Back to school
The children are heading back to school and this would often come with some relief from parents after a busy summer of constant entertaining, cleaning and feeding them, as well as the odd refereeing fights and disagreements and putting up with sulking and grumping.
This year, there is no doubt that it feels like the children have been home forever, with lockdown and school closures leading straight into the long summer break. But as a parent, you may have some concerns about them going back to school with the worries over Covid19 and their immune system.
So I wanted to give you 8 healthy tips to support your child’s health in returning to school.
Our immune system is our own natural inbuilt protective mechanism that can fight off infections when it is strong and well supported. It is a system comprised of many cells, organs, proteins and tissues that goes throughout our whole body. 70% of those immune cells are actually housed within the gut and there are an estimated 20 billion T cells or killer cells in our skin.
A strong immune system will have many opportunities to take action on an invader, from antibacterial enzymes in our saliva to antimicrobial peptides in the lining of our lungs, to those T cells, antibodies and white blood cells. It does make you realise what an amazing defence system is in place, yet still pathogens can get past these defences. And if those defences are weak in any way, then that could allow an opportunity for the pathogen to multiply.
So how can you support your child’s immune system this autumn:
Antioxidant rich diet
Try and get them to enjoy a colourful and diverse range of whole foods. Including plenty of fruit and vegetables and good quality protein; pulses, nuts and seeds and if they eat meat then choose wild caught fish, grass-fed meat and organic free-range eggs and poultry. Basically encouraging them to eat the rainbow.
If you are struggling to get your child to eat different vegetables, which is very common, then I find smoothies work well for my two fussy boys. A berry smoothie can easily hide a handful of spinach leaves, some courgettes or cucumber without them noticing, even half a teaspoon of spirulina! I also put in a handful of different seeds like pumpkin, sesame or hemp seeds to boost that nutrient content and I add in hemp protein powder. Or try making your own dips. Lots of children quite like hummus, but you can make your own different coloured hummus style dips such as adding beetroot to get a wonderful pink colour, turmeric for orange or peas for green. Chop up a few different raw vegetables and you have a lovely healthy snack to give them as soon as they come home from school.
Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants and the body cannot manufacture it and it can only be obtained in our diet through fruit and vegetables. The best food sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwi, melon, pineapple and papaya, as well as broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, Brussel sprouts, dark leafy greens, asparagus, parsley and sprouted wholegrains.
Vitamin D is well-known for its powerful role in supporting healthy immune function. Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin, as it is actually made in the skin when in contact with the sun’s rays. As we spend more time indoors coming into the cooler months and with children being back to school, we need to be aware of how our vitamin D levels drop at this time of year. There have been some studies showing an association of lower Vitamin D levels and increased rates of influenza. Vitamin D is naturally present in very few foods but can be found in oily fish and small amounts in mushrooms, butter and eggs, so including these can help give your children a boost. Vitamin D is also essential for normal growth and development of bones and teeth.
Zinc is essential for our immunity and is especially needed to support hormone balance (so those teenagers need a boost) and stress and anxiety. There is no doubt being in lockdown away from their friends and then returning to school, with the many more, new covid-safe rules and regulations, is going to have some impact on their mental health. Try and include a range of whole grains, pecans, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, peas, carrots, asparagus, cabbage and ginger in their diet.
Selenium also plays a key role in our immune health but we only need about 1mg in our body and it is particularly important for teenage boys because of its need for sperm production. Good food sources are wheatgerm, Brazil nuts, barley, oats, brown rice as well as shell fish. Literally 4 or 5 Brazil nuts a day can give you your daily recommendation of selenium. Or try adding a handful of oats to their smoothie.
2. Supporting Gut Health -
As I said 70% of our immune cells are housed within the gut. When we have a healthy gut - we have an immune system that will tolerate a lot of things. The bacteria in our gut also help to produce vitamins. Our children’s microbiome can be adversely affected by many factors, including sugary foods and drinks, processed foods, antibiotics and even stress. The more diverse our microbiome -so the more different types of bacteria - the higher our chance of being resistant to different kind of pathogens. Studies have shown that eating 25 - 30 different plant based foods across the week will give you the most diverse microbiome. The microbes in the gut thrive on fibre and antioxidants which is why plants are so important as they supply all of these in abundance and much more. Try including some fermented kefir or kombucha. Many yoghurts aimed at children are loaded with sugar, so be careful to avoid these.
