It’s that time of year when the cold weather can wreak havoc with your child’s immune system. A healthy diet filled with powerhouse foods such as vegetables, fruits, lean meats and herbs could be all that’s needed to prevent the winter blues and help little ones stay energised, healthy and alert this winter.
If your child’s diet is not quite up to scratch he may lack the key vitamins, minerals and antioxidants needed for a strong immune system. Encouraging your to consume a varied diet with foods containing immune boosting properties may help him fight nasty colds and infections that come his way.
A varied diet including a variety of fruits and vegetables and enough protein rich foods such as eggs, lean red meat, poultry, fish and legumes is the aim. However, there are some foods with the X-factor that are packed with immune-boosting phytochemicals. Add these to the plate to give extra immune-boosting clout.
Green noses
Green mucus is a sign there is a bacterial infection which little bodies need to fight. Blueberries, strawberries and other berries which are rich in antioxidants and have an ability to fight bacteria that cause infections. During winter, buy frozen berries, defrost and serve on cereal or mixed through warm, low fat custard. Add yellow and orange fruit and vegetables to the plate, including pumpkin, carrot, sweet potato, red capsicum, rockmelon, pawpaw, pineapple, apricot and mango. These foods are rich in vitamin A and carotenoids which are important for maintaining the health of the membranes that block bacteria from entering the body. Other ideas include making a big pot of pumpkin soup, roasting whole sweet potatoes or grating carrot on their sandwiches.
Tummy bugs
A bout of diarrhoea or gastroenteritis is no fun for any little one and the symptoms of diarrhoea may last longer without a few dietary modifications. Diarrhoea burns the lining of the intestine temporarily reducing the body’s ability to digest lactose (the sugar found in milk). Remove dairy milk, custard, ice cream and some children’s yoghurt (unless they contain a live culture) for at least a few days until the diarrhoea stops. You can replace them with soy milk based products which are lactose free. Most adult yoghurts have a culture added which helps to breakdown the lactose before it is purchased, so look for live cultures on the label.
Coughs, colds and fever
“Feed a fever, starve a cold” or is it “Starve a fever, stuff a cold”? You hear this common ‘cold’ myth both ways, however science has proved that you neither starve nor stuff either. Drown both colds and fevers in plenty of fluids including water, soups, broths and fresh fruits and vegetables so little ones don’t get dehydrated.
As for feeding and starving, colds and fevers often suppress kid’s appetites so the aim is to make every bite count. Lean red meat is a great source of iron, zinc and protein, and provides key nutrients needed to maintain a strong immune system. Meats, chicken, fish, eggs and legumes all provide the building blocks for muscles and repair especially when feverish.
An increase in body temperature uses more kilojoules in the day and kids often lose weight when they have a fever. Serve toast fingers with baked beans, avocado or an egg. You can blend up a soup with savoury mince packed with powerhouse vegetables such as carrots, zucchini, baby spinach, peas and corn. If your child turns up his nose at something savoury try serving some brightly coloured (higher levels of antioxidants) chopped fruits with yoghurt containing the lactobacillus culture, a strong immune enhancing bacteria.
Queasiness
This is a tough one as there are so many reasons why children feel sick in the tummy. Generally they feel much better after vomiting and it is just a matter of trying to keep their fluids up between vomiting episodes.
However, if he is not physically sick and may be feeling nauseous due to things such as mucus in the belly then ginger may help. Along with its immune boosting properties, this herb may help relieve nausea. Add a small amount of fresh ginger to meat and vegetables dishes such as finely chopped stir-fries and stews or for a sweet option, bake into muffins, scones or biscuits such as gingerbread men. It will at least put a smile on his face!
Wheezing and asthma
Another myth is that drinking milk produces more mucus when you have a cold. Studies to date have still not proved this fact, however we do know that milk and milk-based products stick to the mucus in the nose and throat making it thicker and therefore making it appear that there is more. This can also make it harder to breathe for little ones with a cold, so temporarily removing milky products may give some relief.
What we do know is that there are some foods that contain preservatives numbered 220-228, the sulphite family, that can irritate the breathing in some children with asthma. These preservatives are commonly found in many dried fruits, juices and preserved meats such as sausages. Just read the label to identify if the preservative is present.
Health boosters
Children generally bounce back quickly after a cold, cough, fever or infection however their little systems usually take a battering making them more susceptible for another infection to invade, especially in the winter months.
Using garlic which is rich in allicin, an antiviral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agent can give immune systems a huge boost to fight the next round of nasties that comes along. Garlic is nature’s little natural medicine which not only tastes great but does wonders for our health. Add it to dinner meals such as pastas and rice dishes, and include it when cooking rissoles or fish patties, or send little ones off with crackers and homemade hommus packed with protein and plenty of garlic.
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