15 minute read
9 Immunity-Boosting Foods to Feed Your Family
Healthy recipes with superfood ingredients that kids will love
By Jackie Freeman
Eating healthy is a must-do all year round, whether you’re fighting a common cold or fending off the many viruses circulating this winter. Fill your shopping cart with immunity-boosting foods that not only taste great, but could help you feel better and keep those viruses at bay. Here are just a few of our favorite superfoods, along with a few delicious recipes to start.
Citrus
Oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes are high in vitamin C, which is helpful to both prevent colds and shorten their duration once you’ve caught one. And, since our bodies don’t store or produce this vitamin, it’s important to get a little bit from food sources every day. Whip up an easy orange “Dreamsicle” smoothie from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (melskitchencafe.com) for breakfast, or turn the same base into popsicles for dessert! Yogurt The live and active cultures found in Greek yogurt may stimulate our immune system, helping to fight disease. It’s also a great source of vitamin D. Plus, the probiotics found in fermented foods such as yogurt may lessen the severity of colds. A quick and healthy snack, cinnamon yogurt fruit dip from A Couple Cooks (acouplecooks.com), can be made with five ingredients in as many minutes.
Miso
Much like yogurt, this fermented soy bean paste has a ton of probiotics. Not only do probiotics boost your immune system, but they can also help fight infectious (and noninfectious) diarrhea. Introduce your kids to miso with miso alphabet soup from Super Healthy Kids (superhealthykids.com).
Broccoli
This green veggie is packed with vitamins A, C and E, fiber and antioxidants such as glutathione. Turn tater tots on their heads with Yummy Toddler Foods’ easy homemade broccoli tots (yummytoddlerfood.com), a healthy tot alternative made with brown rice, eggs, cheese and, of course, broccoli! Sweet potatoes Sweet potatoes are packed with beta-carotene, which our bodies convert into vitamin A, an essential micronutrient that helps get rid of free radicals. They are also packed with fiber, healthy minerals and vitamin C. Kids rarely turn up their noses at French fries, and Cookie and Kate’s crispy baked sweet potato fries (cookieandkate.com) are no exception.
Bell peppers Ounce for ounce, bell peppers contain almost three times as much vitamin C as citrus fruits. Not only that, they are a great source of beta-carotene, which helps our eyes and skin stay healthy. The blogger at Peas and Crayons (peasandcrayons.com) uses sweet bell peppers to make pizza crust, for an immunity-boosting dinner.
Almonds We don’t often talk about vitamin E, but this fat-soluble vitamin is a great antioxidant to help support a healthy immune system. Not only are almonds loaded with vitamin E, but they have plenty of heart-healthy fats that help deliver infection-fighting benefits. Pack The Snack Society’s almond and date bars (thesnacksociety.com) in your kiddo’s school lunch box, day hike backpack, or just eat them for breakfast or a snack. These natural and unprocessed bars incorporate three forms of almonds (whole, butter and milk).
Kiwis An easy snack for kids and adults to eat, kiwis are loaded with folate, potassium, vitamin K and vitamin C, helping to fight infections and keep our bodies working properly. When you’re looking for something a little bit more involved than a kiwi and spoon, check out portable easy citrus-kiwi fruit rollups from Cotter Crunch (cottercrunch.com).
Spinach Spinach is a superfood that contains folate, a B vitamin that helps our bodies repair DNA and make new cells. Plus, it has a ton of fiber, vitamin C and other antioxidants. Sometimes we have to hide veggies in our food so kids will eat them, and brilliant disguiser Catherine of Weelicious fame has mastered this technique with her spinach pancakes recipe (weelicious.com). ■
Jackie Freeman is a recipe developer, food stylist, cookbook author, culinary tinkerer and mama.
A Seattle Children’s Publication | Winter 2023
Healthy Coping Skills for the New Year
e new year is a great time to recommit to healthy habits — and try some new ones! is year, in addition to focusing on physical health, your family might want to set some goals to boost your mental and emotional wellbeing. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Acknowledge and name feelings.