3. Avoid foods that affect the immune system.
Try and remove or limit processed or sugary foods and drink as these are often high in sugar and artificial ingredients. Studies have shown that eating sugar has the potential to weaken our immune system by 75% for up to 6 hours. So it is worth bearing in mind how much sugar your child might be consuming on a daily basis. Kids are particularly attached to sugar, so I appreciate this is not as easy as it seems. I find having lots of honest conversations with them about the effects on their health, so it is not just a “NO” but “no because…..”. And sometimes, especially with older children, you can’t always control what they eat. Especially at school when they get to choose lunch themselves. But what you can do, is have healthier options at home. Sometimes allowing a little something every now and again is better than always saying no and then they do secret gorging when you are not around. Also focus on the food they are having at home, the majority of the time, is nutrient dense and healthy and of course delicious. I find planning meals ahead for the week helps me to be sure that my children are getting more of a variety of vegetables and also bulk cooking when I have the time. So when there are days I am super busy, or tired, or both, there is some meals already prepared in the freezer that are nutritious and delicious that we all enjoy.
4. Adequate sleep.
A lack of sleep, especially over prolonged periods can have a detrimental effect on the immune system. The excess and ease of hand-held devices available now has dramatically increased our exposure to blue light wavelengths at night. And, I know as a parent, once your child has their own device, it does become an exhausting battle to get them off it. Also be aware of the amount of radiation that is being emitted from the devices. I use Energy Dots on all our devices and Organite crystal pyramids that I bought from Etsy in their rooms to help protect them from electromagnetic stress and radiation. Try to minimise their exposure to phones, tablets, and computers 1-2 hours before their bedtime. This is because of the affect of the blue light interfering with melatonin production which helps us get a good nights sleep. This can be a particular battle with older children but you can ensure that they switch their devices to the night setting or get them glasses which help to protect them from the blue light exposure. I also am hugely grateful for Apple screen time settings which allows you to block your child’s phone (when connected to family sharing) at certain times so you can avoid them using them in the middle of the night. Support your child in getting the recommended number of hours sleep per night for their age. The Sleep Council has a good guide on this. Children have most of their growth spurts at night and getting a good nights sleep helps with brain function the next day. A useful tip would be to put a handful of Epsom salts into their bath. Epsom salts are a form of magnesium which is easily absorbed through the skin and can encourage a good night’s sleep, as well as helping them to de-stress. I buy Epsom salts in bulk from the Epsom Salt Company.
5. Manage stress
Children react to stressors in just the same way as we do i.e. by producing the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Raised stress hormones over a prolonged period can negatively impact on their immune system and eventually suppress it, leaving them vulnerable to infection. Include plenty of vitamin C rich foods ( see above) , as stress can quickly deplete vitamin C and the adrenal glands contain one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C in the body is supportive. Encourage them to take time out to relax, walk in nature and meditate. Even just listening to some chilled music is restorative.
6. Sufficient exercise
Encouraging your child to be active is important in ensuring a healthy circulation and movement in their lymphatic system and subsequently increases the circulation of immune cells and much needed nutrients. A stagnated body can encourage disease to manifest. Regular exercise is not just important for their physical health but also for their mental health and being outside is even better at supporting their immunity by being exposed to a diverse bacteria to help support their own immune system. Children are spending more and more time at home and on their phone, tablets or computers and this is effecting their immune health. I was shocked to see official statistics from the NHS this year that 20% of year 6 children were classified as obese and that only 47% of children and young people were meeting the current physical activity guidelines.
7. Hydration
Ensuring your child is well hydrated is another important step for creating a healthy immune system. A dehydrated body is a stress alert for the body, increasing those stress hormones that impair our immunity, as well as creating a sluggish circulation and lymph fluid which supports the movement of essential nutrients around our body. Our mucosal lining needs to be moist to help defend against pathogens and we need to keep hydrated for that to be the case. Sufficient water intake is also essential for our detoxification pathways. Try and avoid sugary squash but sweeten water naturally with cucumber, mint, strawberries or lemon, lime juice
8. Supplementation
My top 3 would be Vitamin C, Vitamin D and a good probiotic - The Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) proposed by SACN for all children aged 4 and above is 10 µg/day of Vitamin D and Public Health England now recommend that all children supplement with this daily, especially between the darker months between October and March. BioCares Complete Complex contains 10 µg or 400 IU of vitamin D , it is a pleasant tasting powder that can be easily mixed into a smoothie or coconut yoghurt. And covers a good range of multi-nutrients including immune supportive vitamin C and Zinc . This is suitable for 6 months to one year on a half dose and over 1 years on a full dose. And also a good probiotic; for babies, I’d recommend BioCare Bioflora and for children 6 months and over BioCare Childrens Bioacidophilus. (If you register as a new customer with BioCare and give my Practitioner referral code P7913 then you will receive 15% off any of your order through BioCare.)