Boosting your Child’s Immune System through Diet
Breakfast
First, you and your child need breakfast. Eating breakfast triples the body’s production of a natural antiviral compound, gamma interferon, reducing the chances of you or your child suffering from a viral infection by as much as half, according to researchers at the Netherland’s Maastricht University Medical Centre. (4)
Fruits and Veggies
After that, ensure that you and your baby’s diet includes fruits and veggies containing vitamin C, carotenoids (i.e., beta-carotene) and bioflavonoids.
Pay particularly close attention to peaches for vitamin C (one cup of fresh frozen peaches contains more than double the amount of vitamin C than oranges) (4) and sweet potato, carrots, spinach, and butternut squash for carotenoids. (4)
Foods such as red bell peppers, sweet pepper, strawberries, citrus fruit, broccoli, brussels sprouts, garlic, spinach, as well as tropical fruit like mango and papaya, contain bioflavonoids which help protect the body’s cells from infections.
A serving for a toddler is about two tablespoons, while older kids need 1¼ cup. (3) Be sure to avoid fried foods and other sources of trans fats, which can weaken your immune system.
Antibacterial Products, Hand Washing and Secondhand Smoke
Antibacterial Products and Hand Washing
Overuse of antibacterial cleaning products can kill bacteria that will actually help your kids’ immune systems get stronger. Basic cleaning supplies and hand soaps are enough.
“When doctors at the U.S. Navy’s Great Lakes Recruiting Training Command Center in Illinois ordered recruits to wash their hands with soap and water five times daily, the number of respiratory infections among recruits plunged 45 percent.” (4)
Secondhand Smoke
Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are more prone to ear infections, coughs, colds, bronchitis and other respiratory problems.
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