The roots to healthy family immune systems

As mothers we all want to keep our family healthy, but it can feel so overwhelming to do alllll of the things that you hear recommended.

To be honest with you, the wellness industry irritates me like this. I know, I know, I’m a Naturopath, I am included in that industry. But I’m idealistic. I like to create change and carve out new paths.

Even starting to write this article I felt resistance. Listing out the things to consider to keep your family well. URGGHH. I was exhausted just looking at that list and GUILTY because I don’t do all of them all of the time! 

I’m not a strict Mumma, my kids get processed foods from time to time and I even made a birthday cake using FOOD COLOURING to make the perfect rainbow friend character. Cue disgusted face.      

My point being is that we live in a modern world, I have kids that love gaming, sugar can be fun in moderation, processed foods are everywhere - although I wish they weren't!

My kids are exposed to this world and my intention is to help them live in it with the flexibility that their body can be exposed to these things and still bounce back.

A strong immune system is vitalistic and resilient. 

I want to help you decrease the frequency and severity of sickness in your home without burning out as a Mumma.

Did you know, it’s actually healthy to get 2-3 colds per year?! Although I know it can be so hard when our littles are unwell, it’s actually a great natural boost for our immune systems to come into contact with germs. The body creates antibodies that help us fight off illness the next time a cold or flu comes around. 

So I encourage you to let go of the fear of sickness that has been cultivated especially over the last few years, and return focus to empowering your body, and the growing immune systems of your children to be resilient. 

How can we nourish the roots of our families' immune health to prevent illness through our everyday habits?

HEALTHY GUT 

Your gut is an ecosystem unto itself, it is home to trillions of bacteria, fungi and viruses, collectively known as the gut microbiome. Just like any ecosystem, it relies on symbiosis and a delicate balance, the health of this ecosystem can determine the health of us as an individual. 

The gut walls are a complex system in themselves, holding their own network of neurons known as the Enteric Nervous System (ENS), which has the ability to function independently from the Central Nervous System, hence why the gut has been termed the “second brain”. 

The ENS regulates various digestive functions such as motility - how fast or slow digestion occurs, secretion of digestive fluids, and nutrient absorption along with communication to the immune system. 

The immune system, known for its defence abilities and expertise in protecting the body from invaders, works in close partnership with the gut to protect from invasive bacteria, viruses and pathogens by regulating the immune response whilst maintaining friendly relations with the commensal or beneficial microbiota.  

Think about the ENS like the surveillance system in the walls, sending information by walkie talkies to the immune system who are acting like bouncers in a nightclub… making sure there aren't too many thugs making trouble. 

The immune cells within the gut are constantly monitoring the environment and responding to threats and changes in partnership with the microbiome which in turn are producing different compounds to upregulate or downregulate immune response. 

Disruptions to this communication pathway can lead to various health issues, including gastrointestinal disorders, autoimmune conditions, and increased susceptibility to infections. The gut microbiota and the immune system work together to maintain a healthy balance, protect against harmful pathogens, and support overall well-being.

From the very beginning, breastfeeding builds strong foundations for a child’s immune system as they grow, delivering antibodies, growth factors, and beneficial bacterias that support the gut and therefore the immune system that are nourished throughout a lifespan. 

As your child grows, encourage outside playtime, especially in the dirt! Playing with animals or having a pet will also support beneficial gut bacteria. Did you know, after doing my own microbiome functional testing, I discovered that I STILL have supportive bacteria in my gut that I picked up when growing up in a rural environment around farm animals that can be protective against allergies and asthma! (source) 

You can support a healthy microbiome with probiotics, either strain specific from your practitioner or you can eat cultured foods like yogurt, sour cream, kefir and fermented foods like sauerkraut. You can make all of these at home but if you don’t have the time or patience, believe me I’ve been there, you can buy them from most health food stores. 

Try not to kill off this helpful microbiome. 

Stop using so much sanitiser on everything. As a society we have gone a bit OTT (OVER THE TOP) with hand sanitizers and antibacterial sprays in the home. Coming into contact with germs has been shown to increase the strength and capabilities of our immune systems. I’m not saying be unsanitary - encourage diligent handwashing with soap before meals and keep your surfaces clean in your bathroom and kitchen but vinegar is a great way to do this naturally. You don’t have to be so afraid of germs when you have relatively healthy children.   

