insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 20 - October 2016 | Page 74
HEALTH+WELLNESS
Boost your child’s
‘back to school’ immunity
Little ones flying the nest for the first time; big ones heading off to secondary school with barely
more than a glance back at the gates; over the past few weeks the new school year has been
finding its feet, which means coughs and colds will no doubt be rearing their ugly heads soon too.
According to a recent study carried out by the Department of Education, over 58 percent of all
children’s school absences are due to illness, and although sometimes that can’t be helped, there
are a few immunity-boosting steps we can all take to help keep back-to-school germs at bay.
Germ-fighting foods
Avoid tummy trouble
The advice is simple, but we know it isn’t always easy to get your kids to eat
a plate of broccoli, carrots and kale no matter how nutritious it is. That said,
it’s essential to try to get them to eat as wide a variety of vegetables and fruits
as possible - they’re packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and
early exposure to a broad range of different flavoured and textured healthy
foods is said to ‘train’ kids’ taste buds, helping them make better food
choices later in life. At home, roasting veg with garlic, soy sauce, or ginger
gives them a lot more flavour, and blending as many veg as you possibly
can into a tomato sauce for pasta works a treat too. At school, avoid sweet
treats in lunch boxes and swap for nuts and fruits coated in yoghurt – they’re
packed with zinc, which is a really effective immunity booster.
Be strict with sleep
Not enough sleep can really knock the immune
system, so it’s crucial that your bundle of joy is
getting enough shuteye. If they’re a bit hyped
up, or nervous about something happening at
school the next day, magnesium is known as
‘nature’s tranquiliser’ and science suggests that
the miracle mineral helps us not only fall asleep
initially, but stay a sleep too as it improves the
balance of hormones and neurotransmitters in
the brain. Great magnesium-rich foods include
pumpkin and sunflower seeds, fish, leafy green
vegetables and avocado; a calming, nighttime
snack of yoghurt and banana is a good choice.
Over 70 percent of our immune system resides in our gut and there
are trillions of life-affirming bacteria living in each of our gastrointestinal
systems, which we need to keep happy in order that they keep us
healthy. Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts (microorganisms) that have
various health benefits when consumed and that are easily introduced
into our bodies to keep the bacteria happy and to keep our digestive
systems ticking over nicely. You can go down the food route, but besides
yoghurt – a staple kids’ favourite – unless your adventurous little person is
partial to tempeh (Indonesian fermented soybean) and Korean kimchi on
a bed of sauerkraut, it’s probably easier to swerve probiotic-heavy foods
and head down the supplement route.
Keep on top of tissues
Dirty tissues left lying around are one of the
main culprits when it comes to spreading
common cold germs, so remembering to ‘blow
then throw’ is important. When you cough,
sneeze or blow your nose, the secretions
that end up in your tissue are teeming with
the virus that's making you ill in the first place
and they’re hardy too, surviving for at least 15
minutes on the fibres. When you leave a tissue
for someone else to pick up, you're increasing
their susceptibility to infection, so teach little
people to throw away any used tissues and to
wash their hands straight away after blowing.
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Soak up the sun
Getting enough vitamin D ensures adequate
absorption of calcium for our bones (hugely
important when kids are growing), but also
helps keep the immune system functioning
normally and well. The lovely warmth of sun on
our skin is a central source of vitamin D during
warmer months, but levels naturally drop when
the days get shorter and darker, so besides a
diet rich in salmon, eggs and cereals, a daily
supplement can help here too.