Immunity building amongst children and adults has become important and I have been constantly thinking about ways to boost my child’s immunity. This is when I started to read about improving the immunity of my little one and what micronutrients do to support immunity.
Usually, it is said and rightly so, that, small kids and elderly people are the ones who are more prone to any kind of disease or infection. This is because in kids the immunity level is in the process of strengthening while with elderly people the immunity starts to decrease with age. At the time of birth, babies are born with innate immunity that works as the first protector against numerous diseases &infections. However, as the child grows there is the second line of immunity called as ‘Adaptive or Acquired Immunity’ that starts building up.
List of Contents
What is Acquired Immunity?
As the name suggests acquired immunity is developed as a response action to any foreign substance entering in our bodies. In short, the body with this kind of immunity learns to identify the nature of the substance entering the body and whether it is potentially harmful. If this defence mechanism finds the substance as a danger then it triggers an attack on the same and destroys it.
Why Balanced Nutrition is Important for Better Immunity:
For good immunity, our kids need a balanced nutrient–rich diet apart from factors like sleep and exercise. Looking at my kid’s activity level and sleep pattern, I can be at ease at least from these aspects. Generally speaking, kids are quite active all the time. They are hopping, jumping and playing which consequently enables them to have a good night sleep. However, giving a balanced meal with all required nutrients is a major concern for most moms like me. Isn’t it?
With changing climatic conditions, the nutrient level required for can vary in proportion. However, all the nutrients are a must. If consuming via food seems tricky then supplements can be given to kids in milk.
Let’s know what micronutrients Indian kids need to support immunity:
- Zinc
Zinc is a micro-nutrient that affects the immunity of a person in many ways. It helps in quick wound healing, cellular reproduction which is crucial for producing immune system cells and DNA. It is also linked to boosting innate immunity in kids.
- Vitamin A
This Vitamin is, in fact, crucial for regulating the cellular immune response. Vitamin A is also known for its anti-inflammatory properties.
- Vitamin C & E
Vitamin C found in citrus fruits is another important nutrient for strong immunity. And Vitamin E & C are great anti-oxidants which help in preventing damage to the body at the cellular level during the attack of any viruses or bacteria.
- Vitamin D:
Vitamin D activates immune system cells and regulates their function. It is majorly associated with auto-immunity.
- Vitamin B6:
Found in Chickpeas, poultry and some fishes, green leafy vegetables and fruits like banana, Vitamin B6 is again an important immunity supporting nutrient. Deficiency of Vitamin B6 can lead to delayed anti-body production thereby hampering the defensive action of the immune system.
Some of the other important nutrients for better immunity are Folic Acid, Iron, Selenium and Copper. There are several other nutrients that affect kid’s immunity.
If your child falls ill way too many times than usual then it is a sign of weak immunity. Earlier, my son used to catch fever, cough & cold every fortnight. Trust me; it was a big reason for worry for me as a mother. However, recently I worked upon giving my son a nutrient-rich balanced diet as much as possible and supplementing any unfulfilled nutritional requirement by giving him ‘PediaSure’. This growth and immunity supporting supplement powder works superbly with my picky-eater as he loves its taste and finishes his milk within no time. I selected this supplement on a doctor’s recommendation as it has 37 vital nutrients.
Hope this post was helpful in generating awareness about micronutrients essential for boosting kids’ immunity.
References:
Disclaimer- The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not reflect the views of any brand. Any omissions or errors at the author’s end does not assume any liability or responsibility on any party mentioned in the blog.
You may also like to read this: Working Parents, 5 ways to Ensure Overall Development of Children & We Aren’t Talking Food Here!
Indeed, micronutrients are essential for boosting kids’ immunity.
The post is informative & useful. You have also explained why immunity is low in child & old age.
Yes I strongly agree.
Immunity is I guess the most talked about term these days. We all worry about our immunity now and are trying to fix things that were ignored since long. This is an excellent post and an eye opener to stat giving importance to nutrients that our bodies need
Thanks. Glad you found it helpful.
Being a father to two grown up kids, I can’t emphasize the value of micronutrients. You have summarized everything so beautifully and many parents will find your post so useful. Keep writing and sharing your knowledge.
Yes providing the right set of micronutrients in apt quantity is quite important for right growth of kids.
Detailed and very informative post. I agree micronutrients ate must to boost kids immunity. Prediasure is a good supplement which I have given when my kids were small.
Providing all the nutrients in meals is very difficult task that’s why supplements like pediasure is a great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Yes I agree strongly these days kids have so many activities to do and the same food I feel is insufficient for sufficing their nutritional requirements. So Pediasure is a great help.
Building strong immunity is so important especially at these times. Yes I was aware that Vit D, C and Zinc increase immunity but I was not sure of the others. Thanks for this post.
Glad you found it informative.
The post was very informative, Im sure it will help all the moms out there, who’s always bewildered about the nutrition for their small ones. Thank you.
Yes hoping for the same.
As a parent we always wanna give the best to our kids and while we try out best to give all the nutrients and minerals through food, there is always a shortage of it and supplements like pediasure help us attain it.
It is necessary to provide right amount of nutrition to kids in the right quantities. My nephew is a fussy eater but still my bhabhi gives him all necessary nutrients
SO true…
So many articles focus on this for adults and its great you featured the needs and benefits for the little ones .
Thanks you found it relevant as kids immunity is of prime importance.
It is good to know about the needs of different sort of micronutrients that is required for a kid’s wholesome nutrition.
Thank you! A lovely blog. We are all trying to ensure homemade and cooked food is being given to our kids, but how little do we know that not all home-cooked food is high on immune boosters, unless it is well balanced and nutritious.
