In February and March, we Swedes see it as normal to stay home with sick children (or to be sick ourselves with colds or stomach flu). But does it have to be that way? How can we best support children's health and immune systems so they can have more energetic days even during the winter months?
Here are 5 important habits from the book "Healthier Children" by nutritionist Peter Wilhelmsson. Unfortunately, the book is no longer available for purchase, but you can find many different health lectures by Peter himself online. Peter is one of the most knowledgeable nutritionists in Europe today.
1. A positive atmosphere in the family
A good atmosphere at home is perhaps the most important factor for children's long-term health. Is there something everyone enjoys doing together, or something you feel you need to talk about? A simple and fun exercise can be to express appreciation to each other at the dinner table, or to take turns choosing an outing destination one Sunday a month. What can you do today to give your children a little extra attention?
2. Play and exercise
It sounds obvious but can be easy to forget in our connected society: Children need to play and move every day to feel really good. Often they do this spontaneously, especially when they are young. But as they get older, there is a risk they get stuck in front of some type of screen too often. Then they may need some structure from the adult world to remember how good it feels to do something creative or physically challenging.
3. Nutritious food as a foundation
There are many different diets and food theories out there, but they all have one thing in common: Nutritious food based on real ingredients is best for both adults and children. Teach children to make candy from dried fruit instead of white sugar. Show them that salad and berries are tasty by having them available on the table often and asking if they want some. Eat vegetables yourself and the children will want them too.
4. Minimize or avoid this
For an optimal immune system, it is equally important to minimize things that disrupt the body. The most common disruptors in our children's eating habits today are: sugar, wheat flour, most dairy products, cheap oils like soybean oil and peanut oil (often added in processed foods), as well as artificial sweeteners, additives, and flavorings. There are numerous studies showing quite astonishing results among children when one or more of these sources of imbalance in their diet have been minimized or completely avoided.
5. Supplements as needed
Almost everyone, including children, needs supplements in their diet today to reach optimal levels of nutrients and help the body handle the extra challenges we humans have created in the form of environmental toxins, exhaust fumes, electromagnetic stress, artificial food, etc. So even though we should always strive for both ourselves and our children to get our nutritional foundation from real food, we need to add high-quality nutrition in the form of high-quality supplements to get the best conditions.
Peter Wilhelmsson therefore recommends everyone give their children a tailored multivitamin, as well as some kind of green drink as often as possible. In addition, essential fatty acids (Omega 3), friendly gut bacteria (Probiotics), and vitamin D during the winter months can be very helpful.
Also: Vitamin D for the whole family
Late winter and early spring are the times of year when we Swedes have the lowest levels of vitamin D. Not surprising since vitamin D is only produced when we expose a large part of our skin to the sun’s rays between May and September here in Sweden. A little spring sunshine on the face is not enough, even though it has many other health benefits to expose the eyes and brain to sunlight.
So a good time to top up vitamin D through supplements is right now. Some nutrition experts say that optimal levels of vitamin D can help prevent "cold seasons" by optimizing our immune system and general health.
Vitamin D is something everyone needs and is one of the supplements that can be given to children (of course in a dose adapted to the child’s weight). That’s why we are running a campaign on our child-friendly supplements this week, with extra discounts on vitamin D, so you can stock up the pantry for the whole family until May when the sun shines properly again. For children under 10 years old, we recommend VitaShine’s D3 Spray.
