Sunday, December 12, 2010

Boosting a 4 year old's immune system?

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to boost Anna's immune system? She's been sick with one thing or another almost constantly since Thanksgiving. First a UTI, then a stomach virus and now she has a cold.

She's always been a super healthy kid, she's never even really brought home a lot of the stuff I know she is exposed to in preschool. When I took her in for the UTI, her ped even commented on how few illnesses she has had.

But lately she just seems so run down and she's picking up everything. I don't want her to be sick for Christmas.

She takes a multivitamin and is good about eating her fruits and veggies. I'd rather not give her the typical things adults take when they want an immune system boost; I don't even know if you CAN give those to kids and I wouldn't anyway.

But are there particular fruits and or veggies, other than the obvious vitamin C loaded citrus, that we can try that might help? Isn't zinc the other vitamin that is supposed to help your immune system? What is a natural source of zinc?