Inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s famous saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, here’s what you need to know about managing your child’s cold & flu from an Ayurvedic perspective.
1. Start the day with stewed apples
My teacher, Dr Vaidya Mishra recommended eating an apple cooked with 2 cloves every morning in order to:
● help expel toxins accumulated in the body during the night
● support bowel regularity
● optimize dietary pH
● boost immunity to prevent most colds/flus (contains infection fighting interferons which kill viruses)
2. Avoid cold foods/iced drinks/ice creams
Following the principle “like increases like and opposites balance”, our body and mind are constantly being influenced by the changes in our environment. So when the weather outside starts to get cold, cold qualities increase within us too. This is why we use more spices and prefer more cooked rather than raw cold foods. Warm foods help balance the cold, and cold foods make us prone to cold, leading to an imbalance in the body, causing us to be sick.
Tip 1: Boil milk with a stick of cinnamon and 2 crushed whole cardamom pods, before bringing it down to a drinkable temperature according to your child’s preference. This also assists in better digestion and nutrient absorption from the milk.
Tip 2: Reduce consumption of yogurt and fruits like watermelon and cantaloupe.
3. Use Ayurvedic knowledge of six tastes as a preventive measure
The six tastes (rasas) mentioned in Ayurvedic texts are Sweet (madhur rasa), Sour (amla rasa), Salty (lavana rasa), Pungent (ushna rasa), Bitter (tikta rasa) and Astringent (kashaya rasa). Out of the five elements of nature (earth, water, fire, air, ether), when immunity goes low and we get infected, the earthy element (aka kapha dosha) gets out of balance resulting in cold/cough/flu. The three tastes that imbalance this earthy element in the body are the Sweet, Sour and Salty tastes.
Thus avoid Sweet, Sour and Salty tastes in this season as much as possible.
4. Immunity Boosters
Foods that boost immunity:
● Wild Amla (Indian gooseberry)
● Chyawanprash (an age old and time-tested formula with about 52 ingredients)
● Spices like turmeric, cumin, freshly ground black pepper used in cooking
● Warm freshly cooked meals
5. Sleep, Sleep, Sleep
Nothing can boost immunity for children better than getting enough sleep! Have a predictable routine and put them to bed early. Getting restful sleep between 12-14 hours works wonders to keep their immunity strong.
I got this wеb site from my friend who told me on the topic of this website and at thе moment this tіme I am browsing
thiѕ site and reading very informative posts at this time.