What can you do to keep your kids in tip top form during the season of coughs and colds? The advice on vitamins and healthy eating, not to mention super-foods, can be confusing so we asked four experts for their top tips.
EAT HEALTHILY
Keep your kids immune systems fighting fit by eating a balanced diet full of fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and wholegrain carbohydrates. Avoid sugary foods as these deplete your immune system. Encourage your child to eat a “rainbow” of fruits and vegetables for example: red strawberries, blue blueberries, yellow peppers, green peas, says Natalie Coghlan at www.nutritionist-resource.org.uk.
Good sources of vitamin A include; dairy products, carrots, sweet potatoes, swede, mangoes and dark green vegetables like spinach, cabbage and broccoli. Fruits like oranges, kiwi’s strawberries and vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes and broccoli are good sources of vitamin C.
SUPER-FOODS
Get around fussy eaters by smuggling super-foods, vegetables and fruit into meals, says Natalie. Use a blender to whizz up lentils and vegetables to add to soups, casseroles and sauces. Add flax seeds (a great source of Omega 3) to cereal and porridge, home-made flapjacks or even home-made bolognaise or stew. Make healthy juices with two thirds veg to one third fruit to cut sugar. Sweeten vegetable juice with blueberries, add avocado for a creamy consistency. You can even add nut butters, flaxseeds and coconut milk to get essential omega 3.
VITAMIN D
The best way to get vitamin D is through exposing your skin to sunshine. Impossible in the UK in winter although do get outside when it’s nice! You can get vitamin D3 through foods such as oily fish, eggs and fortified cereals but in nowhere near the quantities we need so it is really important to take a good quality supplement during the winter,” says nutritional therapist Gemma Landau at The Food Doctor Nutrition Practice www.thefooddoctor.com. My kids love Solray (orange taste) and BetterYou (peppermint) both do oral sprays which taste good.
SUPPLEMENTS
With the best will in the world some kids are fussy eaters (I know one of mine is far worse than Charlie’s little sister Lola!) so it can be a worry to know that they are getting everything they need from their diet. A good quality everyday multivitamin plus Omega 3 oil is a good year-round supplement and should cover all the bases, says Gemma.
Parents often see a good quality multivitamin as an insurance policy to make sure there are no nutritional gaps between your child’s diet and what they need,” says Angela Chalmers, Boots Pharmacist www.boots.com and mum of two.
PROBIOTICS
Probiotics are friendly bacteria that live in your gut and can help your child’s immune and digestive system operate effectively. “The gut and the immune system are closely linked so taking a good quality probiotics can really help. Steer clear of sugary supermarket drinks though,” says Gemma.
FIGHT COLDS
If your child does get a cold then think of it as a good thing as they will build their immune system learns to fight off bugs. Some mums swear by sweetening hot lemon with Manuka honey for its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to help sooth sore throats or sinusitis. You can dose your kids up with vitamin C at the first sign of a sniffle to help stop colds or at least shorten the length of them, says nutritionist Sam Murgatroyd and writer of great blog packed full of healthy recipes www.meatand2veggies.co.uk. Try 2g/day (the equivalent of eating 40 oranges!) for children aged 5-12 and double for older kids and adults, says Sam.
PREVENT
Get kids to wash their hands as most germs are spread from hand to mouth, nose and through the eyes. Remember alcohol-based hand washes won’t kill the norovirus, aka the winter vomiting bug, which is only zapped by washing hands with old-fashioned soap and hot water, says Angela.
Prevention is a big thing in the pharmaceutical world right now. New nasal sprays such as Children’s Cold Defence(from 6 months) and throat washes like ColdZyme Mouth Spray (age 4+) from Boots or your local pharmacy can be used to stop colds and coughs at the first sign. “These sprays simply put a barrier at the back of the nose or throat which is where viruses migrate to,” says Angela.
Consider the flu vaccine. The NHS in the UK is now offering all children aged 2-4 the new nasal spray flu vaccine. It plans to offer the flu vaccine to all children 2-16 eventually.
Find a registered nutritionist in your area in the UK at the Association for Nutrition www.associationfornutrition.org.
Half term is here for most of the UK. Hooray! The days are getting longer so it’s time to blow away the cobwebs and get back outside. Kids love being outdoors whatever the weather plus it’s great to get them away from the distractions of the digital world. So we asked Anna and Becky who set up Wild & Wonderful, a company specialising in quality outdoor toys, games and activities, to give us some inspiration for outdoor fun this half term.
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m and prepared for changes in the weather, a picnic is a fun thing to do any time of year. So fill up a Thermos, pack some hearty grub and set off on an adventure to find the perfect picnic spot.
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