Your Child’s Winter Immune Blueprint
By Keili Mistovich, MD, MPH, Zest Chief Medical Officer, Zest Pediatrics of Beachwood
Cold and flu season is here—and supporting your family’s immune system is the name of the game. While it is important for kids receive all of their childhood vaccines and to actually get sick sometimes to create their army of antibodies and build up their innate and adaptive immune systems, providing the body with tools to help fight infection when it comes will certainly help to make the winter season more tolerable. True immune resilience starts with daily habits: what your child eats, how they sleep, how often they move their body, and even how they manage stress. Making sure to set them up for success is one of the most important tasks of this season.
The immune system isn’t something we “boost”—it’s something we balance. That means giving it what it needs to function well, without overreacting or underperforming. An overreactive immune system leads to unwanted stress and often disease. A weak immune system sets your child up for recurrent illness and too many missed days of school. While the body is a magician at curing most ailments, let’s be sure to support it well so it can do this important job.
Here’s how to build a strong foundation:
Fuel with whole foods first. Colorful fruits and veggies, lean protein, and healthy fats provide essential nutrients like zinc, vitamin C, and antioxidants. Getting our vitamins and minerals from foods first is the best way.
Don’t forget vitamin D. Especially in winter months, most kids need supplementation. Vitamin D is a critical component of our immune system and our mood!
Consider zinc and elderberry supplementation. Talk with your doctor about whether zinc might be helpful during this season.
Drink green tea! Green tea contains powerful polyphenols – molecules that helps reduce inflammation and support immune health
Prioritize sleep. Deep sleep is when immune repair happens. Aim for consistent bedtimes and a screen-free wind-down every night. Even just a few days of inconsistent sleep can have a lasting impact on our immune health.
Encourage movement. Physical activity supports circulation, improves sleep quality, enhances lymph flow which is important for the removal of waste from our bodies, and improves stress regulation. Together, all of these actions help to provide strength to our immune response.
Support the gut. A healthy microbiome plays a major role in how the immune system responds to illness. Remember this army of “good” bacteria in our gut are one of the first lines of defense against disease. Feed them well and be kind to them!
Supplements can help in the right context, but they work best when paired with diet and lifestyle strategies.
