5 ways to support your child's immune health

By Bio Island Nutrition Team

Supporting your child’s overall health can seem like a task on its own and then making sure their immunity is optimal can feel like a never-ending concern. Installing healthy habits and an active lifestyle at a young age can be the difference to how many colds or flus arise and their severity.

1. Having a great healthy diet
Incorporating a healthy diet that includes a variety of colours will ensure your child’s nutrient needs and establish healthy habits at a young age. Having a mix of fruit and vegetables will help with needed vitamins and minerals. Then with dairy and meat providing protein and needed amino acids to help with growth and develop. Incorporate the food groups and do your best to avoid any unnecessary forms of junk food.
Some immune boosting foods to keep in mind:
• Garlic
• Yoghurt
• Berries
• Green leafy vegetables
• Walnuts

2. Maintaining a healthy microbiota
Gut health and flora play a vital part in the functioning of every system. It is a complex community of micro-organisms that live in the stomach. They are there to protect the digestive tract and play a support role for the immune system. A great food source is yoghurt which contains live bacteria or supplements that contain lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and acidophilus. These forms of healthy bacteria can help reduce the risk of colds and viral infections.

3. Getting enough sleep
Sleep is an essential part in every stage of life and is the time our bodies can repair and recover for the next day of activities. During sleep your body will release a protein called cytokines which not only help promote sleep but also help the body recover from infections, inflammation or stress. Sleep deprivation may decrease the production of these proteins and therefore not allow the body to recover smoothly or quickly.

4. Keeping a calm and stress-free environment
When our bodies experience stresses, the body goes into a fight or flight mode and generally this causes a reduction in the immune systems response. The stress hormone corticosteroid can suppress the effectiveness of the immune system. Helping maintain a calm environment and teach your children to understand how to manage stress can really make a difference in how their bodies recovery and manage any cold like symptoms.

5. Hygiene
Lastly hygiene, this plays its role in the health and strength of the immune system. Teaching and keeping a good hygiene routine can help again establish behaviours that will last a lifetime. Washing hands and covering the mouth when coughing will help not only help stop the spread of germs or sickness but also stop the likely hood of contracting a cold.

This information does not take into account your personal situation and is general in nature. You should consider whether the information is appropriate for your needs and seek professional medical advice.

Always consult your healthcare professional before taking any supplements or if any concerns arise.