Protecting your kids from the pesky cold and flu season this autumn

Autumn signifies an exciting back-to-school buzz, a crisp change in the weather from sunshine to showers but also, unfortunately, that dreaded cold and flu season. Kids are particularly susceptible to these seasonal illnesses. Catching a cold or flu can mean your child misses out on making memories and learning at school. It can also mean parents missing work. What can parents do to try to prevent this from happening?

How a balanced diet helps keep kids healthy

Nutritious food, as well as a healthy lifestyle, is integral to boosting the body’s immune system. This is crucial in helping the body fight off infectious organisms and other invaders that ultimately cause a cold or flu. However, it is important to make healthy changes before being exposed to bugs and viruses. For children, this means getting a full and balanced diet each and every day and taking steps to protect your kids from cold weather bugs!

Ensuring children consistently have a full and balanced diet may seem daunting to many busy parents who are often tasked with doing a million different things at once. But this doesn’t have to mean buying tons of expensive dietary supplements. In fact, it has been said that food and drinks are better than dietary supplements for the prevention of colds and flu because you get the whole nutritional package.

Think about including fruits and vegetables with every meal, popping an orange into their schoolbag for a break-time snack and packing a stew with finely chopped veg for those fussy eaters. Cow’s milk is also a vital source of essential nutrients including calcium, thiamine, riboflavin, and vitamin B12, as well as smaller amounts of vitamin B6, Vitamin C, A, D and E.

What you can do to help your children protect against a cold or flu this autumn:

1. Make sure every meal is balanced, including fruit or vegetables, protein and carbohydrates. Finely chopped or frozen veg stirred into a Bolognese or blended into soup can help encourage fussy eaters to get what they need.
2. Keep kids active. It might be getting cold outside but wrapping up in a warm coat and going for a walk is a great way to keep your children energised
3. Stay hydrated! Make sure your children are drinking enough fluids throughout the day such as water or dairy milk.
4. Make sure your child is washing their hands before every meal. Unwashed hands are the easiest way for bugs and viruses to enter the body!
5. Look for milk in light-protected packaging. The nutrients in milk are important for a healthy body; light-protected milk keeps all that goodness locked inside for longer.