5 Easy Tips to Keep your Child Healthy this Winter

The best method to keep your child healthy this winter is to make their immune system strong for fighting off all the bacteria and viruses that come its way.

Kids are bombarded with germs at school, on the bus, at a friend’s house, etc. Many children don’t remember to wash their hands very often. Because of this perfect storm, it’s very likely that children will still get sick, but if their immune system is strong, their sickness will likely be minor and short lived.

5 Easy Tips to Keep your Child Healthy this Winter

1. First and foremost, ditch the sugary drinks!

Sugary drinks are one of the main sources of sugar for kids. I see kids drinking apple juice, orange juice and even sports drinks on a regular basis. Most of these drinks are water with sugar. There are no nutrients from fruits left. Their body doesn’t need that.

For energy, a better option would be fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, foods rich in iron (beans, lentils, spinach, etc.).

It’s best if you make juices at home, especially vegetable juices with a bit of fruit. All the vitamins and enzymes found in the produce you use will still be present in the juice your child drinks (unlike a store-bought juice).

Sugar doesn’t only make kids hyper, but if too much it’s consumed on a regular basis it causes cavities and inflammation in their body which will make them more prone to chronic diseases down the road (obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc.).

2. Fruits and vegetables every day (best if organic)

Fruits and vegetables, fresh or cooked (especially fresh since their vitamins and enzymes are still preserved) keep your child and their immune system.

Here are some ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into your child’s diet on a regular basis:

– fresh fruit as a snack (with a healthy chocolate avocado dip)

– fruit salad as a snack or dessert after dinner

– fruit smoothie for breakfast or snack after school (bonus points if spinach or kale are added)

– raw vegetables (carrots, celery, etc.) with or without a dip

– delicious salad

3. Physical activity

Children need to move. Their immune system stays strong if they move. The lymphatic system, which is the core of the immune system, relies on the body’s movements to stay active and work well. The more children move, the less likely they are to be sick.

Take your child for a walk or a bike ride after dinner or enroll them in a physical activity class (gym, karate, etc.). Or even better, enlist the whole family in an evening dance party, race, obstacle course or other fun activities where everybody needs to keep moving.

4. Good night sleep

If your child is not well rested, they are more likely to become sick and stay sick for a long time.

Set an early bed time if they have to wake up early to go to school. It’s better for them to wake up on their own then to be regularly woken up to get ready for school. At some point, the lack of sleep will catch up with them and they will catch colds more frequently.

Lack of sleep also makes children forgetful and irritable, and lowers their ability to handle stress as well as their ability to focus in school.

5. Nutritional supplements to complement a healthy diet

The right dose of vitamin D, omega 3s, probiotics and vitamin C supplements will help your child’s immune system stay strong all year round.

This is my favourite omega-3 fish oil supplement. My whole family takes it (4-year old daughter, 7-year old son, husband and myself) and it’s also the brand I recommend to all my clients.

I talked about a few of the main factors that make the immune system strong to keep your child healthy. There are, of course, many other important ones (washing hands frequently, not touching eyes or mouths with dirty hands, cover mouths when sneezing, etc.)

Which other tips would you add to help keep your child healthy? I would love to know your thoughts! Share below so we can all learn.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links and I only mention products my family loves and uses. If you choose to buy the products through my links, I will receive payment. However, the price of the product stays the same. Thank you for supporting my website and my mission to help families lead healthy and happy lives!

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