Back to school, back to healthy ways

MANILA, Philippines - With the kids soon to troop back to school, Nido offers a list of do’s to strengthen their immune system so they get the most out of school:

• Sleep at least eight hours a day. A long day playing under the sun can take its toll. The body needs at least eight hours of sleep to recover from daily activity, rejuvenate the immune system, and ensure a healthy body.

• Exercise regularly. Encouraging children to exercise at an early age is a great way of stretching the muscles for a healthy and fit body. Exercising also contributes to keeping bones and joints flexible. Perhaps your kids can join you for a short walk or jog around the village or you may challenge each other with the most number of jumping jacks!

• Eat right. A varied and well-balanced diet is key to proper nutrition especially by taking in enough nutrients such as vitamins A, C, and E, and minerals like iron and zinc.

Taking in cereals, nuts, tomatoes, and avocadoes gives an ample supplement of vitamin E that acts as an antioxidant and immune system booster by stimulating the creation of strong fighting cells that kill germs.

On the other hand, fruits such as peaches, papayas, and oranges, together with vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower, are the best sources of vitamin C that strengthens the immune system by producing white blood cells and antibodies to also fend off viruses. Adding carrots and potatoes to your diet also nourishes the body by pumping in beta-carotene, which later turns into vitamin A that acts as an antioxidant.

• Choose the right milk. On top of getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and planning a well-balanced diet, it would be helpful to drink milk that provides a substantial amount of zinc to help facilitate a functional immune system. Critical in the nourishment of the body are probiotics, non-digestible food ingredients that stimulate the growth of live micro-organisms that boost immunity, among other health benefits. The latest innovation in milk nutrition features the ingredient Lactobacillus Protectus, a unique probiotic proven to survive in children’s gastrointestinal tracts for a strong population of good bacteria in the child’s body.