Tis the season to be jolly …………..and tis the season that unfortunately many of our kids get the flu!
The great news is that by eating healthy foods you can actually improve your kid’s immune system to either prevent colds and/or enable them to get over colds faster.
Try eating the delicious triple berry, Greek Yogurt nut treat and watch how your kids will be healthier!
Tonia Reinhard, a registered dietitian and author of Superfoods and Joel Fuhrman, M.D. author of Super Immunity suggested that there were 8 foods that you could eat to help prevent colds. These foods included onions, fatty fish, mushrooms, eggs, beans, greens, berries, Greek yogurt and nuts.
In a recent study shown, yogurt, berries and nuts were 3 of the 9 foods that were suggested to help increase your immune system if you eat them every day.
Why Are Yogurt, Nuts and Berries Helpful in Preventing Colds?
GREEK YOGURT:
Greek yogurt has good bacteria called “probiotics” that help balance out the bad bacteria that we are all exposed to. It has more probiotics than regular yogurt and helps prevent colds from starting and helps fight off bacteria once it starts. You can actually get probiotic pills also, but in my opinion real foods are always better to get health benefits such as probiotics. (You can also buy Keifer to get even more probiotic benefits.)
Berry Nuts Granola Bites Greek Yogurt
Salient Features
BERRIES:
Berries are high in antioxidants which is wonderful at building immunity in your system. If you are wondering what an antioxidant is and why it is important for preventing colds, an article at Eatright.org explained it perfectly.
This article explained that the antioxidant process that occurs from eating berries is similar to stopping an apple from browning once you open it up.
Have you noticed that after you cut an apple and let it sit on the counter it will get brown.
However, if you dip it in lemon juice or orange juice but if you dip it in orange juice, it will retain it’s natural color and not brown.
NUTS:
Cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios macadamia nuts…..they each have their own health benefits, particularly if you eat them unsalted. Nuts help prevent heart issues, and walnuts have been linked with preventing breast cancer. Moreover, nuts are high in protein and are a healthy fat full of beneficial properties that are an ideal snack to give to kids.
How To Create Your Own Healthy Immune Fighting, Greek Yogurt (Or Keifer) Treat
My kids love eating their yogurt either in a cup, or as the liquid on top of their granola cereal in the morning. We often don’t use almond milk and instead make yogurt with the granola.
TIP: Avoid buying flavored yogurt that is filled with chemicals and sugar, and instead make your own Greek yogurt treat using 3 of the foods that can help boost immunity.
Ingredients:
- 2 bananas (can be very ripe or not)
- 2 tablespoons of raw honey
- 1 full container of unflavored, plain, non-fat Greek yogurt (This has no added sugar or food coloring)
- Any berry of your choice. (I have mixed blueberries, blackberries, raspberries together and it is delicious)
- If you have a Vitamix, put everything in and blend. If you don’t, use your blender to do the same thing.
Add Homemade Granola Cereal To Your Greek Yogurt Treat To Get Your Nuts
I love making homemade granola cereal as a healthy breakfast for my family. I often include 2-3 different types of nuts, in addition to the oats in my cereal. So if you use the non-fat yogurt as a milk substitute, you are getting calcium and all the health benefits of nuts!
You can also just sprinkle nuts right in your yogurt in addition to other fruits. You can add berries to your berry treat!
For more information on the 8 foods to boost your immunity:
