What should children eat in winter to increase resistance?

Children are susceptible to reduced resistance and illness in cold weather. What foods should I give my child to protect their health? (My Ngoc, Ho Chi Minh City)

Reply:

In winter, children's bodies often have to consume more energy to keep warm. Their need for additional energy is higher. During the transitional season, children tend to get sick with flu, cough, cold...

In addition to keeping your child warm, applying a reasonable diet is very important. You can refer to the suggested food groups below to help your child absorb enough nutrients, increase resistance and reduce infection.

Starch : This is an important source of energy for children's bodies, helping to maintain daily activities of playing, learning and comprehensive development in winter. You can add rice or combine it with potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins... to the menu for children.

Protein from meat, fish, eggs : Protein-rich foods can stimulate heat production better than other foods. You should focus on supplementing protein from meat, fish, and eggs to increase immunity and resistance for children in the cold season.

Fat : Fat provides energy reserves, helps the body absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. When preparing dishes for your children in winter, you should increase fats such as lard, sesame oil, soybean oil; combine cheese, milk and cream to suit your child's taste.

Essential vitamins : Vitamins A and C help increase resistance and increase the ability to prevent infectious diseases, flu, and colds. An effective and safe way to supplement vitamin A is through natural foods every day such as sweet potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, spinach, and broccoli. Vitamin C is abundant in oranges, tangerines, lemons, grapefruit, strawberries, and kiwi.

Vitamin B2 is essential for children to increase their resistance in the cold season. Dairy products such as yogurt and cheese are rich in vitamin B2. Eggs, heart, poultry, cereals, fresh fruits, beans and nuts are also rich in vitamin B2, suitable for children to use in the winter.

In winter, your baby's exposure to sunlight is less. You can increase your baby's vitamin D intake found in milk, eggs, fish oil, salmon, cheese, mushrooms...

Zinc : This mineral helps children improve their immune system, helping to prevent infectious viruses, flu, and colds. Zinc is found in abundance in lean red meat (such as pork, lamb, beef), eggs, milk, whole grains, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and beans (25-50 mg per kg). Alternate dishes to diversify your child's daily menu.

Glutamine : Children need to increase their intake of dark green vegetables to prevent colds. Vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and watercress contain a lot of glutamine - an amino acid necessary to strengthen the immune system in children.

If possible, you should take your child to a nutritionist for a comprehensive assessment of the condition, micronutrient testing, and determination of nutrient deficiencies or excesses in the body. From there, the doctor will advise on a suitable diet for your child in the winter.

Master, Doctor Nguyen Anh Duy Tung
Nutrihome Nutrition Clinic System

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