People want to provide their children with the best of everything and want to keep them healthy and safe at all times, but looking at the type of environment we live in, it gets scarier.
In a world like today where viruses are causing pandemic and showing unprecedented times, it only gets harder to protect your children from these threats. This can be disheartening to read as a parent, but we assure you that can protect your children and keep them safe from diseases with Ayurveda. Here’s how you can increase immunity in children naturally.
Foods Kids Should Have to Increase Immunity Naturally
Green Leafy Vegetables: Green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli and cauliflower are supercharged with vitamin C, protein, numerous antioxidants and beta carotene, which increase the infection-fighting ability of our immune systems. They are extremely beneficial for kids as they not only help increase immunity, but also provide many additional health benefits. They are best when have been cooked little – like steamed or boiled.
Bell Peppers: Bell peppers contain almost 3 times more vitamin C than citrus fruit, especially red bell pepper, making it an amazing immunity-boosting food. They are also rich in beta carotene. Vitamin C helps in maintaining healthy skin too and beta carotene keeps the eyes healthy.
Garlic: Garlic is meant to keep the Agni of the body strong which helps strengthen the digestive system and improves metabolism, which in turn strengthens immunity.
Walnuts: Walnuts have illness-fighting omega-3 fatty acids. As studies have shown, it prevents respiratory infections in kids, and is great for their cognitive development.
Ginger: Ginger helps in decreasing inflammation which helps reduce sore throat and other inflammatory illnesses. Ginger is speculated to decrease chronic pain and has cholesterol-lowering properties.
Turmeric: Turmeric has been used as an anti-inflammatory since the years of Ayurveda. Some say it has healing powers and works as an antibody for viruses. It is also packed with immune-boosting and antiviral properties.
Citrus fruits: Citrus fruits like grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, lemons and limes help in building up the immune system as they are infused with vitamin C which increases the production of white blood cells.
Nuts & Seeds: Nuts like almond have immune-boosting power from zinc, iron and the B vitamins, and they also have other nutrients which support the immune system. They have antioxidant properties which are essential to a healthy immune system. On the other hand seeds like sunflower seeds are full of phosphorous, magnesium and vitamins B-6 and E.
Additional Tips to Increase Immunity in Children Naturally
- Eat-in intervals and fixed times
- Make sure they sleep for at least 10-11 hours per day
- Ensure that they sleep early and wake up early
- Keep them filling up with water, juices, glucose
- Limit added sugar to their food
- Help them relax
- Make them eat whole plant foods
- Give them more probiotic food
As discussed above, kids of today’s world are not willing to eat natural and fruitful foods as they are more attracted to junk food because of taste. Try to make your kids healthy and tasty dishes with all the ingredients mentioned above.
Physical activities are a must for children as they increase blood circulation, balances their energy levels, and supports the flow of nutrients.
Checking your child’s gut is important because it directly controls a human body’s appetite and if the appetite is not strong it means that there is a presence of weak immunity in the body.
This article is reviewed by Dr. Sunanda Ranade
