1. Nutrition
- Aim for wholesome, nutrient dense foods for a healthy immune system. Eat more vegetables, fruits, good grains (brown rice, spelt, kamut, millet, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat), free range eggs, hormone/antibiotic free meat, legumes (dry beans, lentils, split peas)
- Avoid fast food, dairy(cow milk, cheese, ice cream), white or whole wheat flour, white sugar (candy, cakes), all refined processed and packaged foods
2. Sleep
- Set up a good bedtime routine for your child to help regulate sleep. Turn off lights, cell phones, tv, computer games to help the body’s natural melatonin hormone regulate sleep. Lack of sleep has greater risks in being exposed to a cold or flu virus
3. Exercise
- Promote family fun exercise to keep healthy and active. Physical exercise helps keep a healthy weight and immune system
- Exercises for the whole family include walking outdoors, biking, roller blading, workouts at home like jumping jacks, planks, stairs and dancing.
4. Supplements
- To make sure your child is not nutrient deficient, it is important to give them a good multivitamin and immune boosting supplements to build a strong immune system and for the prevention of colds and viruses.
- Always consult a good Nutritional Health Practitioner to give proper dosages and recommendations
5. Fresh Air and Sunshine
- Ensure your child gets enough time outdoors to breathe in fresh air and absorb the sun ray’s to get vitamin D naturally
- Boosting oxygen levels is good for cognitive and immune function. Vitamin D builds strong bones and teeth and plays an important role in immune function. A deficiency of Vitamin D causes greater risk of viral and upper respiratory tract infections
6. Drink plenty of Water
- Drinking a good amount of spring or filtered water is critical for every cell, tissue and organ to work properly. Lack of water will make your child feel tired and sluggish. Avoid drinking tap water
- The recommended amount of daily water intake is to calculate your child’s body weight in pounds and divide it by 2 which determines the amount to drink in ounces
7. Do not use Antibiotics for viruses
- Antibiotics do not work on viruses
- Over prescribing antibiotics damages your child’s good gut flora that is vital to immune function
- Ask your Nutritional Health Practitioner for supportive immune supplements
