Making sure your child is eating healthy is not only good for your child’s overall health, but it can also help to build your child’s immune system, especially during respiratory season. The immune system is the body’s defense against infections. It also attacks germs and helps keep us healthy.
“The foods that our children and we eat provide our immune system with the building blocks, antioxidants, and the key nutrients that it needs in order to build immune cells and to be able to function properly in our body,” said Janelle Hanick, clinical dietitian at Children’s of Alabama.
Hanick says that when parents go grocery shopping or plan meals, there are some things they should be aware of. Children can get vitamin C from foods like oranges, bell peppers, and strawberries. She also recommends foods such as chickpeas, beans, and lentils, as well as seeds such as pumpkin, flax, and chia. Hanick says those foods are great sources of zinc. Zinc is an essential mineral for immune function.
Hanick acknowledges that it can be challenging to get a child to eat these foods, but she says there are ways parents can make the food more appealing to their child.
“You can try cutting food into fun shapes,” said Hanick. “You can make a green Frankenstein smoothie that incorporates dark leafy greens for immune function. You can also try to carve or cut different shapes into a bell pepper or make roasted bell peppers.”
Another aspect that Hanick wants to remind parents about is hydration. She says hydration is essential and goes hand in hand with eating an overall healthy, balanced diet.
“Adequate hydration helps prevent our body from being dehydrated and having a harder time fighting off infections,” said Hanick. “It also helps keep our mucus membranes, like in our noses and mouth, moist, which can act as a physical barrier for bacteria not to enter our body.”
Hanick says parents should do their best to try to minimize highly processed foods such as sugary drinks, candy, and chips. She says these foods could increase inflammation, making it harder for the body to stay healthy and fight off infections.
If a parent thinks their child may have an immune deficiency, they should consult their pediatrician.
For more ways to stay healthy during respiratory season, click here.