By identifying the emotions we’re experiencing, we can take a step back and examine what’s going on inside. Search online for ‘feelings wheels’ and ‘emotion charts.’ ese colorful, printable tools can help us unpack and understand complex feelings.
Validate feelings for one another.
Validation is a tool that shows your child (or anyone) that you understand and accept their thoughts and feelings. It requires sitting quietly and listening intently — without expressing any judgment or trying to ‘ x’ them.
Learn relaxation techniques. Explore some simple breathing exercises and meditation techniques designed to calm and center you. Start by trying a few free, highly rated apps.
Replace negative self-talk with a rmations.
Pay attention to the messages running through your mind. Sometimes, we need to override them with positive self-talk — encouraging, empowering messages of self-acceptance.
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Know your emotional triggers. By paying careful attention and learning exactly what can set us o , we can recognize triggering events when they happen, and not automatically react.
Let go of perfection. Perfect really is the enemy of good. Striving for perfection can paralyze us and make it impossible to complete a task or reach a goal. It can also alienate others. Commit to realistic expectations and embrace being fully human!
Break big tasks down into smaller tasks.
Especially when you feel overwhelmed, remember that consistent ‘baby steps’ can get you to your goal surprisingly quickly.
Attend to your physical health. Building strong coping skills requires investing in your physical health. Be sure you’re eating nutritious foods, moving your body and getting enough sleep.
Remember what’s helped you cope in the
past. When you’re going through a tough time, think back to recall what’s been helpful (and not helpful!) when you’ve been in similar situations.
And of course, developing healthy coping skills requires some help. We all need to build a community of supporters we can count on. Faithful friends, trusted family members, wise counselors and expert healthcare professionals can all help us on this journey.
What is RSV?
Does your family make time for active play every day? Even when it’s cold or wet, dress for the weather and head outside. Enjoy fresh air fun plus active time inside, whether it’s at home or a community center. Preschoolers need plenty of active play: aim for at least two hours each day. Ideally, preschoolers should play for about 15 minutes every hour. Provide active toys like balls, wagons, tricycles and balance bikes. Grade-school age kids and teens need to be active at least 60 minutes each day, even if it’s broken into short segments of 10 or 15 minutes. Go for a variety of age-appropriate aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. Join the action whenever you can!
What is RSV?
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infects almost all children at least once before they are 2 years old. For most children it’s like a cold with a runny nose, sore throat and/or fever. But some children with RSV develop bronchiolitis or pneumonia and end up needing care in a hospital due to breathing problems. Children who are more likely to develop severe RSV infections include premature babies under 6 months of age, children with chronic lung or heart disease, and those with immune de ciencies. RSV is most common between November and April, and it’s very contagious. To prevent RSV, avoid crowds and close contact with others who have cold symptoms. Be sure everyone in your family washes their hands frequently. Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing. row away used tissues right away, then wash your hands. If your baby or child has more serious RSV symptoms such as dehydration, a change in breathing or di culty breathing, see your healthcare provider right away.
School Lockdown Drills Can Cause Anxiety
For most parents and caregivers, school safety concerns are di erent now from when they were in school. Today, lockdown drills are necessary to help keep kids safe at school. But these drills can spark fear and worry for kids and teens. It’s important to support your child through any anxiety they have related to lockdown drills and school violence. is is best done with reassuring conversations.
Be sure your child knows that lockdown drills will happen during the school year, because their teachers and sta want to make the school a safe place. Drills ensure that children know exactly what to do to help them stay safe in an emergency. Explain that these drills are safety habits — like wearing a seatbelt, a lifejacket or a bike helmet. If your child seems worried, discuss some strategies that will help them feel more relaxed during the next drill.
Some schools notify parents and caregivers via text and/or email that a drill is planned or happening. Whether you learn about a drill from school or your child mentions it, ask if they’d like to talk about the experience, then follow their lead. Don’t push them to provide details if they don’t want to. If they share that they felt scared or nervous, be empathetic and focus on some positive coping skills. Reinforce the idea that the drill helps keep them safe by letting them practice what to do.
