress (reduce anxiety and depression)
Stress was part of the world during the pandemic, it’s known as making us less healthy and more prone to infection. Although kids got back to school and life are almost as normal as we knew them before, it is still important to make sure that our kids have downtime to play, and access to activities and people that make them happy.
Spending time together as a family is always a great thing, and so creating opportunities for the kids to talk about anything that might be worrying them. Practice breathing, yoga, and mindfulness are great opportunities to reduce stress.
I hope this blog post about has given you some ideas for how to Boosting Child’s Immune System as it can reduce their risk of catching diseases.
Wishing you all Health and joy!
DISCLAIMER: THIS BLOG POST DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE
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