With school back, a change of seasons ahead and the Coronavirus making headlines, supporting your child’s immunity with nourishing food is a great way to keep them well, free of sniffles and happy.

Foods to help your kids fight colds and flu

As summer ends flu season is in our sights and no doubt parents are seeing more runny noses and chesty coughs. You’re either trying to shield your child from another germy one or keeping your child in lockdown so as not to spread it around. Luckily, there are ways you can help your kids fight common colds and flu this season by boosting their immune system with certain foods.

Kids that eat a nutritious diet are better equipped when the germs are in full force. This is especially important for those little ones at childcare or school. With influenza on the rise and children experiencing on average 6-8 colds a year, it is important to know what foods can help your kids fight colds and flu. This is preventive medicine at its best!

Garlic

The use of garlic to prevent and treat colds and flu dates back to ancient healing in various cultures around the world. It is a potent antioxidant and exhibits antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory effects. It is basically the anti-everything superfood! It has over 33 sulphur based compounds which help boost the immune system and assists in detoxification.

Ways to include garlic in your child’s diet:

Thrown into pasta sauces
Add fresh garlic in hummus or yogurt dips
Marinate meat with garlic and herbs
Add into stir-fries, soups or stews
Note: garlic is super versatile so you can put it in almost anything. The key though is not to cook it for too long at high temperatures. Anything over 100ºC and for longer than 20 mins it will start to lose its potency. Instead, throw it in your dishes at the very last minute.

Thyme

The herb thyme is also considered an anti-bacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal superhero. Due to its constituents of flavonoids, vitamins B, C and D thyme is great for helping prevent chronic respiratory problems such as colds, flu and sore throats. It is also a great food as medicine to reduce fever.

Ways to include thyme in your child’s diet:

Perfect for adding flavour to soups and stews
Marries well with fish, meat and chicken
Thrown into pasta sauces such as tomato and mushroom

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are an amazing immune booster and are packed to the brim with goodness. Mushrooms contain a variety of vitamins and minerals as well as the polysaccharide, beta-glucan. Beta-glucan helps activate the immune system and works as an anti-viral, anti-tumour, anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant. This helps protect against nasty invaders including viruses, parasites, cancers and bacteria

Ways to include mushrooms in your child’s diet:

1-2 mushrooms in soups, stir-fries casseroles can provide therapeutic value
Add to omelettes, fritters or veggie muffins
In a warming chicken soup
Slice up raw as a snack
Include in the mix of pizza toppings

Note: Some of the best mushrooms to help kids fight colds and flu include shiitake, oyster, reishi, Portobello and field mushrooms.

Pumpkin seeds

Seeds, in general, are super important for your kid’s health, but when it comes to helping kids fight colds and flu, pumpkin seeds are a great immune booster. They contain the essential omega-3 fatty acids which act as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. They also contain vitamin E which strengths the immune system and zinc which helps ensure there are enough white blood cells and T cells to fight any invaders.

Ways to include pumpkin seeds in your child’s diet:

Sprinkle on top of yoghurt or porridge
Add to baked goods such as bread, muffins and cookies
Put into a trail mix along with other nuts and seeds
Thrown into a smoothie with blueberries and

Apples

The saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ may just be true when it comes to colds and flu. Quercetin, which is found in the skin of red apples, is a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic. High intakes of apples have been seen to reduce asthma by 24% and several studies have shown a decreased susceptibility to the influenza virus. The polyphenol content in apples has also shown to reduce hay fever symptoms. So overall apples are super protective of our immune system.

Ways to include apples in your child’s diet (pretty easy this one!)

Sliced up eaten raw (include the skin!)
Baked in strudels or pies
Homemade applesauce
Puree added to porridge, yoghurt or chia puddings

The best way you can help your kid's fight colds and flu is to provide them with a nutritious preventative diet.

This means foods high in antioxidants such as berries, kale, broccolini, raisins and avocado. Orange, red and yellow vegetables are a rich source of beta-carotene, also a powerful anti-oxidant.

But it isn’t just fruit and veggies, whole grains, fish, meat and poultry are all beneficial due to the amino acids helping support the immune system.

If your child’s immune system is strong and healthy, you will be seeing fewer and fewer snotty noses. This means fewer days out of school and childcare and overall happier kids (meaning happy parents)!

Foods to help your kids fight colds and flu