If your child has a tough time with lockdown drills, you can also reach out to the school sta . ey’re apt to have some speci c, helpful ideas.
When to Start Swim Lessons
Every family must make learning to swim a top priority. It’s a crucial life skill that can help prevent drowning — a leading cause of death for children. e American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting swim lessons as early as age 1 if your child is physically and emotionally ready. By age 4, most children are ready to learn basic water survival skills: oating, treading water and getting to an exit point. Winter can be an ideal time for swim lessons in a well-heated indoor pool. Choose a program with experienced, quali ed instructors. Remember that while lessons are a layer of protection against drowning, they don’t make kids ‘drown-proof.’ Always follow safety protocols in and around water.
TO LEARN MORE: Visit seattlechildrens.org/dp
Treating a Jammed Finger
A jammed nger is a common sports injury. It happens when the end of a straightened nger is hit with force. Most o en, this is from a ball. It can also happen when sliding into a base or when reaching out to break a fall. A jammed nger can be very painful, and the joint usually swells. To treat this injury yourself, ice the nger with a cold pack or in ice water for 15 minutes and elevate it to reduce swelling. You can also ‘buddy tape’ it to an adjacent nger to keep it straight and protected. Seek medical care if the nger can’t be straightened or if it appears deformed — or if the swelling and pain worsen. Also seek care if it becomes numb, turns white or is less pink than usual.
Iron Supplements for Babies
To be healthy and strong, children need a variety of vitamins and minerals. Iron is a key mineral that does a lot, including helping red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. Iron also supports a child’s ability to learn. Breastfed babies should be given an iron supplement starting at 4 months. ey can stop taking a supplement when they start eating foods that contain iron, such as iron-forti ed baby cereal. Formula-fed babies almost always get enough iron from a quality formula. Premature babies — no matter whether they are breastfed or formula-fed — o en need extra iron. Iron supplements for babies come in liquid-drop form and are easy to give. If you have questions, ask your baby’s doctor.
TO LEARN MORE: Visit tinyurl.com/44bk778a
Quick Tip
It’s not too late to get the fl u vaccine. Flu season usually lasts until April so there’s still time to get protected.
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• Bellevue • Everett • Federal Way
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Primary Care Clinic
• Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic
Main Hospital Numbers
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Online Resources
Visit seattlechildrens.org for the following: • Child Health Advice • Good Growing email newsletter • Doctor Finder • On The Pulse and Autism blogs • Medical condition information • Health & safety information • Ways to help Seattle Children’s • Research Institute information
Heather Cooper is the Editor of Good Growing, which is produced four times a year by the Marketing Communications Department of Seattle Children’s. You can fi nd Good Growing in the January, April, July and October issues of ParentMap and on our website seattlechildrens.org. For permission to reprint articles for noncommercial purposes or to receive Good Growing in an alternate format, call 206-987-5323. The inclusion of any resource or website does not imply endorsement. Your child’s needs are unique. Before you act or rely upon information, please talk with your child’s healthcare provider. © 2023 Seattle Children’s, Seattle, Washington.
As the COVID-19 situation changes, we continue to adjust or postpone our classes and events to follow public health recommendations. We are offering some classes online while some are on pause. Please check our website for the latest information. Scholarships are available. If you would like to ask about a scholarship, use the contact information for the class you’re interested in to connect with the registrar.
PARENTING CLASSES
Autism 101
This free, 90-minute, on-demand session provides information and support to parents and families of children recently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Topics include up-to-date, evidence-based information about ASD, behaviors associated with autism, autism prevalence, treatments available and resources for families. Watch the lecture, in English or Spanish, at seattlechildrens.org/autism101. Email Autism101@ seattlechildrens.org if you have questions.
