What foods should children eat to boost their immunity during the cold season?

My child often gets sick when the weather is cold. What nutrients should I give him from which foods to boost his immunity? (Minh Lan, Hanoi )

Reply:

Cold weather and unpredictable rain and sunshine can easily weaken children's immune systems, making them susceptible to respiratory illnesses. To prevent these illnesses, you need to maintain a balanced diet and supplement your child with essential micronutrients to boost their immunity.

First is vitamin C – an antioxidant that strengthens the immune system, helping to fight off pathogens. Vitamin C helps children prevent common colds, anemia, subcutaneous bleeding, bleeding gums, tooth loss, and some infectious diseases.

Natural and safe sources of vitamin C for children's health include fresh fruits and vegetables such as oranges, tangerines, strawberries, guavas, mangoes, papayas, and tomatoes; and dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, amaranth, and water spinach.

Vitamin D supports children's height development and influences their immune system. This micronutrient is abundant in meat, fish, eggs, milk, and fatty fish. If daily food intake cannot meet the child's needs, vitamin D can be supplemented through dietary supplements, drops, sprays, or medication as prescribed by a doctor.

Zinc is a building block of enzymes and immune cells. Zinc deficiency often causes loss of appetite, stunted growth, digestive disorders, and especially weakened immunity, leading to frequent illnesses and poor physical and mental development in children.

Zinc is not stored in the body. Therefore, you need to supplement your child's zinc intake regularly every day through food. This nutrient is found in beef, fish, eggs, milk, clams, oysters, mussels, and oilseeds.

Selenium is a micronutrient that has a similar effect on immune cells as zinc. Selenium is mainly found in red meat, seafood, eggs, dairy, or can be supplemented with multivitamins.

You should also give your child probiotics to boost their immune system, improve digestion, and prevent respiratory illnesses such as common colds, coughs, and runny noses. In addition, substances like beta-glucan and thymomodulin also help strengthen children's immunity. Mothers should consult their doctor about supplementing these substances for their child.

If parents are concerned about their child lacking essential micronutrients, they should take their child for a check-up to receive in-depth micronutrient testing. Currently, Nutrihome uses a high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) micronutrient testing machine to help detect which nutrients children are deficient in or have in excess. Based on this, doctors can create appropriate meal plans and prescribe supplements to ensure optimal development for the child.

Master's degree holder, Doctor Nguyen Anh Duy Tung
Nutrihome Nutrition Clinic System

Readers can ask questions about nutrition here for the doctor to answer.

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