If your child is getting sick more often than she should, or is suffering more severe illnesses than usual (getting more sick from common colds than expected and having recurrent complications like ear infections, sinus infections, or pneumonia), here are some ways you can improve your child’s immune system with nutrition and supplements:
- Limit sugar, especially processed white sugar and junk foods. Limit holiday treats as much as you can. Make healthier home-made treats.
- Each probiotic-rich foods and bone broth
- Eat paleo style (no grain or cow’s milk products). Or go as semi-paleo as you are able. Reducing these types of carbs in the diet may help.
- Stop cow’s milk: if you can’t go totally paleo, at least stop drinking cow’s milk.
- Supplement with daily:
—- Vitamin D (400 IU for babies, 1000 IU for toddlers, 2000 IU for preschoolers, and 5000 IU daily for elementary and older). Be sure to buy one that also has Vitamin K in it as well. Also, get outside as much as you can for natural Vit D from the sun.
—- Fruit/Veggie/Berry supplements
—- Vitamin C (250 mg for babies and toddlers, 500 mg for preschoolers, and 1000 mg for elementary and older)
—- Zinc (5 mg for babies, 10 mg for toddlers and preschoolers, and 30 mg for elementary and up)
—- Echinacea (same mg as Vit C) – take for 8 weeks on and 2 weeks off in cycles
—- Elderberry extract – follow dosing on packaging. Once or twice a day. Tincture may be more effective than some brand-name syrups.
Increase Supplements When You Get Sick:
- Begin double-dosing of echinacea and Vit C and D, and increase Elderberry to three times daily for the duration of the illness.
- Continue other supplements
