Natural ways to strenghten your child's immunity
Breastfeed
Breastfed babies experience fewer infections than bottle fed babies. Breast milk is vital in building your baby's immunity and protecting against disease. It also provides a complete nutritional balance including essential fatty acids. It is very important to try to breastfeed your baby even if it is only for a few months. If you are unable to give your baby breast milk, home made brown rice milk is a healthy alternative. Use this as part of your baby's diet to help develop a strong constitution and immune system.Offer an Organic Wholesome Diet
It is essential to give your child excellent daily nutrition to keep their immune system healthy and strong. Nutritional deficiencies make it easier for your child to be susceptible to viruses and bacteria. Make sure your child has a variety of organic whole-foods including fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains. It is vital to offer a balanced macrobiotic diet with a variety of ingredients.All children are attracted to eating snacks. Today many foods are highly processed and loaded with sugar such as cookies, boxed cereals and sodas. These additive rich foods will actually weaken the immune system. Snacking can become problematic if children fill up on these 'nutritionally empty foods' and don't want to eat the lovely healthy meals you have provided. Make sure to offer good quality snacks such as fruit and vegetable sticks, steamed bread with spreads, sushi, amasake, home made fruit smoothies or roasted nuts and seeds.
Include some fish, good quality olive and sesame oil and natural home made desserts in your meals.
Cold foods, excessive amounts of raw fruits and juices have a weakening effect on the immune system and should be eaten in moderation. In some colder climates, it might be necessary to include cold liver oil as a supplement for your children.
Kukicha tea has a strengthening effect on immunity. Offer it warm with rice syrup or barley malt added. Hot apple juice is relaxing for the body and can be diluted with kukicha as a healthy alternative to cold drinks.
Look at your own daily diet too. Remember children follow their parents. Make sure you are preparing balanced meals with enough variety. It is important not to be too strict or one sided with children. Stay in contact with other families who eat whole foods/macrobiotics and keep up to date with new trends in macrobiotic cooking and nutrition.
Allergies
If your child has a history of ear infections, oral thrush, digestive trouble, colic, food allergies or other on-going problems you need to look at their present diet. Dairy food, sugar, cold foods, sodas, chicken, baked foods and excessive fruits can make these problems worse. Again a varied macrobiotic diet is recommended, although in some cases, certain foods may need to be restricted such as baked foods, oily foods, wheat products, raw fruits and salad, vinegars and some soy products until their system is strengthened. Restricted foods can be slowly re-introduced back into the diet at a later date.Make sure your child is getting plenty of sweet tasting vegetables such as squash, carrots, cabbage, parsnips and onions. Lightly cooked leafy greens like watercress are also extremely beneficial.
Sea vegetables provide important minerals and help to strengthen the immune system. Nori sea vegetable is very good for children and can be used on a regular basis.
Kombu powder with crushed sesame seeds can be used sparingly as a strengthening remedy. This condiment can be also be prepared with small dried fish and is extremely beneficial for building strong teeth and bones. Shiso powder and umeboshi are condiments that help to create a healthy immune system. VERY SMALL amounts can be given to your child to strengthen the system. Remember that these condiments are salty and read more
