During the coronavirus outbreak, many are looking for a way to protect loved ones from infection. The expert presents some simple tips for children and parents.
The number of people infected with the coronavirus is growing day by day. Over the past day alone, it has increased by almost 14 thousand people. In this regard, many stars write what preventive measures they take during an outbreak of the disease. But the most important thing in this situation is the recommendations of doctors. Healthy Food Near Me learned from Elmira Kashirina, the head physician of the Children’s City Polyclinic No. 10, what needs to be done to reduce the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus. These tips will be useful for both parents and children.
So, the most important rule is to maintain personal hygiene. You need to wash your hands more often, especially if you have been in public places. You cannot touch your face with dirty hands, because the entrance gates of the infection are the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth, and eyes.
It is also worth refraining from attending public events, temporarily not taking your child to circles and sections and switching to distance learning. If this is not possible, then you should try to maintain a distance of at least 1 meter from other people and wear a medical mask. The virus most often gets into small droplets when a sick person sneezes and coughs. They are heavy and fall down quickly. This is the peculiarity of the infection, it is not as “volatile” as measles or chickenpox.
Many parents try to protect their child from infection on their own with the help of dietary supplements, this often leads to allergies. Vitamins should not be overused either.
They also have contraindications, and uncontrolled use can harm the baby. When the dose is exceeded, many trace elements accumulate in the body and can lead to poisoning.
To strengthen the immune system, the doctor advises changing the diet. In the child’s diet, it is necessary to reduce the amount of “fast” carbohydrates (sweets, pastries, chocolate) and increase the content of “slow” carbohydrates (cereals, vegetables, fruits).
Excess sugar lowers immunity. If your child is used to sweets, offer a small amount of dried fruit.
The child’s diet needs to be diversified. If you are not allergic, you can cook fish (do not neglect fatty varieties) and seafood, they are rich in vitamin D, which has a positive effect on immunity. According to scientists, in almost all regions of our country, children have a year-round deficiency of this vitamin.
By the way, it is especially important during a pandemic to support breastfeeding in children of the first year of life. With the mother’s milk, protective antibodies enter the baby’s body, which strengthens the immune system and reduces the risk of infection.
In addition, vaccination should not be postponed, because in addition to coronavirus, there is a constant risk of contracting other infections, and a weakened child is more susceptible to complications. This is especially true for children with chronic diseases, they definitely need to be vaccinated according to the plan.
It’s no secret that teenagers go to bed late because they spend a lot of time at the computer or phone. The blue color of the screen is an active stimulus; the brain perceives it as daylight. This leads to inadequate production of the sleep hormone melatonin. It has many beneficial qualities: it regulates the work of sex hormones, reduces the risk of tumors, and greatly contributes to a strong immune system.
People who sleep little are more susceptible to infectious diseases. For strong immunity, a child in grades 1-6 should sleep at least 10 hours, in grades 7-9 – 9 hours, in older ones – at least 8 hours.
The greatest stress for a child is family conflicts. The kid becomes anxious, capricious. Staying under prolonged stress is especially dangerous. In this state, the level of substances in children increases, leading to a decrease in immunity. Try to create a supportive atmosphere of love and tranquility in your home.