5 Best Ways To Boost Your Kids Immune Systems With Diet

Whether your kids are school-going or just continuing their virtual learning, it is very important that their immune systems stay strong and resilient.

Every parent wants to protect their kids, whether it is from bumps, falls, bruises or diseases, and infection. It is very important to encourage healthy activities and take a step to boost your child’s immune system.

The immune system provides you protection against disease-causing microorganisms. If your immune system is not strong, germs can invade successfully and make you sick.

Consuming the right food strengthens your child’s immune system. You can give them vitamins and minerals along with a healthy lifestyle to bring positive changes in their life.

How to Boost Your Child’s Immune System?

Due to rapid growth, kids require a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are very important for the cells to function normally and are also important for normal growth, attention, memory, and learning.

There are various ways you can boost your kid’s immune system and help to keep them healthy all year long. Taking proper nutrition promotes quality sleep and encourages plenty of physical quality.

However, making your kids eat all the fruits, vegetables, and other food items is not always possible. Maybe your child is a picky eater, and you find it hard to convince them to eat food that contains various nutrients.

Also, children are rarely concerned about being exposed to pathogens or germs while playing. But no one wants their child to suffer from cold or other diseases. Luckily, supplements can help you prevent various symptoms, and they are effective for children. 

Important Vitamins and Minerals that Your Child Should Consume

Supplementing your child with vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin D, and minerals like zinc and calcium contributes to boosting your child’s immune system.

Here are some important supplements that can help build up your child’s immune system and keep them healthy.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C has a long list of benefits for the growth and development of your child. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that strengthens the immune system of children. It also helps to protect cells from free radicals and against oxidative damage.

Zinc

It is one of the most crucial micronutrients for boosting your kid’s immune system. Zinc is needed for the immune system to work properly. It also contributes to your child’s natural growth.

You can find Zinc in a lot of different foods, 2 staples we like are oats and legumes.

Legumes like chickpea, beans and lentils are a good source of zinc. They are also low in fat, low in calories and contain other essential nutrients like protein and fiber.

164 gm of chickpeas contains 2.5 mg zinc

100 gm of lentils contains 4.78 mg to 1.27 mg of zinc

180 gm of kidney beans contains 5.1 mg zinc

Oats are the classic breakfast staple, loaded with fiber, beta-glucan, Vitamin B6 and folates, oats regulate cholesterol levels and promote the growth of good bacteria in the gut. Another reason to add oast in your diet is its zinc content.

Half bowl of oats contains 1.3 mg of zinc

Iodine

Other than vegetables, you can get iodine from salt. Iodine is essential for normal growth and tissue development, and it also helps control the way cells utilize oxygen and make energy.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is also important for your immune system to function properly. Deficiency of Vitamin D increases susceptibility to infection.

Good sources of vitamin D:

• oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel.
• red meat.
• liver.
• egg yolks.
• fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals.

Your body can absorb vitamin D from sunlight in summer. But taking Vitamin D from the sun in winters becomes harder. Food can also provide you with vitamin D, but in many cases, supplements might help.

Selenium

Selenium seems to have a powerful effect on the immune system, and it plays an important role in preventing infection. Though you can take selenium from seafood and poultry, you can also take it in the form of supplements.

 

Colostrum Nature's First Milk

Since the dawn of time, mothers' colostrum ("first milk") has sustained and nurtured their newborns. This rich source of immunoglobulins, peptides (lactoferrin & lactoperoxidase), signaling molecules (cytokines, proline-rich polypeptides), beneficial bacteria, and growth factors support the newborn's immune system. Pediatric experts generally agree that colostrum is "liquid gold." Along with extended breastfeeding of human breastmilk, bovine (cow) colostrum can also support precious little ones in their path to a healthy future. Bovine colostrum health benefits are biotransferable to humans.

Colostrum helps to:

• Promote a healthy immune system
• Support intestinal health
• Aids in normal childhood development

Final Thought

The best possible source of vitamins and minerals for kids is eating healthy, fresh, and unprocessed food. However, many kids who do not eat fruits, vegetables, and other food items also need to maintain a strong and sturdy immune system.

As children eat less than the minimum daily allowance of many essential nutrients, therefore, to ensure that your kid stays healthy, you can provide them with supplements.