Is it me, or are there more and more sickness bugs, viruses and coughs and colds this year than before? Or is it just my kids and their friends who seem to be constantly sniffy and snotty!
The coughing in our house as seemed to have gone on and on and I do think since covid, our children are more prone to picking up all sorts of bugs that are flying around at nursery or school. I truly believe our children’s and our own immune systems have been weaken as a result of being inside for so long during those awful lockdown days.
Children are often in close physical contact in group settings, whether that be school or clubs and are often sharing things like books, toys, games, pencils etc.
It is therefore important to support our children’s immune system (and our own!) to fend off infections, bugs are viruses wherever possible.
The immune system is the body’s defence against disease and infection and a health, balanced diet with a variety of foods from the main food groups can help to keep it working really well.
Did you know that our immune system remembers every microbe it has ever fought and defeated. This means that if a microbe enters the body for a second time, the immune system has a stored record that enables it to quickly recognize and fend off the microbe before it has the chance to infect you.
One of the best ways of helping the immune system to stay healthy is to eat foods high is anti-oxidants which you may have heard of, but what exactly are anti-oxidants?
Antioxidants are molecules that can help your body to fight off something called “free radicals”. Free radicals can cause serious harm quickly within the body and so we need to make sure that we have antioxidants within our diet to fend off these harmful substances.
Food that are rich in antioxidants that are in season at this time of the year:
- Fruit – apples, berries (check out frozen food)
- Veg – leafy greens, spinach, cabbage, broccoli
- Cocoa – who doesn’t like chocolate or hot chocolate. The darker the better.
- Beans – red kidney beans
- Nuts – almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazlenuts
- Spices and herbs – cloves, peppermint, oregano, rosemary get sprinkling!
Our immune system also produces proteins called antibodies which are found in our blood cells but are located in many areas of our bodies including skin lungs, tears, saliva and breastmilk!
Their role is to attack or eliminate “intruders” such as bacteria, viruses or pathogens which can lead to us getting sick.
So, we have to ensure our bodies are healthy and contain a balance of nutrition to produce these amazing substances that we all need to survive.
Everyone in the family can also take simple precautions to help stay healthy. Apart from maintaining a healthy diet, washing our hands is so important! Make sure your children frequently wash their hands properly especially before a meal.
Also, teach them to sneeze or cough into their elbow and stay away from people who are sick if possible. Regular fresh air is also important, as is exercise and getting enough sleep! So, combining these things with a healthy balanced diet can really fight back against those nasty viruses and infections that seem to be lingering longer and longer!
Article written by @yourfamilynutritionist you can read more on Family Health and Nutrition here.
