As a mother of two young children and a Naturopathic Doctor, this is the time of year I find myself looking to boost my kids’ immunity for the dreaded cold and flu season. My kids seem determined to undermine me whenever they can and expose themselves to a myriad of germs. I spend my days saying things like “no…don’t lick the grocery cart” and “I know it is nice to share…but please don’t drink that kids water”.
I have a love/hate relationship with birthday parties where they throw 15-20 kids together with cake, ice cream and candy. I watch how much fun they have and I imagine all the germs they are passing back and forth…I am not neurotic – really.
Children usually get sick more than adults because as the immune system meets new microbes, the body will react and create antibodies. When your child enters daycare or starts school (or attends birthday parties) and begins to get sick more frequently is it an important part of developing specific immunity to individual microbes. The good news, I keep telling myself, is that they need exposure to germs to properly develop a normally functioning immune system and they WILL get sick at some point. The other comfort is I know there are things I can do easily to boost their immune system to prevent colds and help them recover quickly.
Diet plays an important role in supporting immunity. A diet full of processed foods and sugar puts a child at risk for frequently recurring upper respiratory infections, ear infection, colds and flus. One way to evaluate if your child has a healthy immune system is to compare them to other kids. Is your child the first to get sick and the last to get better? A healthy diet can transform your child’s immune system providing elevated levels of crucial vitamins and minerals.
Limit sugars. This includes juices and refined carbohydrates (white foods). Sugar is destructive because its ingestion lowers immune function by reducing the ability of white blood cells to ingest and destroy bacteria. This lowered immune function can last for five hours or more after the ingestions of sugar. Some important immune boosters to make sure are in your kids’ diet (and to supplement if needed) because let’s face it your kids will be exposed to sugar and germs:
Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria that inhabit our digestive tract. Did you know that the majority of the immune system in located in the gut? Probiotic supplements come in capsules, powders and chews. There is a supplement for kids of any age.
Zinc helps boost the immune system to prevent colds and can also help shorten the duration and intensity of the illness. It is one of the most important nutrients for a healthy immune system. Food sources of zinc include: sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, red meat and poultry. Zinc supplements for little ones come in liquid and lozenge form.
Vitamin A is an important immune booster and comes from milk, eggs, dark coloured orange and green veggies and fruits (carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, kale, cantaloupe, apricots, peaches, papayas and mangos). Everyone knows about Vitamin C. It is found in more than OJ. Other food sources include peppers (yellow is highest), dark green leafy veggies (kale, mustard greens), broccoli, fruits like guava, kiwi, papaya, strawberries.
Vitamin C supplements are easy to find for kids just watch the added sugars in some of those tasty chewables. The best way to get these nutrients into kids is through diet. Supplements are for additional support if needed.
If they are eating healthy and supplementing with additional nutrients the occasional birthday party shouldn’t hurt them. If you have a picky eater – get creative, it always amazes me what you can sneak in!
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