Children’s Health—Diet Tips for Immune Support
With winter just around the corner, now’s the time to focus on what we can do to help improve our children’s immunity. Two simple measures you can take with your child’s diet to help build resilience for the winter months are—increase their daily protein Intake and reduce their sugar intake. It may sound simple, but both these dietary measures play an important role in our Immune system’s ability to fight off viruses and infection.
Focus on protein
Adequate daily protein intake for kids can be a challenge, but it’s worth focusing on to boost your little persons’ immunity. The amino acids available in protein help our bodies to initiate an immune response by activating natural killer cells, macrophages and other white blood cells that act as our army, fighting and destroying viruses and bacteria that infect our bodies when sick. Encouraging protein-rich foods daily as a preventative strategy, and as best you can when your child is sick will go a long way in boosting their immune system. Make sure every main meal has a serving size of protein about the size of your child’s palm! And pick snacks that include protein too:
- Red meat (beef, lamb, pork, kangaroo)
- Chicken, turkey
- Fish & seafood
- Eggs
- Legumes, lentils, hummus, pulse or red lentil pasta
- Organic soy milk, tofu, edamame beans
- Dairy
- Nuts & nut butters
- Natural beef jerky or beef sticks for a snack (‘Kooee’ brand Is a great one)
- Cleavers Organic beef frankfurts
- Nitrate-free ham & bacon a few times per week
- A family-friendly protein powder to add to milkshakes & smoothies, such as Nutra Organics Thriving Family
Limit sugar
Countless studies show that an increased intake of sugar suppresses the immune system’s ability to respond adequately when confronted with a virus or bacteria. Specifically, increased sugar intake reduces our white blood cells’ ability to fight off viruses for up to 12 hours after consumption!
Research shows that intake of complex carbohydrates or starches does not have the same suppressing effect, so we can focus on feeding our little people plenty of complex carbs if that’s what they prefer when sick—starchy veggies like potato, pumpkin, carrots; legumes; fruit and wholegrains like brown rice, brown or rye bread, quinoa-based pastas or pulse pasta are all good options, especially when paired with protein.
Try to limit your child’s daily sugar intake to help boost their immune system and their ability to fight off viruses, especially during autumn & winter when there are more bugs going around. Become familiar with reading the nutritional panels on packaged foods to educate yourself on how much added sugar is often in children’s snack foods, cereals, yoghurt pouches and more.
Keep in mind that 4g of sugar equals about a teaspoon, so see how many grams of sugar there are in a serve of something and think about it in a teaspoon amount. For example, Nutri-Grain has 9.6g of sugar in 1 cup of cereal (1 serve)—so almost 2.5 teaspoons of added sugar in one small bowl of breakfast cereal, and that’s just the start of the day! Add in a muesli bar (1.5 teaspoons sugar in a Carmen’s nut-free muesli bar), a packet of tiny teddies (another 1.5 teaspoons of sugar), a strawberry yoghurt pouch (many kids’ brands have at least 2 teaspoons of added sugar per pouch), an after-school treat, maybe dessert…You get the picture! Before you know it, they’ve had 7-8 teaspoons or more of added sugar in one day. Imagine adding 8 teaspoons of white sugar to a bowl and your child eating that daily! This amount of sugar daily is going to have huge impacts on their immune system, increasing the frequency of illness and making it harder to recover quickly, and without the need for antibiotics if a secondary Infection follows.
Stick to whole fruits as the primary form of sugar your child has daily for a snack, avoiding dried fruits and fruit juices as these are also very high in concentrated sugar. 2-3 pieces of fruit that are naturally high in vitamin C are a win-win—choose oranges, mandarins, kiwi fruit and berries—all in season during autumn & winter too! If you’re going to offer a dessert or treat to your child in the way of sugar, try to give it after a main meal, rather than on its own as a snack or between meals, as having protein and fats first helps to stunt the effects of sugar on the body. And avoid sugary treats as strictly as you can when your child seems run down or is actively sick. This will help the Immune system do its job as quickly and efficiently as possible, reducing a prolonged illness time and helping your child bounce back & recover quickly!
For more immune support for your child (or yourself!), book a 30-minute Immune Consult with me here.
Disclaimer: The above post is not medical advice and is intended for reading purposes only. Do not self-prescribe supplements without consulting a healthcare professional first.
Image Credit — Photo 1 by Joshua Hoehne via Unsplash
Image Credit — Photo 2 by Annika Wischnewsky via Unsplash
Image Credit — Photo 3 by Markus Spiske via Unsplash
