Specifics of children's diet in winter at flu and cold

It is recommended to drink less milk which forms large amount of mucus, and to drink more of lactic-sour products. It is especially important for elderly people who suffer from chronic rheuma, bronchitis, hay fever. The diet shall include more honey, fruits, vegetables, greenery, which are rich of vitamin C (cabbage both fresh and sour, beet, lemon, wineberry), and it is recommended to include to the dishes more of plants which are full of phytoncide (onion, garlic, parsley, celery). However, please limit the use of refined products, in particular of starchy foods, high grade wheat. In order to avoid having the flu and ARD it is useful to drink juices, fruit drinks made of raspberry, wineberry, cranberry which could be unlimitedly drunk instead of water during the whole day for adults and children.
 

 
 

While having the cold and flu there shall be much of warm drinking. Additionally it is very useful to drink herbal tea with honey and lemon. One of the most healthy food supplement, medicine and dietary antioxidant is the sweetbrier. Sweetbrier helps to boost the immune system, strengthen body resistance from bacteria influence, recovery of digestive system and retardation of aging. Certainly, sweetbrier is especially healthful during winter time when your body needs a lot of vitamins and strengthening of immune system. There is much more of vitamin C in sweetbrier than in citrus fruits and black currant. It is also reach with carotene, ferrum, kalium, phosphor, mangan and magnesium and has tannins, phytoncids, organic acids and such antioxidants as peptins and flavonoids.
 
Children are growing, and during winter time they especially need vitamins. Taking into account different factors: climate and geographical specifics (fresh fruits and vegetables have low amount of vitamins due to environmental pollution), specifics of children’s diet in the family (large amount of refined products in diet), terms and rules of food storage depends on correlation of vitamins and micronutrients which lead to the deficit of some micronutrients. Each year the flu provocative agent changes, the diseases hides under the mask of other diseases, and also there is a change of virulence of pathology and appearing complications after having flu in the past. The flu complications are mostly fall at the heart, lungs, and kidneys.
 
While making up the menu for the kid during the cold season it is required to consider two important things:

• Due to the lack of sunlight the kid’s diet lacks the vitamins too (comparing to the summer-autumn months of the year);
• During cold season the child needs energy which can be received from protein products only. 

During winter time it is necessary to use more of the following food products:

• Raw fruits and vegetables, fresh and in form of salads without mayonnaise;
• Peach, apple, lemon natural juices, cranberry and cowberry compotes, dry fruits compotes;
• Kalium sources: sea cabbage, plum, raisins, pease, potato, grits, green peas, beet, black currant, beef, codfish, hake, bonito, calamari fillet;
• Calcium and magnesium rich sources: milk, cheese, nuts, cereal, cauliflower and others;
• Soups with herbs (dill, parsley);
• Energy sources: meat and fish dishes;
• Dry fruits – is an ideal source of vitamins and microelements. Drink dry fruits compotes, and water soaked dry plum, apricot, raisins – please add to the cereal and cottage-cheese.
• Canned baby food – one of the main sources of vitamins and microelements. Please do not forget that it is for babies from 1 to 3 years old.
• Natural honey can be added to the baby diet after a year old only, starting from quarter of tea spoon, if the child does not have allergy. Honey shall not be given to kids who had honey allergy in the past. Though it is recommended for older kids (with absence of allergy) to add honey to the winter diet which is full of useful elements (vitamins and ferments).  
• Please be careful of having ice cream and cold drinks. 

 

 A child needs more energy in winter which can be taken from protein sources (both vegetable and animal origins) such as fish and poultry meat, eggs, milk, beans:

• 1-2 powdered nuts to provide a child’s body the irreplaceable things.
• The source of complete protein – boiled chicken eggs in the morning on an empty stomach.
• Children need fresh fruits juices, compotes out of dry sweetbrier, vitaminized drinks. 

It is also necessary to consider some shortcomings of “winter” fruits and vegetables:

• Transportation and storage of fruits and vegetables often leads to the loss of nutriments and vitamins (especially C).
• To reach the attractiveness of fruits and vegetables, they are being exposed by the food preservative treatment that is why it is important to wash them with warm water.
• Vitamin C sources are oranges, mandarins, since winter is the season of its most ripeness, so that is why they are most valuable during that period. However, citrus fruits shall be carefully added to the food ratio, since usually kids have allergy.
• Orange contains bioflavonoid-inositol which positively influences on the condition of nervous system, improves action of bowels of the child.
• Banana and date plum are sources of vitamin C, kalium, carotin, but they shall be excluded from diet if the child has allergy and overweight tendency.

Therefore, the child’s diet in winter at flu and cold is different. During the flu epidemic nutritionists recommend having a healthy diet and trying to spend more outdoors with fresh air. Food shall be a medicine for the child and protect him from various diseases during winter period. Products contained in the food ratio of the child shall boost the immune system and increase resistance of the body from cold and virus diseases.
  
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