As a mom, the thing I notice most about the winter months is the frequency in which kids get sick and how hard we try our best to stop it from happening repeatedly. I am a firm believer that you can feed your kids foods full of vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, Zinc, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and Vitamin E to help boost your kids immune system. I also believe it is okay for kids to get sick because it is also a way to build their immune system, however ask any mom of a kid who seemingly catches everything and appears to spend the entire winter with one long cold and she would probably beg to differ. Children also tend to get sick back to back due to their immune system being weak after being sick and the tendency to not eat well when they don't feel well. So this is the time to bump up their nutrition and make certain you are doing your best to help them get healthy quickly. I am a big fan of using smoothies to add nutrition and make certain my daughter is getting plenty of vitamins and minerals. Since kids appetites are so erratic I like to use healthy homemade smoothies as a way of making sure she is getting everything she needs especially when she is getting over an illness. Here's one from Dr. Sears that is full of ingredients to make sure your little one has what they need to stay healthy this winter. You can substitute ingredients as needed according to your kids age.
IMMUNE BOOSTING SMOOTHIE
*Drink this smoothie daily upon school entry in September, upon beginning daycare, upon exposure to a contagious illness, or when you or your child feels a cold coming on.
2 cups milk or soy or rice beverage
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 serving of a multinutrient supplement (go to www.askdrsears.com for info)
one frozen banana, cut up
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup each of your favorite fruit, frozen (e.g., organic strawberries, papaya, mango)
1 tbsp. flax oil or 2 tbsp. flaxseed meal (Because fiber steadies the absorption of carbohydrates and therefore contributes to a steadier blood sugar we suggest using rich sources of fiber, such as flaxseed meal (i.e., ground flax seeds, containing both the oil and fiber), although flax oil has a more palatable consistency than flaxseed meal. For additional fiber, if you don't mind an even grainier texture, add 1 tbsp. or more of oat bran.)
3 ounces tofu
10 mg. zinc
100 mcg. selenium
50-100 IU vitamin E
1 serving soy isolate powder (optional)
2 tbsp. peanut butter (optional)
Combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve immediately after blending while the mixture still has a bubbly milkshake-like consistency.
No comments:
Post a Comment