Your Child’s Immune System Can Be Improved With These 10 Tips

By improving your child’s immune system, you can prevent many of the potential health problems that children experience. The body’s immune system can be helped in various ways, such as eating a varied, healthy diet, to ward off certain diseases.

The first type of food that has been proven to be effective in this context is without a doubt breast milk. However, an infant’s immune system may be weakened, possibly due to a long period of illness or prolonged medical treatment. The immune system may therefore have collapsed.

How to improve your child’s immune system

Some children have to increase their defenses due to certain circumstances. In each case, however, it is interesting to know which foods supply the body with energy, and help boost the immune system.

The Association of Families of Children with Cancer in Castilla la Mancha, also known as AFANION, has published a series of dietary tips to promote an improved immune system. These recommendations are based on children with special needs such as cancer. The children suffer from an illness and the treatment weakens them. Therefore, their diet should be refreshing.

According to specialists, this type of diet is suitable for anyone who needs to improve their immune system. It is not a risk when improvement is needed. It is essential to prevent infection from fungi, bacteria and viruses. A healthy diet that contributes to the body’s natural defenses is worth trying.

Advice to improve your child’s immune system

AFANION recommends the following dietary advice to improve your child’s immune system:

• Choose prepared foods over raw foods. Sometimes we prefer a salad because we think it is the healthiest. However, it is convenient to prefer porridge and soft, cooked foods.

• Avoid fruits that are eaten with peel or that are difficult to wash. Make it a habit to choose fruits such as bananas, oranges and tangerines.
• Avoid pre-packaged juices and processed fruits.
• It is recommended to avoid fresh cheese, Roquefort, blue cheese, ham and raw eggs.
• Pastries, sweets and cream are not recommended in this diet.
• Use only olive oil in cooking and seasonal foods.
• Sterilization of food is strongly recommended, so it is recommended to use a pressure cooker.
• Allow your child to bring their own cutlery and their own plate so they do not have to share with anyone else.
• Pay attention to hygiene with regard to hands, utensils and cooking surfaces. Your child should wash his hands regularly.
• It is very important to pay attention to food storage to avoid contamination during thawing and cooking.

• Include foods rich in probiotics such as yogurt and fermented milk. Prebiotic fiber is also recommended, which is found in foods such as onions, bananas and wheat.
• Natural fats, breads, rice, pasta, potatoes, legumes and vitamins A, E and D should not be lacking in the diet so that your baby’s immune system can be improved. Minerals such as zinc, iron and magnesium are also needed.

Other recommendations

Problems with having a weakened immune system are that we can easily get sick if we do not change our habits. To avoid possible diseases while trying to improve the immune system, the following advice should be considered:

• Maintain a balanced temperature and avoid sudden temperature fluctuations.
• Make sure the child is not near tobacco smoke.
• Avoid exposure to viruses.
• Spend about 10 minutes each day ventilating the house.
• Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep, rest during the day and a nap.

• Avoid intense training. A moderate walk or physical activity is better.
• The sun is a great source of vitamin D, so go out and get some sun – even when it’s winter.