Only take antibiotics and other medications when necessary, yes there are times when they are needed. But there is an epidemic of over prescribing!! Never take antibiotics for a viral infection - they are ineffective for viruses. If you have needed to rely on antibiotics from time to time, you can rebuild with probiotics and prebiotics to feed your beneficial bacteria and help it reestablish population in the gut microbiome.

BALANCED NUTRITION

Providing your family with the right nutrition not only supports a healthy gut microbiome with prebiotic fibres that our good guy bacterias love to munch on; but it supplies the macro and micro nutrients required for biochemical functions for immune regulation along with other important aspects of brain and muscle optimisation. 

It’s all about variation and eating foods as close to their natural state as we can. This ensures our families get a range of essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that support not only immune function but our body and mind as a whole. 

Think about the rainbow of fruits and vegetables, they are the phytonutrients that our bodies need to be resilient. Phytonutrients are the innate defence system within plants protecting them from disease, bacteria, parasites and free radicals. If your children are adverse to vegetables, give them fruits. Yes they may have more sugar but with whole foods they have fibre that helps that sugar be metabolised. To ensure the phytonutrients in your food are at their optimal levels it’s best to source in season, local and spray free if available.

Good quality protein and fats are the other champions of our nutritional intake, especially for breakfast to start our days to regulate our sugar metabolism and energy cycles. When having carbs, like a piece of toast, sandwhich or even an apple, always dress your carbs with some protein and or fats to balance blood sugars; this might look like toast with eggs or avocado, adding a source of meat like chicken to sandwiches and dipping your apple in nut butter or alongside a handful of nuts and seeds. 

When choosing your protein look for grass fed red meat and free range chicken, if you can go organic that’s even better. A great tip here is that most lamb is grass fed already so you are avoiding the omega 6 imbalance with the added seed oils that can be fed to grain-fed livestock. Eggs are a staple in our home, aim for organic free range eggs or get your own chickens! I am so grateful for our beautiful chickens and feel at ease knowing that I feed them high quality organic food and receive their eggs with love. 

Bone broths and short cooked meat stocks are a great way to heal the gut and therefore strengthen the immune system. They provide collagen and amino acids like glycine, glutamine and proline that are healing to an inflamed body. Bone broths are higher in histamine so short cooked bone in stocks may be more beneficial depending on where you are in your journey. You can use bone in stocks as the base for meals like your basic spag bols, stews and soups. I cook a whole chicken in about 2L of filtered water on a Sunday and then splay it out, cover in olive oil or ghee and surround with some veggies and roast to finish it off for a roast chicken dinner and save the broth to use throughout the week. If you don’t want to make the stocks and broths yourself you can buy them from your local health food shop. 

Zinc is a vital immune nutrient, helping the body produce T cells. Zinc deficiency has been shown to contribute towards immune dysfunction so try to include sources through foods like chickpeas, perhaps through hummus, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, cashews made into bliss balls, slices or even cashew butter is popular here. Eggs, Eggs, and Eggs again… and red meat… my kids love meatballs, spaghetti sauce, burgers, taco mince… etc. 

Make sure you are regularly consuming foods rich in vitamin D like fatty fish like salmon, eggs and grass fed beef. Along with foods high in Vitamin A like liver, grass fed butter, cod liver oils and eggs. Have you guessed that I think eggs are AMAZING yet? My kids eat tinned salmon as a protein snack during the day, and I pop some pre blended and frozen liver into any dishes with beef mince like pasta bakes and burgers.

Read your labels when out shopping. I avoid packaged and processed foods, seed oils, sugars, preservatives and dyes. But when I need a convenient snack food on the go I will grab something with minimal ingredients like sea salt flavour instead of other fake flavourings.

Sugar can destroy your gut microbiome, many bacteria thrive on sugar, so does candida, a fungal infection caused by a yeast and a high sugar diet. 

