Our Children's Immune Systems

September, 2004

Why do children seem to get sicker once they first start going to school. A common denominator is that the immune system is slightly stressed and compromised for various reasons.

One reason of course is the stress of a new schedule and changes in sleep patterns. Other factors such as diet, change of weather, sensitivities to airborne allergies such as goldenrod and mold create increased susceptibility to sinus and upper respiratory conditions. Many children will also exhibit increased asthma symptoms during this time of the year.

So what can be done to decrease the likelihood of our children’s immune systems succumbing to colds, flus and other maladies? Of course whatever we discuss here also holds true to for adults since many of the same stresses are occurring to us as well.

To begin with...
Start with a good breakfast that is hopefully not full of processed flour and sugar like most of the cereals that are bought in our supermarkets today. Some of the cereals bought in the health food stores with fewer sweeteners are better. For those of you who do not have egg sensitivities, eggs are a wonderful way to have a good balanced protein in the morning. Breakfasts with too much complex carbohydrates and sweets will tend to cause drops in blood sugar later on in the morning and effect a child’s energy level and attention span. Unsweetened yogurt with fruit and hot cereals are other good choices.

Pay attention to the school lunches. Sometimes the food is over processed and filled with a lot of preservatives. This is typical of institutional food. Most schools do have choices such as salad which can be eaten with tuna fish or chicken salad or other protein choices. Certainly one good option is to have your child bring a healthy lunch to school with them. The other important factor is the importance of a child skipping the desserts available at most school cafeterias.
Sugar for many children can be problematic during the day and can also effect their immune system and increase their susceptibility to colds and flu like conditions.

Water
Last but not least the beverage that should be consumed the most in anyone’s diet is water. It is vitally important that children avoid sodas and, for some children, concentrated fruit juice. Most sodas are filled with sugar and/or artificial sweeteners with much added chemicals, preservatives and food colorings. For children who are sensitive to sugar and related blood sugar reactions, even fruit juices can be a problem. One way to make water more enjoyable for children is to squeeze lemon into the water or a small amount of juice to give the water a taste. There are some fizzy type packets at the health food store that can be put into the water as well.

A good diet, adequate sleep and balanced exercise can go a long way in preventing your child from succumbing to the “Back to school sicknesses”