Baby care tip #51 – Give your baby apples every day to keep cold and flu at bay

This is why they say an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

By: Debjani Arora | | Published: February 21, 2018 8:40 pm

Remember the saying, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ Well, mothers, you can safely tweak this saying and say, ‘An apple a day keeps cold and flu at bay.’ I am not kidding over here. If you are surprised by reading this then let me tell you that when one of the fellow moms I know told me that giving apple every day helped her to improve her child’s immunity and keep the seasonal bout of cold and flu at bay, I was equally surprised. She was a happy mother who was jumping with joy as if she discovered some nuclear secret. Yes, only mothers know what it feels like to be able to save your child from the constant sneezing and wheezing during the phase of seasonal change. Here are few things you must do when your child has a fever.

I don’t remember a single year in my six years of being a mother when I had to skip going to the paediatrician to check on my baby – with mild fever and running nose – as the season changed from summers to rains to winters. At the advent of every season, the paediatrician’s clinic is abuzz with parents carrying their little babies and toddler in their arms – almost everybody has a similar complain – fever, cold, cough. So, this mother whom I knew told me that she didn’t have to pay the customary visit to her paediatrician this year for cold and flu. Even before I could ask she said – apples did the trick. ‘Make sure you give your baby at least few pieces of apples (if not the whole fruit) to nibble on days before the seasons start to change. If you can give it daily like make it a diet ritual, even better.’ Here are four apple recipes that your toddler will love.

Not that I don’t give my kids apples, but I was feeling it difficult to buy this theory. So, I checked the efficacy of this theory with an expert. I learned that flavanoid a substance present in certain plants, mostly in highly coloured fruit and vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of catching common colds and also aid in its quicker recovery. Flavonoids have anti-inflammatory properties and hence help ease cold symptoms and they also aid the body in absorbing vitamin C. Apples are considered to be a great source of flavonoids. ‘They are also rich in pectin is a naturally occurring substance (a polysaccharide) that absorbs the bacteria and so helps to keep infections in check. Offering apples to your child can help in a big way to build immunity and provide protection from viral and bacterial infections,’ says Dr Dhvani Shah, naturopath and sports medicine expert.

So, my friend has actually nailed it. Without knowing the science behind it, her trial and error method worked. Mothers, you are not far behind in benefitting from this. So, try giving your child apples daily to build immunity and fight a bout of a cough and cold.

Image source: Shutterstock

Published: February 21, 2018 8:40 pm

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