The beginning of the school means that kids will be spending large amounts of time indoors together. And that naturally makes it easier for germs to spread from person to person. Many find that fall colds and back-to-school are synonymous.
But you can change that with these three easy steps:
1. Hands. We all know to wash our hands regularly. But, by focusing on a couple key events, you can decrease much of the disease transmission, because eating is one of the most effective ways we bring germs into our bodies.
When you eat out, be sure to wash or sanitize at these three times—studies have shown that most of the germs are transmitted during these events:
- Before you open your straw
- After you finish touching your menu
- After you touch shared condiment bottles (ketchup, salt, and pepper)
- Otherwise, always wash or sanitize your hands before you eat
Teach your children to always wash hands before eating, even at school. Consider packing hand sanitizer wipes in lunches.
And, a side note on eating. During cold and flu season, don’t drink or eat after others, even your own children.
2. Sleep. In addition to making sure that you get adequate sleep (adults need 7-8 hours of sleep nightly, while children need between 9-12, depending on age), you should INCREASE your sleep if you start to feel ill. Nothing restores the immune system more quickly than sleep. You make antibodies, and increase your own natural killer cells and white cell function while you sleep.
The moment you feel that scratchy throat, and think you are coming down with something, get extra sleep.
- Go to bed 1-2 hours earlier
- Take a nap
- Sleep longer in the morning
3. Eat. Nutrition plays a big role in overall immune system maintenance. Initially, a viral illness causes a “cytokine storm”, which is an abundance of chemicals produced by the immune system to communicate that there is a threat, and to recruit different types of immune cells. That storm leads to damaging chemicals called free radicals and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. You need anti-oxidants to “clean up” the mess that is caused by this natural process, to allow the immune system to continue to work well, and to decrease excessive inflammation.
Aim for NINE servings of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes (beans) and whole grains. Those foods have the most anti-oxidants.
- Eat the “rainbow”—aim for all different colors of fruits and vegetables. That allows you to get the highest variety of polyphenols, a type of phytonutrient that is helpful for immunity. Examples include quercetin found in apples, and resveratrol found in grapes.
- Add a cup of green tea daily to get epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a particularly potent polyphenol.
- Avoid highly processed and sugared foods. They diminish the immune system and inhibit white cell function.
Follow these three simple tips to get the upper hand on fall cold and flu season, throw away the tissues, and enjoy the crisp fall air!