Conversations About Autism
Conversations About Autism is a series of free 60-minute classes for parents and caregivers of children with autism who wish to better understand autism spectrum disorder. In these sessions, experts and advocates share their knowledge and perspectives on autism as well as helpful tips for supporting a child, adolescent or young adult with autism. Each class features a different topic, such as early intervention, transition to adulthood, feeding support and more. Sessions take place on the third Thursday of the month from 7 to 8 p.m. Learn more or view past sessions at seattlechildrens.org/ conversationsaboutautism. Email Autism200@ seattlechildrens.org if you have questions.
Babysafe
Babysafe is a 4-hour class for new and expectant parents and others who care for babies. Topics include infant development, baby safety, injury prevention and care of common injuries for infants from birth through 12 months of age. Infant CPR is demonstrated and practiced, but this is not a certification class. This class is offered virtually via Zoom. The fee is $93 and each registration is good for two people from the same family. Learn more, view dates and register at seattlechildrens.org/classes or call 206-789-2306 if you have questions.
Youth Mental Health First Aid
This free class is for adults who live or work in King County and regularly interact with adolescents ages 12 to 18. Youth Mental Health First Aid will improve your knowledge of mental health and substance use problems and will teach you how to connect youth with care when needed. Youth Mental Health First Aid is available as a two-part virtual series. The series includes a self-guided course and a live instructor-led course. The date you register for is the date of the live instructor-led course. Learn more, view dates and register at seattlechildrens.org/classes or call 206-987-9878 if you have questions. CHILD, PRETEEN AND TEEN CLASSES
Better Babysitters
For youth, ages 11 to 14. Students learn about responsible babysitting, basic child development, infant and child care, safety, handling emergencies, age-appropriate toys, business tips and parent expectations. This is a two-part class, with sessions taking place via Zoom on two consecutive weekend dates. Each session is two hours long. The fee is $50. Learn more, view dates and register at seattlechildrens.org/classes or call 206-987-9878 if you have questions.
CPR and First Aid for Babysitters
For youth, ages 11 to 15. Topics include pediatric CPR, treatment for choking, and first-aid skills. Students receive an American Heart Association Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid, CPR, AED completion card, which is valid for two years. This class is offered as a two-part series. The series includes a virtual session as well as a short in-person skills check. The fee is $75. Learn more, view dates and register at seattlechildrens.org/ classes or call 206-987-2304 if you have questions.
The Chat
The Chat is an online workshop series on puberty and sex. Offered via Zoom, each 45-minute workshop is for preteens 9 to 12 years old, plus a parent or trusted adult. You may take any individual workshop or all five. While families can choose to attend any combination of workshops, the information in earlier sessions provides a foundation for understanding later sessions. The fee is $30 per workshop or the series of five for $100. Learn more, view dates and register at seattlechildrens.org/classes or call 206-789-2306 if you have questions. See a trailer for The Chat at greatconversations.com. EVENTS
Join a culturally relevant mindfulness and compassion session by phone or with Zoom. Sessions are offered for Black parents, parents of a child with special needs, Spanish-speaking parents, as well as any other parents or caregivers. Take part in activities and mindfulness practices led by parents for parents, and share strategies to cope with challenges. Learn more and view dates and times at seattlechildrens.org/clinics/odessa-brown/ community-programs/mindfulness-program.
Free Car-Seat Checks: Tuesdays in Bellevue
Learn how to safely secure your child in the car. Child passenger safety experts will check your child in a car seat, booster seat or the seat belt and answer any questions you may have. Car-seat checks are by appointment only and will follow COVID-19 safety protocols. Learn more and register for an appointment at seattlechildrens.org/carseatchecks.
Free Virtual Car-Seat Checks
King County Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians are offering free virtual car-seat check appointments via video-chat platforms. For more information, email Laura Miccile at laura.miccile@ kingcounty.gov or call 206-477-8664. South County Fire and Safe Kids Snohomish County offer free virtual car-seat classes. Registration is required. Visit southsnofire.org/ education/child-passenger-safety.
