Every year, shortly after the change of summer, we find ourselves in the season of flu and colds. And realize that winter has come, when you start coughing or sniffling. Doctors say the reasons are many and the least can not be explained by the simple sentence “it’s cold outside.” However, there are several ways that can help us to escape from seemingly inevitable – flu. Keeper of the health is our immune system. And although it is invisible and difficult to identify, it gives certain characters and has specific symptoms. Here’s the latest advice of professionals who somewhat conflict with old recipes, but significantly increase the likelihood of staying healthy during the winter season. Here are 5 ways to prevent seasonal flu.
1. Sugar and convenience food weaken the immune system
Studies have shown that through a comprehensive system of chemical processes sugar and convenience weaken the immune system. There is a direct correlation between the amount of these foods and health. Apparently foods like sodas, candy, cookies, ice cream and chips are the most harmful and should be avoided. Even more damaging, however, are foods that we think are useful, but it has a high content of sugar and many refined ingredients: yogurt and milk-based drinks, most bakeries, juice, lollipops, “healthy” cookies. Advertised as healthy, they are better than the obviously harmful. So it is worth trying to avoid them during the winter and keep them away from children. It is better to read the content labels of food products and especially corn syrup, brown rice syrup, fructose, barley malt, and especially sugar.
2. Fresh foods contain the highest quality vitamins
Many people reach for orange juice and it contains vitamin C only when they get sick and want to relieve the symptoms of flu or cold. It is important to know that most of the vitamin C in orange juice is added to it after processing.
Vitamin C and other beneficial ingredients such as zinc, vitamin E and magnesium stimulate the immune system and are a great tool body in flu season. Therefore, the best choice is to eat fresh food, especially apples, berries, cherries, vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes. Surely this advice we heard as children, but it is really very important. It is also important to prepare vegetables so that children also like them. You can roast or suffocate them with olive oil or butter, add a little sea salt or sprinkle them with low-fat cheese and perhaps the children will be more likely to eat them.
3. Sleep boosts the immune system
At night while we sleep, the body works to restore the immune system. Deep sleep benefits a whole range of hormonal changes that recharge the body so that it is resilient to the next day. Therefore it is better to sleep more, and children must sleep 8-10 hours of sleep per night. Time for bed must be firmly determined to remain unaffected and respect each night. In this regard, parents should be the real bosses. And they must resist the temptation to allow their children to stay up late and watch your favorite TV shows. At the end of the day when adults are also tired, they lend themselves more easily to the insistence of the children to stay up late. And parents need to ask themselves what prefer: to avoid dealing with children or the next day to treat a disease.
4. Fatigue is the first sign of a weakened immune system
As already mentioned, the immune system desperately needs sleep to keep your body healthy. When immune system fights to keep health it needs an additional support in this battle and the best one is – resting. If you (or your child) are more tired than normal, this may be a strong signal that the disease is approaching.
The best way to prevent colds and flu is to act immediately and to provide exceptional holiday. If you hear that “orbits” virus and you notice that your child is tired, there are chances additional sleep to block the approaching flu or a cold. Now is the time to allow a little more TV and insist on siesta.
5. Wash your hands regularly, but avoid antibacterial products
It may seem contrary to intuition, but the best way to kill germs is to use soap and hot water, rub hands thoroughly. Bacteria are all around us. There are bacteria on any surface touch and in every breath we take. Without bacteria our immune system can not be strong. Our internal bacterial system repel the “invaders” and so become more effective in battle with them. So it’s all about training, as when we want to be strong we go to the gym and lift weights. Children’s bodies are really gymnasium of bacteria. And it affects the immune system. If you strive for a strong immune system should keep in mind that children’s bodies will repel the invaders and thus become more resistant to future battles. During flu season frequent hand washing is necessary, but we must remember that the hands are a very small part of the way bacteria and viruses enter our body. Killing bacteria on hands by antibacterial products is meaningless and weakens the health and future ability to counteract viruses.