Given the current situation that we are going through, it is of utmost importance to pay attention to our kids immunity as well. I have saved the post and will be sharing it with my friends and family as well.
Thank you for sharing the post. Also apart from this time also kids immunity should be the main focus of the parents.
Very informative post. With the current situation,it’s mandatory that all of us have balanced diet. Have forwarded the post to my sisters who have toddlers. Thank you for this.
Great hope she gets benefitted after reading this post.
Micronutrients play a very essential role to build child immunity and help them to grow mentally and physically according to their age criteria. Pediasure has all these micronutrients.
Micronutrients are so much important for kids health and I am glad you have shared this post. It’s time to take care of kids immunity
balanced diets are very important for ourselves as well as our kids. i make sure my kids eat a lot of veggies and fruits. they can live on fruits all day though.
Even if we eat home-cooked meals, but we are not able to provide all the necessary nutrients to our kids. Having a good supplement is necessary. I have a few friends who have added PediaSure to their kid’s diet plan and the have seen good results.
You had shared really important info dear. Good diet and regular exercise is so important for maintaining good level of immunity. Pediasure seems like a great brand for adding essential nutrients in our kids diet.
Building kids’ immunity is on any mom’s mind at any age they’re in. I trust Pediasure for my kids too since it has all the essential micronutrients that help them grow and stay strong.
Rightly Said , Kids immunity is top most priority on our mind . Easy way to fill the defeciency is adding suppliment like pedia sure which mixes well with milk & even kids can take them with smile first thing in the morning .
In the recent COVID19 times the focus on immunity has increased. I found your post extremely informative and useful. Thank you so much for writing this one!
As parents, our children’s immunity is of the highest priority even in normal times, and now even more so. I appreciate your highly informative and well-researched article.
Immunity is the buzz words these days and rightly so! Nutrient deficiency impacts the immunity of children in a big way. Micronutrients such as minerals and vitamins should be an integral part of a child’s everyday diet. Thanks for sharing this informative post!
precaution is better than cure, and building a good immunity in kids gets important as they are more prone to infections. especially in current times it is so imperative but with healthy balanced diet it can be boosted over time, great post.
Today we all are talking about immunity and immunity booster food and this post is just comprehensive of all parents not just for now but for all period.
Micro nutrient form major `part of our brain and health, neglecting them in daily diet would have catastrophic affects on our overall growth. You have rightly pointed out the need and benefits.
This is helpful article. Looks like a whole assortment of foods can help build immunity. Definitely these are the times to pay closer attention to each of the foods we are eating and smartly add micronutrients.
Immunity is the moot topic these days….your post highlights how to achieve it…I need to take supplements as well.
Thanks for the informative post. Indeed micro nutrients are very important for building immunity in kids and as parents we need to be mindful of the same.
It’s a very informative post. Feeding kids only to fill their tummy is not a good way to boost immunity. For overall development ensuring that the food is well balanced and has all the micro nutrients is important
It is equally important to build a stronger immunity in little ones. Right food potion plays a great role in it . Your article is very much helpful for parents.
This was quite an informative post. Building strong immunity in kids is the need of the hour. I am saving this post:)
A well balanced diet with all the nutrients is the key to build immunity in kids. a well researched post.
Gladly my kids are not fussy eaters, however products like pediasure assures total nutrition and growth. It tastes good too.
Yes nutrition is one of the most important aspect of boosting and maintaining good level of immunity. Vitamins, minerals and all other micro nutrients play a major role and we should try to add them properly in our diet.
Micro nutrients are a key for building immunity. It is always better to consume as much natural products as we can. But we cannot provide all through diet. Pediasure come asa solution in such times.
Micronutrients are very important. I have been moving closer to a healthier lifestyle after my kids were born infact. Thank you for sharing such detailed information about each vitamin. Found it very helpful
A balanced meal that consists of a mix of all vital micro and macro nutrients is what makes the child healthy. And its not rocket science to achieve this. You explained it so well in your post.
Thanks
Right nutrition is very important for the overall growth and immunity of kids. Micronutrients play a very important role in strong immunity.
A well balanced diet and focus on micro nutrients is key to a good immunity system. My younger son too had this problem, but after doc recommended zinc supplements , things got better.
Oh how is he doing now? Immunity is very important for growing kids.
I always try to help build my children’s immunity through natural ingredients. You have shared some really interesting tips here. I am sure this will help many parents.
Thanks.
Being a doctor myself ,I could not have summarised the key points of building good immunity in our children any better than this . A very well written post indeed ! I just would add mental well-being too as a factor.
Yes our kids need a well balanced diet. Here fried foods is the junk food that keeps our heath and heart at risk. Good research.
So true..
Micronutrients are a must and all kids should be given a balanced diet which makes them strong and immune to ward off any diseases
It is necessary to give all the nutrients to kids during their growing age. A balanced diet with all necessary micronutrients keeps kids body healthy.
Thanks for noting all the nutrients. It is important to have a balanced meal. Pediasure is good but I also give my kids tonics.
We often give importance only to the Macro nutrients or vitamins, however micronutrients also makes a huge chunk of dietary requirements. This is a great reminder to include right nutrition in our daily diet.
Building immunity in kids is very important. As kids are picky eaters and incorporating all the essential nutrients is not easy task. This post is very helpful
This was quite an informative post for me. Right nutrition is indeed imperative in kid’s for proper growth and development.
Nice share … Love the read.It’s necessary to give all the nutrients to kids during their growing n developing age.