The Winter Sniffles is like that uninvited guest during the holidays. They show up early and never want to leave! But not this year. We’re supercharging our defense with 4 easy hacks and beating the Winter Sniffles this season.
The Key to a Strong Defense
Before we jump into how to win this immunity game, let’s meet our team players starting with the head coach: The immune system. A strong immune system protects our bodies against outside invaders such as:
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Fungi
- Toxins
And in the winter, our immune system goes into overdrive. You see, viruses like the flu, common cold, and COVID love the winter. The cold, dry air gives viruses the perfect environment to replicate fast and survive better. That means our immune systems have to work SUPER hard to keep germs away!
As if that wasn’t bad enough, our immune systems also tend to lose their star player in the winter. . . VITAMIN D!
Now if you’re thinking, “wait, Vitamin D? Didn’t you mean, Vitamin C?” you’re not alone. Vitamin C has hogged the immunity spotlight, but they’re not the only star player.
Vitamin D and the Immune System
When we think of Vitamin D, we think of strong bones and teeth. And while that may be true, Vitamin D is also a key player in our immunity team. In fact, Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased autoimmunity and even susceptibility to infection.[1]
Basically, it means low Vitamin D = more stuffy noses!
But that’s not all. As fall turns into winter, our kid’s Vitamin D levels decrease[2] likely because of reduced exposure to sunlight!
That’s right – we get most of our Vitamin D from the good ol’ SUN. And as the days get shorter, and weather colder, our kiddos are less likely to play outside in the sunshine. (and really, we don’t blame ‘em! brrrrrrrr)
So let’s recap:
- Winter is virus’ (like Flu, Cold, COVID) favorite season
- The Immune System is the Head Coach against the winter sniffles
- Vitamin D, a star immunity player, goes down in the winter
4 Ways to Beat the Winter Sniffles
1) Play Outside
Sunlight is a great way to boost your kiddo’s Vitamin D levels! So on those sunny days, bundle up and get outside for some family playtime. Plus, it’s a great way to stay active during the winter.
2) Eat a Vitamin D-Rich Diet
Sunny days are hard to come by in the winter. But that’s no problem ‘cause when the sun’s away, superfoods come out to play. And this winter, Vitamin D is “IT!”
Check out the 5 foods packed with Vitamin D you’ll want to gobble up this winter.
3) Practice Good Hygiene
We gotta support our head coach: the immune system. We can help our immune system by reducing the amount of invaders to defend against. And we do this by practicing good hygiene and keeping those germs out!
So as we enter into flu season, let’s remind our kiddos about good hygiene practices such as:
- Handwashing
- Carrying hand sanitizer
- Sanitizing our play areas and school desks
- Not sharing food and drinks
- Coughing into our elbows
4) Supplement with a Kid’s Vitamin D
Okay, let’s face it, as much as we try to get our kiddos outdoors, cook up delicious Vitamin D-Rich foods, and sing our ABC’s while our kids wash their hands, we still need a liiiitttttle help.
And that’s okay! You aren’t supposed to do this parenting thing alone, remember.
In fact, most kids don’t get the adequate sunlight to keep their Vitamin D levels in tip-top shape – so you’re not alone.
And that’s why supplementing with a kid’s vitamin D is an easy no-brainer this winter. Especially with one as yummy as Renzo’s Dynamite D3 for children. Plus, it’s sugar-free and plant-based. Yaayyy for health!
Pick up Renzo’s Vitamin D for kids and bring the immunity star player back in the game.
[1] Aranow C. Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med. 2011 Aug;59(6):881-6. doi: 10.2310/JIM.0b013e31821b8755. PMID: 21527855; PMCID: PMC3166406.
[2] Shakeri H, Pournaghi SJ, Hashemi J, Mohammad-Zadeh M, Akaberi A. Do sufficient vitamin D levels at the end of summer in children and adolescents provide an assurance of vitamin D sufficiency at the end of winter? A cohort study. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2017 Oct 26;30(10):1041-1046. doi: 10.1515/jpem-2017-0132. PMID: 28976910.