Fall has arrived, kids are back in school and Halloween is coming soon… a combination that leads to runny and stuffy noses, cough and sore throats, fever and fatigue…
So what can we do to help our kids? There are a few things we need to know…
- Kids are not born with sugar cravings, we are conditioning them that way. So, we also have the power to chose differently.
- In a study done in rats, sugar has been shown to be more addictive than cocaine (1).
- Ingesting excessive amounts of sugar suppresses the immune system for several hours shortly after the intake (2). So if your child is coming down with a cold or already has one, giving them sweets is basically equivalent to prolonging their illness.
- High fructose corn syrup present in most candies will drive inflammation. It adds unnatural amounts of fructose to your diet, which the human body can not handle properly (3).
- Food dyes, the other main ingredient in candy, have been shown to cause allergic reactions, hyperactivity and cancer. Many of the dyes used here are banned outside the US (4,5).
How to avoid the candy overload:
Pay attention to the ingredients and amounts:
- Buy organic. “USDA Organic” or “Certified Organic” means the item must have an ingredients list and the contents should be 95% or more certified organic, meaning free of synthetic additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and dyes, and must not be processed using industrial solvents, irradiation, or genetic engineering, according to the USDA. The remaining 5% may only be foods or processed with additives on an approved list. So for candies, try YummyEarth or the Unreal candy on Amazon for example.
- Control the amount: You might have heard of the switch witch who turns some of your Halloween candy in to a surprise gift (6). You can be your child’s switch witch: offer to exchange the candy they collected for organic candy, a toy or even a few dollars for the piggy bank.
Boost their immune system:
- Keep them well hydrated (with clean water) – flushes out toxins
- Make sure they get enough sleep – that’s when the body heals
- Get them outdoors so they get fresh air and some sun exposure – Vit D boosts the immune system
- Keep your kids on a clean diet (fruits and veggies of all colors – colors in nature have many health benefits. Eat the rainbow, but no food dyes!)
- citrus fruit contain vitamin C which boost the immune system.
- hide some spinach or kale in a berry smoothie with banana or mango to cover up the taste, they won’t even know but still get the benefits.
- onion and garlic are antimicrobial foods. I know, hard to feed to kids, but for yourself in guacamole or salads maybe?
- Wash hands frequently (not just quick rinsing, use soap and really clean those hands)
- Use nasal rinse right when they seem to be coming down with something. Also they need to blow their nose frequently – germs come in through nose and mouth, so let’s flush them out right away.
- Ginger, lemon, honey tea is very helpful once they do get a cold. Just peel and cut up a piece of fresh ginger about the size of a small date, let it sit in hot water for a few minutes, add fresh lemon juice and a spoon of honey).
- Dairy are inflammatory and cause more mucus. If your child is phlegmy, eliminating dairy for a while would greatly help reduce phlegm production.
Remember, we can make a difference! Halloween is the pinnacle of candy overload, so that means we have the power to make a big difference!
Happy healthy Halloween!
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23719144
(2) https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/26/11/1180/4732762
(3) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-high-fructose-corn-syrup-is-bad#section1
(4) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/food-dyes-linked-to-allergies-adhd-and-cancer-group-calls-on-us-to-outlaw-their-use/
(5) https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/10/banned-foods.aspx
(6) https://www.switch-witch.com/
