10 Ways To Keep Your Child Healthy In School

Healthy Children

It’s always bittersweet when kids go back to school. Summer vacation means more family time, but in the interest of parent sanity, it’s important that kids eventually return to classes.

Unfortunately, when you trap 30 germy children in a small space, all playing together and sharing the same air, it’s inevitable that crayons and construction paper aren’t the only things they’ll be passing back and forth.

So how are we supposed to keep our kids healthy in such an unhealthy environment? It’s sad to say that the most common advice is also the least helpful. You’ve heard it all before:

  1. Make kids wash their hands.
  2. Tell them to cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough.
  3. Don’t let them drink from the same container as other kids.
  4. Have them stay home if they aren’t feeling well.

But there are much more effective ways of keeping kids from getting sick when they are around their classmates at school, and they have nothing to do with protecting children from germs.

We spend so much time and effort trying to avoid and kill germs that we miss the most important element of staying healthy. That is, keeping the immune system strong.

The difference between the kids at school who get sick and those who don’t isn’t how effectively they avoid bacteria and viruses.

It’s the effectiveness of the immune system that will ultimately determine which kids end up making a trip to the doctor’s office and which ones don’t.

10 Best Ways To Keep Your Children Healthy In School

Here are ten ways to keep your child healthy in school:

1. Make Them Get Their Zzzzz’s

You probably know that being tired makes you more susceptible to illness. That’s because lack of rest depresses the immune system and hinders its ability to fight infection.

A great deal of healing goes on during sleep, too, so make sure kids are going to bed early enough to get adequate rest each night.

2. Reduce Sugar

Vitamin C is a vital nutrient to the immune system. The problem is that it gets inside your cells through the same pathways as sugar.

Sugar clogs up those pathways and blocks Vitamin C from getting in. This means the immune system won’t be getting what it needs to work properly.

No amount of Vitamin C will help your kids if there is too much artificial sugar in the bloodstream, so cut way back on the processed carbs, sweets, and junk.

3. Let Them Have Fun

The stress of any kind will trigger the “fight or flight” response, a side effect of which is a depressed immune system. Reducing stress does not reverse this. It’s actually chemically impossible.

Instead, we must completely change body chemistry to one of growth and repair, which we do when we are laughing and having fun. This works for adults, too.

4. Raw Fruits & Veggies

Fruits and veggies are a genetic requirement. We cannot be healthy or stay healthy without them.

We all know kids can be picky, but find as many different kinds as they will eat and make sure they are always available.

This is probably the best way overall to keep the immune system strong. Consider a vertical tower garden for fresh produce year-round.

5. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is also a genetic requirement, and nearly all humans are deficient in this vital nutrient.

Without it, the body cannot create antibiotics, control inflammation, or keep bones strong. This is one supplement you want to give them every day.

6. Limit Unnecessary Medications

Only your health professional can give you the final word on this. Still, antibiotics destroy the proper balance of good bacteria in the intestines, which is paramount for immune system health.

Consumption of dairy, processed sugar, and processed grains does the same thing.

Sometimes the treatment can be more harmful than the illness, so educate yourself and weigh your options carefully.

7. Hydrate Them

Almost every drink you give your children contains chemicals. Pure, clean water is the only safe liquid for children.

Unless you're blending your own smoothies or juicing your own veggies, water is the safest option.

This is a commonly overlooked source of unnatural chemicals. Therefore, read labels carefully.

8. Align The Spine

It is a little-known fact that chiropractic adjustments, when delivered by a doctor of chiropractic trained in adjusting children, can boost immune function by up to 300% because of the control the nervous system has over body functions and chemical balance.

Considering how kids knock themselves around while playing, learning to walk, learning to ride a bike, and rough-housing in general, getting their spines checked early is a good idea.

9. Limit Boxed Foods

Nearly 100% of foods that come in a box are processed junk. Don’t be fooled by the advertising buzzwords sprayed all over the packaging.

Words like “natural” and “whole grain” are used because we like them, not necessarily because what’s in the package is healthy. Fast food falls in this category, too.

The body can’t be strong while it’s being poisoned by toxic food. Focus on leafy green things and raw fruits and veggies instead.

10. Get An Immune Booster

Some fantastic supplement formulas are designed specifically to provide the necessary nutrients for healthy immune function.

Cells can’t do their jobs correctly if they don’t have the needed tools.

Make sure any vitamins you’re giving your kids are made from whole foods and have good research supporting them.

Immuplex and Congaplex Chewables are two of the best immune boosters for kids we’ve ever seen. The contents can be emptied into water, juice, or a shake for easy consumption.

All these tips are important, so implement as many of them as possible. Your kids won’t miss as much school, which they’ll hate, but you’ll drastically cut down on doctor bills, which you’ll love.

Michelle became a Registered Dietitian in June 2008 and currently work with a team of physicians, fitness coaches, and psychologists to develop a multi-faceted obesity treatment program in Florida. Michelle regularly contributes to many publications, among them, Newsday, Self, Fitness, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Women’s Day.