Children's Immunity Through the Seasons
As the seasons change, children can become susceptible to all types of sickness. Parents need education and practical tools to take care of their children at home, especially through the winter months. In this class video and article, I'll cover the importance of eating seasonally and which foods to focus on, how to build and strengthen your child's immune system, how to care for your children when they are sick, and most importantly, how to understand symptoms and the healing process by partnering with the body instead of working against it.
Aligning Your Eating by the Seasons
Did you know that several nutritional factors can be affected when eating hot or cold foods? The factors include the rate of absorption of nutrients, digestion, and the number of specific vitamins and minerals in the food. Additionally, when we decide to align our eating with the seasons, we consume food that is at its nutritional peak, enhancing our state of health and vitality.
Fall & Winter – During the fall and winter months, the air becomes cold and dry. It is crucial to avoid the "Holi-DAZE" trap of over-eating that creates a downhill spiral of events including feeling lethargic, stressed, and overwhelmed. During these seasons, you and your children should stay away from eating an excess of cold, raw foods. Think of warm meal alternatives, like stews, soups, root vegetables, beans, oatmeal, rice, and hot teas. You may also eat a few more fats and protein in the winter but continue to keep it to 20% or less of your diet. This does not have to be in the form of animal protein as we can obtain protein from properly prepared beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. If choosing animal protein look for farm fresh eggs, wild caught fish, and grass-fed, hormone-free meat. The other 80% should be filled with seasonal fruits and vegetables like apples, potatoes, squash, and dark leafy greens. You can create simple, warm meals by putting all of your ingredients into a trusty Crockpot and letting it cook throughout the day.
Spring & Summer – As the family transitions into warmer weather, your food menu should transition to some fresh greens and salads. If the kiddos aren't into a salad, you can start with fresh cut veggies or fruits and smoothies. Smoothies are an easy way to sneak greens, herbs, and other superfoods into your kids' diet. When available, try to transition to more raw fruits and vegetables that are in season. You should eat fewer fats and proteins in the warmer months, unless you and your children are very active. You can use whole grains like quinoa, rice, and oatmeal for substance or some beans and legumes. Try not to overeat dense fats and animal proteins. Simple meal suggestions include salads, roasted veggies in the oven, cut vegetables with hummus, tasty smoothies, acai bowls, or feel free to keep it simple with steamed veggies and lean meats.
No matter the season, three meals daily should be the goal. When you feel like you must eat more than the allotted meals, this is a sign that your body has an imbalance unless you are incredibly active. Try to close the kitchen down after 7pm and avoid eating after dinner or late at night. Engage in family activities that take the focus off of snacking. If you feel like you need a snack after dinner, offer warm tea, or at most, enjoy a piece of fruit together. Your gut microbes change with the season! If you eat fresh foods from the earth in the right season, it matches your gut biome. God is so smart.
Seasonal Cleansing
Our bodies are intimately interconnected with nature and the seasons. When we make the decision to clear the unnecessary clutter and toxins from our bodies and our environments, we can maximize the transformative energy of each season to attain greater health, vitality, and well-being. Fasting and cleansing are powerful ways to keep inflammation down, and keep you and your family’s immune system strong. The less you overeat, the cleaner your body, the stronger your immune system, and the quicker and stronger your body is to fight when it does get sick.
Here are a few seasonal cleanses that we suggest.
Fall & Winter - colon cleanses during these seasons help to keep the body clean and healthy.
Spring - this is the best time to cleanse your liver.
Summer - is the best time to be active and cleanse the kidneys and lymphatic system.
For adults, take a look at our free cleansing guides to help guide you through a successful cleanse each season. For tips on how to cleanse with children, check out our article on Detoxifying Children 101.
Intermittent Fasting as a Family
Intermittent fasting is a great way to incorporate fasting into your life. Plus intermittent fasting helps the body to repair and regenerate cells while boosting the immune system. How you and your family decide to implement intermittent fasting into your home routine will be determined by the dynamics of your home. We suggest that you introduce mindful eating to your children to promote a healthy relationship with food. We learn by doing, so be sure to take the time to eat at the table as a family and reinforce healthy eating. The simplest way to incorporate intermittent fasting into your family's routine is to decide on an eating window of 8-10 hours that the whole family will follow. For example, the family only eats between 8am and 6pm every day.
How to Build Immunity Year Round
We all dread the sicknesses that surface in our bodies, especially in the winter months. Although our immune systems are meant to do a great job on their own of defending against viruses, sometimes we still get sick, and that's okay. Sickness can help make our bodies stronger if we embrace the symptoms of sickness instead of stifling them. Here are some simple ways to strengthen the immune system before, during, or after a sickness.
Sunshine - The vitamin D that we get from the sun is one of the most powerful immune boosters. That's why sickness is more prevalent in the winter months when we are less exposed to the sun. During the summer, you and the kiddos should take advantage of the free vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D deficiency is a real thing. During the winter months, be sure you and the family take vitamin D supplements to maintain your levels and go outside as much as possible. Check out some of our top vitamin D supplements.
Be Active - Make sure you're moving as a family. Try to do something as a family every day like go on a walk, take a bike ride through the neighborhood, play at the park, or have a snowball fight. Anything to get the body moving is so important for immune health.
Herbs - Herbs contain immune properties and microbes for the gut. Here are some of my family's go-to herbs and formulas to take for boosting the immune system, especially during the winter.
Immune Boost Tea (with a little honey, daily) by Spirit of Health.
Superfood Powder by Spirit of Health or a suitable greens powder, one teaspoon, or more daily (in juices or smoothies) .
All products by BIORAY. The best for immune health are Belly Balance and Happy. Give them to your kiddos daily.
All the Wishgarden children's products. The top for immunity are Kick-It Biotic and Kick-It Cough.
Fire Cider by The Moxie Mix contains immune-boosting herbs like turmeric, ginger, garlic, and so much more.
Elderberry Syrup which has been used for centuries to prevent and overcome sickness.
Immune boosting Supplements
Probiotics we love include Syntol Kids by Arthur Andrew and Probonix for children.
Silver Biotics Silver (1 teaspoon) mixed with Warren Labs Aloe Vera Juice (1 teaspoon) twice daily is an easy (and tasteless) immune recipe to mix in a kid's sippy cup or glass of water. We only recommend using silver hydrosol and do not recommend colloidal silver. Silver hydrosol does not accumulate in the system, does not harm beneficial bacteria, and is a more active and effective form of silver. Increasing the dosage for something more serious is safe when using silver hydrosol. You may also maintain one teaspoon throughout winter for prevention.