Coronavirus… I did a YouTube Live on my thoughts on it, you can view that here. In that contains all the immune-boosting things I do for my family all school year, and this time is no exception.
Immunity boosting priorities:
- Everyone gets enough sleep. This is #1 for us, and partially because tired kids don’t eat healthy food, and tired kids require more of my energy and I’m less likely to provide healthy food. To improve sleep we use tart cherry juice, along with good sleep hygiene and also address gut health issues.
We have non-negotiable bedtimes. It’s a priority for our family, and when we let our kids stay up a few times a year we pay both in lowered immunity and behavior issues.
My kids also seem to need a LOT of sleep. My 6-year-old goes to bed at 6:00 and gets up at 6:30 (usually 2-3 days a week he goes to bed even earlier than that!. My 13-year-old (developmentally about 5) goes to bed from 7 pm-6:30am, and my 11-year-old goes to bed from 8:30 pm-6:30am.
- Hand washing, phone washing, hand washing really works! You don’t need anything special, just soap and water, and scrub those fingernails. Keep your kiddos’ nails trimmed so their hands are easier to clean. Use lotion, cracked hands are hands that are harboring bacteria.Buy: My favorite hand soap and lotion combo.
- Avoid the sugar, increase the meats and butter. Meat and butter are super easy sources of nutrition. When asked by our pediatrician about how often he consumes meat, my 11-year-old said ‘I don’t think I’ve ever had a day when I didn’t eat meat’. No kidding, meat and butter provide so many fat-soluble nutrients needed to build healthy bodies including immune systems.They actually are easy on digestion; they are digested by the stomach, so if leaky gut is an issue, they’re digested before they even get to the gut.
Read:Behavioral Problems? Skin Conditions? Low Immune System? It’s What We’re Feeding Them!
- Up your good meats and fats (beef and butter!) I just ordered another ButcherBox, which makes it so easy to include lots of healthy grassfed meat in our diet. And it’s delivered to our door, so no worry about shortages or dealing with crowds.
- Elderberry! Elderberry is known to be preventative against flu, and I believe it overall stimulates the immune system. My kids take elderberry (syrup, or gummies!) every day.Make: Elderberry gummies.
- Chicken stock, or added collagen or gelatin. Collagen is found in homemade broth or you can buy it in powdered (tasteless) form. When you have enough collagen in the body, your mucus membranes are faster to repair, Most viruses enter in through our mucus membranes so it makes sense to me to provide nutrients to repair them how I can.Make: Chicken stock, beef stock, elderberry gummies
- Avoid stress. Stress is known to lower the immune system, whether it’s mental stress or physical stress. While stress, like exercise, can be good – it also does place an added burden on the body. If I feel like we’re coming down with something I’ll avoid things like intense exercise, or crowds (I find them stressful!). This is super simple, but I think it works!Part of adding stress is building connection. Teaching and learning together are instant self esteem and connection boosters.
- Detoxifiers! The less toxins you need to deal with, the more your body will be ready to handle whatever comes your way. TRS for heavy-metal detoxification, salt lamps for air purifying and EMF detoxification, water filters, and vitamin C to detoxify chlorine pools. Also use epsom salt in the tub for increasing magnesium and sulfur, both needed for detoxification.
- Activities that build skills. Getting immersed in a project is a great way to connect, see what you have on hand already for these usable projects that are fun to do with kids and boost their health in the process.
- Bath Bomb Recipe Made with Shea Butter
- Kids Cook Real Food (online cooking class)
- Sauerkraut: Just Cabbage and Salt (lactofermented recipe)
- Why Children Need Time To Be Bored
- Make a Waldorf Doll for Infants
- Wax Paper Autumn Leaf (Easy and Beautiful Natural Craft for Preschoolers)
- Sensory Friendly Holiday Activities to Avoid Meltdowns
- DIY Organic Calming PlayDoh with Lavender and Magnesium
- Make a Cloth Menstrual Pad
- Picky Eating Solution
- How to Explain the GAPS Diet to Your Children
- 100+ Skills Every Holistically-Minded Homemaker Should Know
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