Can Healthy Foods Really Boost Your Immune System?
As the New Year approaches, so does the winter season which means Influenza, a scratchy throat or dry cough season coming your way. One of the greatest concern’s you may have as parents is definitely, “How can I keep my child fit and healthy throughout this phase?” A flu or Cold is considered normal and no matter how hard you try, it is inevitable at least once through the season. However, you don’t have to worry about the illness – it promotes the chance for your child to grow stronger anti-bodies to fight back further if the flu tries to approach them again. One thing you should be concerned about though, is the recovery stage. How to make sure your child gains back all the nutrients loss during this time and to keep them healthier if another round of the flu tries to hit back.
While fighting off or being prepared to fight off an illness requires a daily vow to bringing about healthy choices in our lifestyle apart from just caring about nourishment — such as staying active and exercising, getting enough sleep and washing hands frequently — eating a well-balanced, multi-nutrient diet can also help you stay away from common sicknesses.
To help you out further, we’ve listed out a few ways to ensure you incorporate these health duties into your and your child’s lifestyle to keep your family happy and healthy.
In order to encourage your children to eat healthy, they need to be motivated to do so. This may be done by including them in snack and meal prep. Not only is it fun to try out new foods, it’s also fun preparing and experimenting with their flavors while at it and this gives your children the chance to develop love for different tastes. Make it a habit to try bringing new healthy recipes to the lunch or dinner table. Also, teach your children how to fix themselves easy healthy snacks that do not require the use of an oven or store or any electrical appliance. Encourage them to mix up different tastes in smoothies or milkshakes, and to try out what ever combination they like best.
Without water, human beings are unable to survive. It is the foundation of a healthy immune system. Water transports nutrients and oxygen to cell’s throughout the body and carries away waste and toxins. It’s necessary that you encourage your children to have a good water intake from the start. The best way to encourage an intake of 5-10 cups of water per day, is to be a role model. Children like to follow or grasp those acts which adults carry out in front of them. Keep yourself hydrated and your child will definitely catch the habit. If not, try turning water into a sweet treat! Turn up the flavor of water by freezing strawberries, blueberries and other fruit into ice cubes or using an infuser to add a sweet taste to the water, which your children will most definitely love!
Something that is missing on our dinner/lunch tables is the colors of different vegetables. We normally tend to depend upon eating green veggies daily, and not only does our dinner/lunch plate become unattractive, we forget to incorporate the different nutrients other fruits and vegetables possess! Whenever you visit a supermarket, be on the lookout for these missing colors! For example, dark green vegetables can provide vitamin K, folic acid, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids. Red and orange vegetables also can be immense sources of great antioxidants, such as Lycopene and beta carotene.
Don’t try to overdose on a specific nutrient only. Remember that, it is necessary for your diet to have a wide range of vitamins and minerals and sorry to say, a mega-dose of a nutrient won’t have a magical effect on the immune system. If you don’t have deficiencies, there is no proof that taking additional amounts of any vitamin will shield you.
If you have questions about whether your child is getting the right nutrients, you may contact us and we’d be delighted to assist you!