Before I begin I must express once again, that this AINT for everybody! Yes I said AINT (in my southern proper voice)! Society has made us believe that Western medicine is the only way to heal and everything else is a hoax or witchcraft. Well, my friend, the curious never concludes!
History has shown us that the body is perfectly capable of healing itself as long as the proper environment internally and externally is there. I have strengthened my children’s immune system with holistic recipes and have done quite a bit of research on Western medicine to make this choice of living a holistic lifestyle. I am not a doctor or any kind of medical advisor. What I am discussing today is based on my own experiences and lifestyle. I encourage everyone to do their own research.
Now, this journey of traveling and being holistic has made me realize the importance of having a strong immune system. Which meant I had to get organized and make sure that I bulked up on all immunity builders. Just to name a few, Spirulina, Chlorella, Irish Sea Moss, Ginger, and cod liver oil. All of these are the small steps that I take to help build my kids’ immune system. None of them taste appetizing at all so there are tricks to this for your kids!
Spirulina
This blue-green algae immune booster has a fishy smell and taste so bad I had to get creative and so far my kid’s favorite is Spirulina and Pineapple juice! It’s Full of protein as well. They love it and drink all of it!
Recipe:
- 1Tsp of Spirulina
- 8 oz of Pineapple juice
- 4 oz of water
Stir all together and you have this beautiful green juice packed with nutrients!
Chlorella
This is one of my favorites! My kids enjoy this most. Full of many benefits and boosting your immune system it also helps to cleanse the blood of impurities. The boys love making and drinking this, we call it Blue Milk.
Recipe:
- 32oz Almond milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)
- 1 Tsp Chlorella powder
- 2 Tbs of Agave or any natural sweetener
- 1Tsp of vanilla extract
- Mix together and you have this beautiful blue colored milk!
Irish Sea Moss
This decades-old remedy is full of nutrients. Studies have shown that it has 92 of the 102 minerals that we need. I made capsules for myself but I had to make an apple sauce for my kids to take it because they’ve never taken pills before so they don’t know how to swallow capsules.
Recipe:
- 2 Tbs Sea moss powder
- 5 Granny Smith apples
- 1 Lime juice
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 2 Tbs of Agave or sweetener of choice
Boil your apples with or without skin in water. Allow cooling then add other ingredients in a blender and blend until desired texture. I usually store in little jars or I use my Infantino pouch maker and let them enjoy in pouches.
Cod Liver Oil
This is a common immunity booster that many of our grandparents gave to their children every day and I must say it works. Especially when the boys are around a lot of kids that are sick. Cod liver oil is good for brain growth, eye development, and bone structure development. It’s full of vitamins A and vitamin D. This simple spoonful a day or a week is all you need. We have the lemon-flavored cod liver oil but Whole Foods sells different flavors just for kids.
*Simply give 1 Tsp of Cod liver oil daily or weekly, ironically, this is something my boys look forward to doing.
Ginger
The benefits of ginger are endless. Not only does it aid in building the immune system it is good for the digestive system and a good source of energy as well. Not super tasty for the little ones but I have made this juice that my boys enjoy.
- 5 apples
- 1 Whole Pineapple
- 1-2 inches of raw ginger
Simply cut apples, peel the ginger then juice all ingredients with your juicer. Best served chilled.
Leafy Greens
I can’t stress this enough! Leafy green vegetables are the number one key to building a healthy immune system. Now…if your kids are picky like my kids and don’t like eating all of their veggies I make all kinds of smoothies with leafy greens and give them all kinds of titles. I get super animated when I give it to them. Sometimes my middle son doesn’t go for any of that so I have to give it to him in a cup with a top and straw that doesn’t let him see whats inside. He drinks it with no problem. Hey, whatever works for you! Their favorite smoothie is full of strawberries. Some will argue that it’s not good to mix fruit and veggies and that’s ok. Another green alternative are green superfood powders that you can add to almond milk with cinnamon and honey or make green veggie fritters as well. Below is a smoothie that we enjoy in our home quite often.
Recipe:
- 2 handfuls of frozen or fresh or fresh strawberries
- 2 Large handfuls of Spinach (or any leafy green)
- 1 Cup of squeezed orange juice
- 1Tbs of Agave (optional)
- 3 Burro Bananas or a small banana
Last but, certainly not least, let your kids explore dirt and germs on the playground. If we keep them fully sheltered away from germs we could eventually do more harm then good. What are some of your immune-boosting hacks for kids?
