WHY ARE MY KIDS GETTING SICK SO EASILY????

Why are my kids getting sick so easily????

Nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold.2

More than two-thirds (32 million) of school-aged children (aged 5–17 years) in the United States missed school in the past 12 months due to illness or injury.20

52.2 million cases of the common cold affect Americans under age 17 each year.3
Source: http://www.itsasnap.org/snap/statistics.asp

Germs are out there so what can we do to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

With the temperatures changing from one season to the next and families returning from traveling along with the post holiday season change in food consumption....Tis' the season for kids missing school or after school activities due to feeling under the weather.  

There are many ways that we can help give our children a fighting chance.  
1) Wash your way to a healthy immune system.  How many times  do you find yourself yelling out “did you wash your hands?” or “Don’t forget to wash your hands”.  We have gotten in such a habit of saying this, that it is almost automatic, we don’t even skip a beat when our kids exit the bathroom or come in from playing.  Many of us even carry wipes or “germy gel” with us for the times when we are not near soap and water.  It would be hard to imagine that this would not be ingrained into our kids brains...but they are just that - kids, and they live for the moment and not for the next.  You can tell them ten times to do something and they will instantly do the opposite...go figure.  So it our job to repeat our mantra of washing their hands and hope that it sinks in.

Keeping hands clean through improved hand hygiene is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. 1
Frequent hand washing and not sharing items such as cups, glasses, and utensils with an infected person should decrease the spread of virus to others.18
To learn more helpful hints about washing your hands please visit the following link. Source:http://www.itsasnap.org/snap/statistics.asp

2)  Eat your way to a healthy immune system. A preschooler's health may be more closely related to her eating habits than you suspect. " Kids who are in a good nutritional state are better able to fight colds, flu's, and infections," says Philip Kazlow, M.D., associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. There's some question, however, about just how many kids are in a good nutritional state.

A recent study of more than 3,000 children aged 2 to 18 found that only one in five consumed the five or more fruits and vegetables daily that are recommended in the U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines. Nearly one quarter of kids indicated that the vegetables they ate were “French fries.” Children aren't getting enough of the fruits and vegetables needed to give them health-promoting vitamins.

One solution is for parents to improve their own nutritional habits. "Children love to imitate their parents," Dr. Kazlow says. "If you're not eating any salads or fresh fruit and vegetables, you can't expect the kids to. But if you introduce your children to a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables and present the food in a fun, appetizing way, most kids will eventually become acclimated to good foods." Source:http://www.sesamestreet.org/parents/topics/health/health05

You have heard it before...up to a certain age, kids primarily eat what their parents give them.  If they are not making healthy choices at home, how can we expect them to make healthy choices when they are on their own.  It is up to us as parents to educate our children on this topic.  Guess what...if you buy poor choices, they will eat poor choices, because that is what is available to them.  So the next time you make a trip to the market, think about what you are putting in your cart - because that is what you will be putting in their bodies.  The choice starts with you.

What our kids put in their mouths can greatly impact the state of their immune system.  It is no surprise to anyone that putting healthy foods like fruits and vegetables into our bloodstream can help fight off germs, but what about the things that our kids consume that actually feed the germs and allow the germs to flourish and get stronger?

Keep it simple.  The first change you should be making is to remove the excess refined sugar out of your diet.

Prolonged and excessive consumption of refined sugars and highly processed foods containing pesticides, chemical additives, and preservatives can weaken the immune system and make you vulnerable to developing chronic conditions.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria is significantly hampered for up to 5 hours after eating 100 gm of sugar (equivalent to three cans of sweetened soft drink). Source: http://www.rediff.com/getahead/slide-show/slide-show-1-health-11-things-that-weaken-immune-system/20110104.htm#3

Hopefully no one is consuming the equivalent to three cans of soda in one sitting, but what we don’t realize is how much sugar is in most of the foods we consume.  If the “fake” food that we are consuming comes from a box, can or bag the chances that it contains a good amount of sugar is higher.  The problem is that over a day or weeks time consuming a 100 grams of sugar is very easy.  Which over a weeks time, instead of quickly suppressing our immune systems we are gradually allowing our systems to fail, which over time becomes our body’s “normal”.  Here is the underlying problem,  our systems are now in a state of dis-ease (not disease), a state in which we are not working at our optimal potential.  Which in turn we our letting our defense down, welcoming the germs to take over.

A great site to share with your kids so they can see what a gram of sugar looks like and how fast it adds up in some of our favorite foods is http://www.sugarstacks.com/.

3) Play your way to a healthy immune system. It should be no surprise to anyone that some form of physical activity is a good thing for the body.  They key with exercise is like all things, and that it is best to be done in moderation and balanced out with other healthy activities. Children do not have to join the local 24 hour type gym to boost their immune system, but they do need to get away from the computer or video game and get their bodies moving. Daily, moderate physical activity can keep the muscles healthy as well as the bones strong Moving the body increases the circulation of the blood from head to toe, which delivers nutrient rich blood and oxygen to the entire body.  Blood flow equals oxygen and oxygen equals life.   

4) Sleep your way to a healthy immune system. We have all seen what happens to our little angels when they stay up past their bedtime or wake up earlier than normal.  Phrases like “someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed” or “I think someeeeone needs a nap...” are used to politely suggest that our children are acting less than desirable.  These are obvious signs of what not enough sleep will do, but what about what is happening on the inside where we can’t see?  This is where the real problems can begin.  We need our rest to quiet our bodies and our minds - this is  the time when our bodies can recover from all of the stimulus of the day.

Your body produces extra protein molecules while you're sleeping that helps strengthen your ability to fight infection and stay healthy . These molecules help your immune system mend your body at a cellular level when you are stressed or have been exposed to compromising elements such as pollutants and infectious bacteria.
Source:http://www.better-sleep-better...
For a good guideline of how much sleep is recommended follow the following link.
http://www.better-sleep-better...

5) Laugh your way to a healthy immune system. When is the last time you truly had a good, hearty belly laugh.  We all know that it feels good to laugh, whether it is the actual act of laughing or the situation that we are in that is creating the  laugh...in my opinion it is impossible to not feel better.  

Laughter's Effects on the Body:

Blood flow. Researchers at the University of Maryland studied the effects on blood vessels when people were shown either comedies or dramas. After the screening, the blood vessels of the group who watched the comedy behaved normally -- expanding and contracting easily. But the blood vessels in people who watched the drama tended to tense up, restricting blood flow.

Immune response. Increased stress is associated with decreased immune system response, says Provine. Some studies have shown that the ability to use humor may raise the level of infection-fighting antibodies in the body and boost the levels of immune cells, as well.

To view some of the other benefits go to the following site:

Source:http://www.webmd.com/balance/f...

Obviously there are many ways to help our kids fight off the sniffles and hacking coughs, but I hope these are a few tips to help get you started.    By adopting some of these tips and others like it, our children have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  The worst thing that can happen is that they have better hygiene, eat healthier, get outside and explore the world while playing, laugh, smile and love a little more and sleep more soundly which in turn will allow them to wake up happier because their little bodies are now working a little more efficiently.