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By Renee Scheidt
8/17/2023
August is here, and if you parent like I do, you’ve already started thinking about all the potential germs coming home from school in a few weeks. In my house, we’re reviewing handwashing protocols for the public bathroom, discussing what food can or cannot be shared with friends, and even practicing sneezing into our shirts. I explained, in kid-friendly terms, how the chemistry of soap works because I need everyone to scrub their hands for long enough that they actually become clean.
Just like any other vigilant mama, I am constantly working on our health habits to keep everyone’s immune system in top form. In summer it’s so easy to add extra fruit and vegetables to the table, and that’s the best place to start. We practice the idea of “food as our first medicine”, because as the other saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. There’s every color of the food rainbow in our house, but still, everyone needs their boosts! I work to create a daily routine that is tasty and easy to follow.
First thing every morning I like to give the kids their doses of elderberry juice. Elderberry’s immune boosting properties make it a great addition to breakfast on school days. It’s both a preventative and a curative in our home.
The younger child will eat, drink, consume anything elderberry flavored, however the older one is more picky. So that their servings are equitable, we stir the juice into some kombucha of a complementary flavor. Kombucha is full of vitamins and probiotics, which coupled with the immune support of elderberry, prepares them for a day of mingling with a few hundred other humans in their school corridors.
Both of the kids love yogurt, and yogurt in a refill pouch for lunch or snack time gets more healthy bacteria into their systems without the need for a spoon. My partner has found there are a handful of tasty flavors of non-dairy yogurt which still contain healthful bacteria strains, but personally I still do dairy, so I buy the large cartons of greek yogurt for the rest of the family. We swirl homemade jam into individual servings, which gives each day a new flavor possibility and saves on money and plastic waste.
If you haven’t tried the elderberry echinacea sparkling tea yet, it’s amazing, and makes a flavorful, bubbly, caffeine-free indulgence for the older one’s lunch on days when a treat is needed. These disappear pretty quickly in our home as everyone enjoys them. Echinacea contributes to our virus prevention routine, acting as a natural antioxidant and immune system support, so I tend to also keep a number of hot tea blends with it as an ingredient.
The last thing our family does in the evenings, after dinner and before bed, is to take our “shots”. Everyone has his or her glass filled with a small amount of reishi mushroom tincture and then topped with something sweet to help mask the bitterness. Often, we opt for another round of kombucha, though we also indulge in fresh-pressed cider, lemonade, and even the occasional sip of liquor for the grown-ups. Reishi is hailed as an adaptogen in Eastern medicine and is an excellent compliment for the morning’s dose of elderberry. It promotes good gut, healthy sleep, and basically helps the body regulate itself.
The more we encourage a routine of preventative health in ourselves and our children, the more likely they are to stay healthy. There are so many ways you can integrate small boosts in your day. I encourage you to begin your own family wellness rituals for healthy and happy lives!
Renee is a displaced country girl, gardening an oversized lot in the city and helping out on the family farm. She spends her time chasing the children around while they get dirty. She spends her free time on typical and atypical household chores, including herb preservation and soap making. Her hobbies include collecting sewing projects, reading cookbooks, and dance parties in the kitchen.