Winter Immunity and Vitality

Winter – and all the sniffles and coughs that go with it – make their appearance as regular as clockwork. The good news is that there is so much you can do to keep the worst of it at bay, for the whole family. Here’s your toolkit to ensure improved immunity and glowing vitality:

Your baby’s health

By breastfeeding your baby for as long as possible, and feeding whenever your baby is hungry, not according to a schedule, you could help to prevent or alleviate allergies, colds, and a range of typical winter infections. This doesn’t mean breastfed babies will never get sick, but when they do, the illness is often shorter and less severe. You’re investing in health for the whole family this way as there will be less spreading of viral and bacterial infections, and future health prospects are brighter, so this is a long term health plan!

There are five other ways to build your baby’s immunity:

Massage your baby. Research has shown that therapeutic massage strengthens resistance to illness.
Only introduce solids after six months, and offerfruits and yellow vegetables as Baby’s first foods.
One-on-one care in the early years (from a trusted, trained nanny or a loving granny, for example) is often a good solution if day care seems to be causing frequent illness.
Give your baby lots of extra love and attention.
Only give a natural immunity supplement as this will ensure that there are no side effects which might compromise your little one’s health.

Out-of-the-box family immunity tips

Regularly tap into the power of Mother Nature by going for a walk, sitting alongside a river, or game and bird watching – being in nature helps de-stress one and that is a good investment in health. Happiness is also important for health – embrace family and friends, and appreciate the little things in life.

Don’t hand over all responsibility for your family’s health and read up about natural health therapies too.The primary natural preventative health approach is your approach to food and eating. Apply these principles, and food will become your family’s natural link to a strong immune system:

Eat simple, wholesome, fresh foods and reduce the amount of animal fats, proteins and harmful additives in your diet
Eat with gratitude and acknowledge the nurturing value of food
Buy organic food whenever possible
Include fresh produce from all of nature’s colour groups
As winter approaches, feed your family plenty of fruit, dates, fresh coconut, pure honey and nuts – all known to improve immunity.

Mucus is the root of many winter evils

All mucus membranes are coated with a light layer of mucus to keep them moist and healthy. Excess mucus productionis however an excellent medium for growth of organisms that may cause disease. This can occur due to poor resistance in winter but even more commonly, due to certain hearty winter foods and irritation by cold, dry air. The foods that are considered winter warmers like breads, pastas, pizzas and other grain products as well as dairy based dishes promote mucus production in many children. Foods with preservatives, colourants and flavour enhancers can also cause excess mucus and they are included in many typical winter treats.Rather prepare satisfying homemade soups, sweet potato, butternut, carrot and rice dishes in cold weather. Increase winter fruits considerably and offer warm herbal teas in moderate quantities for thirst quenching. If anyone in the family comes down with blocked nose, a sore throat or sinus congestion, give a natural remedy to nip it in the bud.