Winter is here, and we all know what that means — it is the dreaded flu season. With the changing weather and the little ones’ unwillingness to layer up, there are chances that your children might catch a cold, the flu, or other respiratory infections. While there are many reasons for your kiddos to catch cough and cold during this season, a weakened immunity plays an especially huge role. Hence, boosting your kid’s immunity is crucial and one of the best ways to prevent them from falling sick is including winter superfoods in their diet. These superfoods can help strengthen your child’s immune system, lowering the chances of them bringing home something unwanted. So, mommies, take note of these superfoods and incorporate them into your kiddo’s daily diet for a flu-free winter.
Ginger
Ginger is one of the best superfoods to have year-round but it is especially great for winter. This spice is loaded with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, making it an excellent choice to add to your kid’s diet to boost their immunity. Add them to curries and soups, make ginger tea and spiced milk, or have it in any other form to help children fight sickness.
Citrus fruits
Citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, etc., are great superfoods for kids in general. They tend to enjoy eating them without much fuss and you can add them to various delicacies. These vitamin C-rich superfoods will boost your kid’s immune system this winter, helping them fight cold and flu without making them pull a stink face on you.
Saffron
Saffron is known to warm the body from within and is rich in carotenoids and bioactive compounds that can help fight seasonal illnesses, like cold, flu, and mild fever. Add a pinch of saffron in milk, drink it as tea, or add it to your dishes. Saffron will do wonders for your kid’s immunity. It is one of the best winter superfoods out there that can help prevent cold.
Turmeric
Turmeric is yet another winter superfood that can help improve your children’s immunity. It is supposedly also effective in treating flu and other viral infections. So, you can add this spice to your meals when recovering from any illnesses. Turmeric contains curcumin, a compound believed to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can help your little one fight infections. You can add a pinch of turmeric to milk to make golden milk to reap its benefits.
Root vegetables
Make sure to include root vegetables in your child’s daily diet to keep those sniffles at bay. Winter superfoods like carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, and turnips are high in antioxidants and beta-carotene that will boost your kid’s immune system. Moreover, there are so many hearty delicacies you can make with these that you have no excuse not to give them a try.
Dry fruits and nuts
Give your kids a handful of cashews, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios every morning. You can even give them dates to keep them warm from within. These winter superfoods contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They also have other essential nutrients, such as iron, calcium, and potassium, to help your children fight cough and cold. You can grind them into fine powder as well and mix them in milk or add them as a topping to their salads (preferably chopped finely).
Other than these, don’t forget to add soup to your kid’s daily diet as they are full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (all thanks to a variety of vegetables and other ingredients) that can help your little ones build a strong immune system. Even homemade broths, especially bone broths, are great for your kiddos. Lean sources of proteins, like chicken, fish, turkey, and tofu, are some of the other superfoods that your kid’s immunity can benefit from.
Berries, capsicums, leafy vegetables, and cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, are a few other superfood options that can do wonders for your kid’s immunity. However, make sure to consult your doctor before including these winter superfoods in your kid’s diet to learn more about the recommended intake as per their age and allergies, if any.
