Building immunity

The first month of school is always the trickiest. Children get sick more often because of being exposed to new germs and illnesses.

The key to remember is to start with prevention. Here are a few things that you can do to boost your child’s immunity so that they don’t catch a virus should one be around:
* Keep them hydrated by asking them to drink as much water as possible throughout the day. If their bodies are dry, they are much more likely to fall sick because germs won’t flush out as easily and their mucus linings will be dry and more likely to get irritated

* At the beginning of the school year, give them probiotics capsules over three or four days. Probiotics are the good bacteria that act like an immune army to protect them from any pathogens

* Make sure they are limiting sugar as it lowers immunity for up to 15 hours after ingesting it. The less sugar they have, the stronger their immunity. In this case, I’m not talking about natural sugars from fruits, but it’s the refined added sugar in desserts and sweets that you need to worry about.

But let’s say your child comes home with a cold. You should then continue all the things I mentioned above as well as follow the below:
* Vitamin C a few times a day to boost immunity

* Raw honey mixed with garlic and apple cider vinegar to act as an anti-viral

* Green juices to make the body more alkaline. A virus cannot live in an alkaline body. You can make a green juice by blending any kind of leafy greens with a cucumber and an apple. And you can add wheatgrass powder to the mix for more effect. Children will grow to like the taste over time.

* If the problem is related to mucus, it’s best to avoid all sources of dairy products and meat because they increase mucus production. You can replace cheese with hummus for example; and meat with fish.
Try these simple tips to have a great school year!

Get more great healthy parenting tips from my book I Want Healthy Kids, sold in bookstores around Bahrain or online on Amazon. The Arabic version is also out and available at all Jarir outlets and select bookstores around the Arab world! For more information, visit www.IWantHealthyKids.com. And make sure to follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the latest: @AliaAlmoayed