October 05, 2014

Keeping Your Kids Safe During Cold and Flu Season

We don’t know about you, but as we’ve moved into fall it seems like everyone we know has been hit with the mutant super cold. When you’re sick for weeks and it gets passed along to your family and co-workers, it’s not an ideal situation for anyone. For many of us, these colds come from our kids, who spend all day cooped up at school marinading in the germs of their peers, only to be passed on to anyone they touch. It’s a vicious cycle. So how can we best protect our children (and ourselves) from sickness, especially when it seems like no one is immune?

Keep the fluids coming. Fluids are integral to good health — the more hydrated, the better. It’s easy to remember to drink water in the summer when it’s so hot, but when the days start to cool, water consumption often decreases, allowing dehydration to set in. We should all be drinking a big glass of water as soon as we wake up in the morning — keep it room temperature if possible. Cold water shocks the system and takes longer for the body to process because it has to spend so much time warming it up (this can cause gas and bloating issues). Warm or room temp water easily moves through the body, hydrating faster and with a much gentler impact.

Eat a healthy diet. Nutritious, vitamin-rich foods (especially E and C) are fundamental to good health. Our children’s bodies certainly can’t fend off sickness if they’re not being fueled properly. Larges doses of fruit and vegetables throughout the day, fruit and vegetable juice (non-processed/no sugar added) and vital super foods like fresh greens, nuts and seeds, berries and sweet potatoes will have your child’s system in prime germ-fighting capacity. Sugar is a direct impediment to good immunity, so lay off on the soda, candy, and sweet treats.

Wash those hands! Good habits support good health, and hand washing is at the top of the list. At least 20 seconds, warm water, scrub, scrub, scrub.

Rest the body. Our bodies need rest and that’s often the first thing to go when things get busy. Not only do our kids need proper sleep (8 hours) every night, but if they do get sick, rest is key. Taking a day off school, canceling an evening activity, spending a day on the couch, these are all fundamental to proper healing. No one does anyone any favors when they return to school or the office still sick…take the time to heal yourself!