We limit sugar, conventional dairy and processed grains including gluten. And like I said earlier, I’m not strict on most of these things, if it's not hurting you then live your life people. Things I am strict on for my family would be gluten as we come from a lineage of coeliacs and have the coeliac gene (I will explain more about this one another day) and colours and preservatives. 

Review any food allergies or sensitivities with your practitioner (like me), your health practitioner can order functional testing to review the right foods for you to be consuming and when because everybody is so unique these are different depending on your own individual situation. 

SLEEP 

Whilst you are sleeping your body is producing white blood cells that serve as your body's defence army against infections.

Sleep is underrated and, let’s be honest, often outside of our control as Mummas. If we can’t guarantee a solid night's sleep for our family, especially when mothering littles who still require night time attendance then plan more down time and rest throughout your days. This may mean that after lunch everyone lays down and listens to an audiobook, music or a movie if all else fails. Afternoon sleeps for all was a lifesaver for me. It could also mean limiting your calendar to allow for down days after busy days where everyone gets to go at a slower pace.

Create a predictable rhythm around your sleep by setting up evening rituals that signal to the body it’s time to slow down. This could look like lights going low after 6pm, screens away after dinner, time for stories - either read alouds or audiobooks count too! 

Screen time is a consistent niggling issue for me. I approach it in my house by educating my children that it’s not just the excitement of the game you’re playing but the blue light you are being exposed to that is dysregulating your hormones that promote QUALITY sleep. In this house we practise respectful parenting and it’s a constant conversation to be honest; we encourage listening to music, audiobooks or podcasts after dinner and aim to avoid screen use for at least 2 hours before sleep is expected. The best way for me to make this stick in my family is by modelling this behaviour in myself. When putting away work, or the phone is harder for you then you expected after dinner it can expand your compassion for how your child feels without their devices that provide them entertainment and connection to their friends and joy. Focus on building this up in relationship with each other. 

If you are struggling with getting enough sleep, there may be some underlying factors that could be explored with your practitioner.  

MOVEMENT & NATURE

Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the severity and length of upper respiratory tract infections with active individuals showing faster recovery from illness. (source). It also promotes better sleep, metabolism and mental health which will all support a healthy immune system. 

Take a walk in morning sunlight for the added benefit of Vitamin D activation, great for immune health, along with supporting Cortisol and Melatonin balance for healthy stress response and sleep cycles.   

Get outside in all weather, head out for bush walks, go to the park, get the kids involved with sports they enjoy, play games outside in the yard or even start a garden. 

Have you heard of forest bathing? Spending time in natural green environments breathing in that fresh air can actually increase our NK cells that attack infiltrations to our immune system. 

HYDRATION 

Drink good quality filtered water. Drinking adequate water will flush out toxins from the body, supporting the body's natural detoxification process to maintain immune function. 

I noticed such a change in my children’s skin with eczema and skin rashes clearing up after switching our house onto filtered water and reverse osmosis water for drinking. 

You can add fruit like citrus slices, ginger and strawberries to water or make popsicles or herbal infusions, hot or cold to make water more appealing to the kids. 

Remember foods like soups, broths, and fruits like watermelon and cucumber have high water content and electrolytes as well! 

SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORT 

When it comes to supplements for staying healthy, I would be working on making sure you are getting your best sources through foods and lifestyle practices. I don’t believe we should have to rely on supplements to be healthy. Sometimes though our bodies need additional support, especially when we are run down by external influences such as work, social or emotional demands that put undue stress on our systems or if we are struggling to maintain sleep or nutrition due to aversions, sensitivities or availability.

HERBS

Immunomodulating herbs stimulate flexibility within the body's natural response to disease, activating the body's natural defences. It’s best to exercise caution when prescribing immune enhancers as they can lead to non-specific stimulation of immune cells, cytokines and can lead to overstimulation of immune activity, you may have heard of a cytokine storm. So please consult your herbal practitioner to get the right herbs for your individual presentation.

