Cough is a common ailment that children often experience and can sometimes be overwhelming. Especially now that the use of cough syrup is limited. Don’t panic just yet, you can provide treatment to children with foods that speed up cough healing. What are these foods?
Starting from the Healthline, when a child has the flu, fever, diarrhea, cough and sore throat, this happens because children’s immune systems are not fully mature until they reach the age of seven or eight years. So they are still quite vulnerable to disease, especially when children have started school.
Nutrition plays an important role in ensuring children stay hydrated and have a source of energy. In fact, certain foods can help speed up their recovery.
“There’s no doubt that good sleep habits and a healthy diet are the two cornerstones of an immune system that can defend itself against disease. But there are also certain foods and drinks that seem to help prevent or if children are already sick, help them feel better. with a little faster,” said Kathy W. Warwick , a child and family nutritionist based in Mississippi, United States, quoted from the Parents page.
If your little one has a cough and you want to find out what foods can relieve the symptoms, try these five foods:
Foods that are believed to speed up the healing of a child’s cough
1. Yogurt
Giving children a kind of probiotic regularly is a good thing, especially during the cold and flu season . Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that can help strengthen the immune system by filling the digestive tract and getting rid of bad bacteria that can cause disease.
A food source of probiotics that you can give your little one when he coughs is yogurt. You can also ask your pediatrician about children’s probiotic supplements.
2. Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamin A, a key nutrient for the immune system that helps keep tissues in the mouth, intestines and respiratory tract healthy. Just half a cup of cooked sweet potato has twice the vitamin A children need each day.
In addition to sweet potatoes, foods such as carrots, red peppers, mangoes and dried apricots also contain vitamin A, Mother.
3. Red meat
Foods that are considered to accelerate cough healing in children, namely red meat. This is because red meat is naturally high in protein, an important component for building the immune system.
Red meat such as beef is a rich source of minerals that the body uses to make T-cells, which play a major role in immunity. Other good sources are cashews, chickpeas, and kidney beans.
4. Chicken
Chicken soup is a hereditary recipe for treating coughs, so it can make children feel better when they are sick. Chicken soup has many beneficial properties, such as its anti-inflammatory properties which can help relieve respiratory infections.
5. Warm Drinks
When the child has a cough and flu, Mother can give the child a warm drink. A study said that with cold and flu symptoms, sipping hot drinks can relieve colds, coughs, sneezing, sore throats, chills, and fatigue in children and adults.
These are some food recommendations that can help speed up the healing of coughs in children. Don’t forget to consult your little one’s condition first with the pediatrician.
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