A gift from nature - how to boost your immune system
Niamh, John and Ciara Leddy from Cork
EVERY January and February, when the very cold weather hits, my son has time off school with ear infections. These invariably start with a cold or flu virus that hits everyone in the house. I like to think we are a relatively healthy family, so what more can we do to boost our immune systems?
According to Professor Ron Eccles of Cardiff's Common Cold Centre it is a straightforward equation. "The healthier you are, the better you are at fighting infection. Wholefoods provide a complete nutritional package which are better for you than supplements. A balanced diet improves your health."
In children the immune system isn't fully developed until they are 14 years old, which is why younger children are more susceptible to illnesses and infections. And our time-poor, everything-instant lifestyle sees most of us reaching for the freezer for a quick midweek meal, but these pre-cooked and processed foods are low in health-giving nutrients and high in additives like preservatives and flavourings.
It is especially important at this time of year to encourage a healthy immune system. Experts now agree that eating a diet rich in natural foods helps ward off many common complaints such as coughs and colds.
But sometimes there seems to be a glut of conflicting information about what we should be eating and drinking.
TV presenter Lorraine Kelly, author of Healthy Children's Eating Plan: Change Your Children's Eating Habits In Six Weeks And For Life, says: "We have never had so much information available to us about what sort of food we should be eating to keep ourselves and our families healthy, but it is sometimes contradictory and confusing."
For example, Lorraine says that many mums might give their children fruit bars instead of confectionery because they believe them to be better. "Not so," says Lorraine, "these bars are made from concentrated fruit puree and juice, in other words, sugar.
"Unless there is a major change in eating habits, more than a quarter of the next generation are piling up horrific health problems. As parents, we must take responsibility."
Essential
In order to thrive, a child's immune system needs to be nourished by essential nutrients, says Lucy Burney, a nutritional consultant and author of Super Foods For Healthy Kids.
"Essential nutrients have immune-boosting qualities and these are found in wholegrains, fruits, vegetables, lean meat, fish, nuts and seeds. Foods that are unhelpful to your child's immune system include salt, sugar and saturated fat," she says.
If the body is deficient in any of these immune-boosting nutrients there are certain tell-tale signs in the body. For example, if you are lacking in vitamin A you may be inclined to have more infections, mouth ulcers or dry skin.
Vitamin B is known to be good for nervous disorders and again, a deficiency might be shown through poor skin or a lack of energy.
Allergies, bleeding gums and recurrent infections are a sign the body may be deficient in vitamin C and intolerance to the cold, fatigue and poor appetite are all signs that you may have an iron deficiency.
Some nutrients also have antioxidant effects. A normal balanced diet provides us with antioxidants which help fight off free radicals which attack cells and cause disease. However, sometimes the body is overwhelmed by free radicals and we need to stock up on antioxidants to fight them.
Vitamins A and E, selenium and zinc are rich in antioxidants. These can be found in chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, milk and seeds.
Most nutritionists would advise parents to play to their children's dietary strengths when it comes to healthy eating. For example, Sam, my teenage son, would hate the idea of being fed something just because it is healthy but as he loves walnuts, these can be slipped into all manner of dishes.
I add them to salads, to his packed lunch or combine with cheese for sandwiches. Walnuts are rich in vitamin E and selenium, and as well as being an excellent antioxidant, they are also good for the skin.
Functioning
They also contain essential fatty acids, essential because they can only be obtained directly through your diet and they are vital for the proper functioning of the immune system.
Aileen Leddy from Cork encourages healthy eating by giving her children raw carrots to munch as she's making the evening meal.
"We're quite traditional with food and eat plenty of broccoli and turnip and usually have two or three vegetables, including potatoes, with our evening meals," she says. "Carrots are a favourite with the children and as I'm preparing them I slip them all some raw carrot which I know is doing them good."
Broccoli is also thought to help prevent cancer as it's high in beta-carotene, which belongs to the phytonutrients known as carotenoids.
Researchers have identified 600 carotenoids and six of them, beta-carotene being one, are thought to be particularly beneficial to health. They help fight heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
However, you may find that your little ones are as resistant to a green sprig of broccoli as they are to an early night. Jennifer Lawrence, mum to three boys, Brook (17), Finlay (six), and Ethan (five), has found a way to tackle this problem.
"I often blend vegetables into the food we have. I add pureed broccoli and kale to stews or soups and because we are vegetarian I add diced carrots and tomatoes to veggie burgers and bakes."
Treats
Jennifer maintains that planning ahead also helps when getting children to eat healthy food.
"When they come in from school they are often starving so I have plenty of fresh fruit to hand and sticks of celery and cucumber, as they like these.
"If we're going swimming I know they will want something on the way out so I have sweet treats like strawberries or dried fruit and nut mix."
A shortage of vitamin D is also thought to be a factor in the high levels of colds and flu during winter months as it is sourced through sunlight, of which there is precious little at this time of year. Eating plenty of eggs, oily fish and shiitake mushrooms should help. Yogurt will help replenish the good bacteria in the body, and is also an excellent source of calcium -- essential for a healthy immune system.
Good health is not simply an absence of disease, but a state of being that enables you to live life to the full. Nature is a treasure trove of nutrients to support your good health and help you live disease free.
So next time you feel under the weather, go to the fridge, not the medicine cabinet, and see how quickly Mother Nature can help.
- Sarah Spendiff
