School and Immune Defenses: How to Help Children Prevent Colds and Coughs
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The start of school is an exciting but also delicate time: meeting new classmates, closed environments, and the change of seasons can expose children to colds, coughs, and other respiratory infections.
The good news? A diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and natural foods can make a big difference in supporting their immune system.
The good news? A diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and natural foods can make a big difference in supporting their immune system.
🥦 Key foods to strengthen your defenses
To build strong protective barriers, it is important that the daily diet includes:
- Seasonal fruits and vegetables (cooked or raw depending on age): kiwis, clementines, oranges, apples, pears, pumpkins and carrots provide vitamin C and beta-carotene , essential for the immune system.
- Whole grains and legumes : Pasta, spelt, and hulled lentils provide zinc and fiber, which also support the intestine, where most of the body's defenses are located.
- Blue fish (well boned) and eggs : precious for omega-3 and vitamin D.
- Whole yogurt and kefir (without added sugars): lactic ferments promote the balance of the intestinal microbiota .
🌟Nutritious Foods Not to Be Ignored
When it comes to children with more fragile defenses, some nutrients deserve special attention:
- Intestinal probiotics and prebiotics , which support the microbiota and therefore immunity.
- Vitamins A, D, E and C , essential for the maturation of immune cells.
- Minerals such as magnesium, zinc, copper, potassium, manganese and iron, which are involved in many defensive processes.
- Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants , useful for fighting inflammation.
It's not necessary to administer supplements for all of these nutrients: what's important is ensuring a varied and balanced diet that naturally contains them. In immunologically weaker children, some pediatricians recommend limiting cow's milk and dairy products and, in more delicate cases, even reducing (but not eliminating) gluten-containing grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats), always following a doctor's advice.
🍎 Fruit juices and smoothies: vitamins in every sip
When time is short, 100% fruit juices and smoothies are a practical and tasty way to ensure a daily dose of vitamins:
Among the available alternatives, the Autentich organic smoothies or the Nutri-Mune smoothies – made only with fruit and without added sugar – offer a natural concentration of vitamin C, ideal for a quick snack or to carry in your backpack. Discover our selection of 100% fruit juices . Fruit Juices and Purees – Bèbeboom - Italian Baby Food
You can serve them fresh for breakfast or as an afternoon snack, perhaps adding a small protein source (such as natural yogurt) to better balance the nutritional intake.
🍶 Snacks with lactic ferments
Along with fruit, products containing specific ferments can also help support intestinal defenses, which are essential for optimal immune defense.
Some infant snacks, like Nutrimune, enriched with the probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei CBA L74 , help support the balance of the microbiota, a key component of the immune system. Discover Nutri-Mune Banana and Yogurt Snack – Bèbeboom - Italian Baby Food
🌱 Small daily gestures that make a difference
- Constant hydration : warm water or herbal teas keep the mucous membranes well hydrated.
- Regular sleep : The hours of rest are when the immune system works hardest.
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Outdoor play : Even in winter, 20 minutes of natural light promotes vitamin D production.
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💡 Medical insights
This article was written with the contribution of our pediatric ENT consultant, an expert in respiratory health and infant nutrition. -
Useful advice for parents during weaning
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Before consuming any product, it is always important to read the information on the label. Products without a specific age indication are considered suitable for children 3 years and older, in line with general infant nutrition recommendations.
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100% fruit smoothies like Autentich and snacks enriched with lactic ferments like Nutrimune represent practical and safe solutions to guarantee an extra daily intake of vitamins and probiotics, even for the most picky children.
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👉 Practical adviceA varied, colorful diet rich in fresh fruit, seasonal vegetables, whole grains, and a source of lactic acid bacteria (plain yogurt or enriched snacks), ensuring an extra daily supply of vitamins and probiotics even for the fussiest children, is the first step towards facing school with more energy and fewer colds, and creates a solid foundation for stronger defenses, especially in the months when they start nursery, kindergarten, or school.
💡 Medical insights
The contents of this blog have been supervised by our pediatric ENT consultant , who specializes in oral feeding, chewing, and swallowing.
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