Worried that your kid's picky eating habits are leaving them at risk of colds and flu? Try these tips to help boost their immunity.
While we usually think of sniffles, colds and viruses as a winter thing, the truth is our body is constantly under attack from foreign invaders, and supporting your child’s immune system is important all year round.
Certain lifestyle factors can take a toll on the little person’s immune system, such as inactivity, less than ideal dietary intake, poor hydration and stress. Managing each of these factors in children can sometimes be a juggling act for parents and carers.
Many foods children typically avoid are well known strong immune boosters, such as leafy dark green vegetables, iron rich meats and alternatives, and orange coloured vegetables.
To assist children’s feeding and health, parents should serve a rotating range of immunity boosting foods for each essential vitamin and minerals including:
Vitamin A rich foods
Carrots, sweet potato, dried apricots, mango, kale
Vitamin C rich foods
Capsicum, broccoli, strawberries, kiwifruit
Vitamin D rich foods
Egg, salmon, mushrooms, fortified dairy and spreads
Vitamin E
Avocado, tofu, spinach, almonds, olive oil
Zinc rich foods
Beef, fish, sesame seeds, almonds, oats
Parents may worry that their children are not getting adequate intakes of vitamins and minerals if they have a sick child or picky eater. Kids who are taking in less than ideal nutritional variety may well benefit from a suitable low sugar supplement to boost immunity.
Top 5 tips for holistically boosting your child’s immunity
Eat a diet rich in vegetables and fruits – plant phytonutrients have powerful antioxidant properties to ward off illness
Get out and be active – fresh air, vitamin D and regular exercise strengthens the body’s natural killer cells against foreign invaders
Decrease added sugars – a diet high in refined sugar lowers the ability of your immune system’s neutrophils to fight pathogens
Drink more water – adequate hydration flushes out bodily toxins and keeps our internal body cells functioning effectively
Choose supplements wisely – if you choose to supplement your child’s diet with vitamins, check the sugar content and look for products with no added sugar
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