Table of contents:
- Increase the child's immune system with proper nutritional intake
- Protein
- Vitamin C
- Iron
- Zinc
- Prebiotics
- Vitamin A.
Every day there are recommendations for children's nutritional intake that need to be fulfilled to encourage their growth and development. Not only that, nutrition also plays an important role in maintaining and increasing the child's immune system so that it is protected from various diseases. Parents are required to know what nutrients affect the child's immune system. Come on, consider the essential nutrients for children and their food sources below.
Increase the child's immune system with proper nutritional intake
There is no food or supplement that can prevent children from disease, but the nutrients in food can help increase the body's resistance to protect children from various diseases.
Reporting from the eatright.org page, there are several important nutrients that you need to provide to help maintain a child's immune system. Such as:
Protein
The main role of protein as body resistance is for the healing and recovery process when the body is attacked by a disease. You can provide protein foods for children such as:
- Lean meat
- White meat, such as chicken
- Egg
- Soy products, such as tofu and tempeh
Vitamin C
The next nutrient needed to maintain a child's immune system is vitamin C. This vitamin, which is often known from citrus fruits, helps the immune system stimulate or encourage the formation of antibodies.
Apart from oranges, vitamin C is found in other foods such as:
- Papaya
- Strawberry
- Tomato
- Foods that have been fortified with vitamin C, such as formula milk
Iron
You may have heard that someone has a deficiency or iron deficiency that can trigger anemia. In addition, iron also has an effect on endurance, including children.
As published in Healthline, iron deficiency can make the body more susceptible to infections, colds and flu. Therefore, also choose foods that contain iron such as:
- Meat
- Seafood, such as shrimp or fish
- Egg yolk
- Fortified formula
Zinc
Zinc (zinc) is a nutrient that plays a role in maintaining the body's resistance to work normally and helps wound recovery and also has an impact on children's growth.
Examples of foods that contain zinc include red and white meat (chicken), tofu, and of course there are fortified formulas.
Prebiotics
A health journal entitled Allergy and The Gastrointestinal System stated, about 70% of the child's immune system is present in the intestine so it is natural that intestinal health plays a major role in the immune system.
For that, the balance between good and bad bacteria in the digestive tract needs to be maintained. One way is to provide food intake or supplement sources of prebiotics.
You can find prebiotics for children in formula milk. If you choose formula milk as a prebiotic source, choose one that also contains beta-glucan and PDX / GOS (polydexdextrose and galactooligosaccharide) because they are both beneficial for the child's immune system.
Meanwhile, you can find prebiotic content in foods such as garlic, bananas, and apples.
Vitamin A.
Vitamin A helps regulate the body's resistance and protects the body against infection. This is done by keeping the skin and tissues in the mouth, stomach, intestines and respiratory tract healthy. Food sources that contain vitamin A include:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Carrot
- Egg
- Fortified formula
The nutritional needs of children are the top priority of parents. When your little one gets a balanced nutritional intake, the child's immune system will automatically become stronger.
Formula milk is an easy and practical choice to help children get the nutrition they need, especially nutrition to increase endurance. Make sure the formula you choose has a balanced nutrition.
Find nutritional formulas that contain Betaglucan, PDX GOS, and Omega 3 and 6, a combination of nutrients that are clinically proven to support a child's immune system and optimize your little one's smart moments.
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