An insight into some immune supporting herbs we could be prescribing include:

Echinacea spp. - Echinacea - Immunomodulating, Anti-Inflammatory, Antimicrobial, Lymphatic etc

Astragalus membranaceus - Astragalus - Immunomodulator, Adaptogen, Antioxidant, Antiviral ect

Codonopsis pilosula - Codonopsis - Immunomodulator, adaptogen, anti-inflammatory etc

Ganoderma lucidum - Reishi mushroom - Immunomodulator, antimicrobial, antiviral etc

Lentinus edodes - Shitake mushroom - Immunomodulating, etc

Schisandra chinensis - Schizandra - Adaptogen, antioxidant, neuroprotective etc

Allium sativum - Garlic - Antimicrobial, Antiviral, Antifungal etc

Thuja occidentalis - Thuja - Antimicrobial, Antifungal, antiviral etc

Eleutherococcus senticosus - Siberian Ginseng - Adaptogen, Immunomodulator, etc

Panax ginseng - Ginseng - Adaptogen, Immunomodulator, anti-inflammatory etc

Pelargonium sidoides - Geranium - Immunomodulator, antiviral, antimicrobial etc

Glycyrrhiza glabra - Licorice - Anti-Inflammatory, Adaptogen, etc

NUTRIENTS 

When we are depleted it can be useful to take a good quality nutritional supplementation as prescribed by your practitioner. I don’t recommend self prescribing as you may be taking something that is counteracting other supplements or prescriptions you are on or taking things unnecessarily. 

Nutritional supplementation you may be referred to in order to prevent recurrent illness:

Bioflavanoids

Vitamin D3

Vitamin C 

Vitamin A

Zinc

Collagen

N-Acetyl Cysteine 

Probiotics 

Quercetin

B vitamins 

If your Mumma intuition is kicking in and telling you that your child is getting sick more frequently or taking longer to recover than expected, then I recommend checking in with your preferred practitioner. If they are having difficulty putting on weight or have continuous infections like thrush or ear infections there may be more underlying conditions to consider.

As a Naturopath I take consultations for Acute conditions that will help get you back to health and I also offer longer consultations that delve into the root causes for imbalances in immune health. I can review pathology and order functional testing to uncover the causes and address the issues at hand. 

It’s important to seek help - remember you’re not a village, you don’t need to know everything and do it all on your own. I had to learn that the hard way! 

ENERGETICALLY

I believe that our physical ailments are a representation of our energetic alignment and the thought patterns that make up our experiences in life. Low immunity on a metaphysical level correlates to a lowered defence system. 

I ask you to dig deeper into your emotional body, where are your boundaries lacking, where are you letting outside influences into your world and how can you hold your ground and stand up for what serves you to thrive?

And yes the ‘Maternal Thread’ is strong in this aspect, the only way our children learn to navigate their own boundaries and allow themselves to receive their needs and acknowledge their worthiness to be taken care of… is to witness their mother figure claiming this for herself. 

This is what I guide Mothers through in my mentorship programs where we dive into the energetic and emotional bodies alongside the physical expressions of them.   

CONNECTION

The roots to a healthy immune system for your child is more than just getting the right balance of nutrients, gut microbiome and sleep… 

Yes, that is all so important for healthy vitalistic children. 

But holistically we cannot ignore their energetic thread of connection to their Mumma line. 

If Mumma is burnt out, breastfeeding, trying to bake all the food from scratch, monitor the screen time and get the kids out in nature daily for movement… 

Your highly sensitive children will have an innate knowing that their life line… YOU… is floundering. 

Then they innately feel like something is wrong…. And they don’t sleep and they don’t recover and they are under stress. 

Stress weakens the immune system, depletes vital nutrients and creates disturbances through the gut brain axis. Providing time for you to be present with your children without distractions opens communication lines, shows them that they are supported and held in a loving environment. 

Your child’s most important resource is YOU. 

Maintaining a healthy immune system is a holistic approach involving multiple lifestyle factors. By incorporating these practices into your family's daily routine, you can help support strong immune systems and overall well-being for your entire family. A lot of these comes down to you being available and having the vitality to maintain a rhythm that is nourishing. 

And that starts with you nourishing and receiving support for yourself first. 

If you have any questions or want to go into depth on how this relates to your families individual health, book a free connection call with me.

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