Supporting the Family Through the Back to School Transition

While it’s often sad to see the slow days of summer pass by, I always find it refreshing to get back into a routine with the beginning of a new school year. In fact, I often feel a sense of relief as our family thrives off of the stability and predictability that a rhythm provides. Plus, the back to school season offers a sense of excitement, freshness, and a little bit of nostalgia. With any transition, well meaning mothers want to support their families well. I know that this is on your mind, as many readers ask questions about what we do to support our health and well-being as we move into more group activities, and the cold and flu season. Please keep in mind, getting sick is not something to be feared! Illness is a powerful way to stimulate the immune system for life-long endurance and protection. Historically, acute childhood illnesses were embraced as a right of passage. 

I like to think of five main categories to support our family’s wellness in the midst of the back to school transition that I will unpack here. Hopefully this provides encouragement and inspiration for you to tweak some aspects of your life in order to strengthen your family. Please remember, this is not medical advice and for educational purposes only.

Nutrition

Optimal nutrition is foundational for proper brain function, immune support, and overall wellness. Aim for nutrient-dense, real foods. Processed foods, sugars, and seed oils are inflammatory to the body and will hinder brain and immune function. While it may take some extra forethought to stock the fridge and pantry with health-promoting foods, focusing on whole foods will be fruitful for your child’s health.

Focus on quality proteins, wholesome fats, and a variety of fruits and vegetables to make up the majority of your family’s diet. Additionally, if your child has food sensitivities, it is imperative to avoid those foods to avoid the inflammatory cascade to which they contribute. Common food sensitivities are gluten, conventional dairy (A1 beta-casein, ultra-pasteurized, & homogenized), eggs, soy, corn, and food additives. We know that inflammatory foods have a direct impact on behavioral health, immune function, and cognition and are best avoided.

Some Key Nutrients 

Zinc: Zinc has been shown to allow the immune system to slow viral replication and fight off bacterial infections. Zinc can actually stop viruses from hijacking cells to replicate themselves. Zinc deficiency is a very common nutrient deficiency. Interestingly, insufficient zinc levels are associated with an increased risk of various infections. Holistic practitioners are incredibly concerned about zinc levels; especially when you look at the zinc to copper ratios within children and adults. Often, people have too much unbound copper and not enough zinc; which leads to far-reaching problems. 

Optimizing zinc levels is a crucial part of reinforcing the immune system. Zinc is found in grass fed beef, eggs, oysters, shellfish, garbanzo beans, and pumpkin seeds. 

Fat Soluble Vitamins: Fat soluble vitamins including Vitamin A, D, and K2 are crucial for optimal immune function. Roughly 60% of children are vitamin D deficient. Foods rich in these fat soluble vitamins are cod liver oil, quality dairy, grass fed beef, eggs, and organ meats. While it may seem right to supplement with isolated vitamin D, I prefer to encourage appropriate sun exposure along with supplementation with cod liver oil as it has vitamin K2 along with vitamin A to work synergistically to safely boost vitamin D levels. It also provides essential fatty acids that are anti-inflammatory and brain-supportive. More on this supplement below.

Essential Fatty Acids: Omega 3s are essential fatty acids, which means your body cannot make them---they need to be consumed. Omega 3 fatty acids support the immune system, promote brain health, and decrease inflammation. Sources of omega 3 fatty acids are wild-caught salmon and other fish and seafood. Additionally, cod liver oil, flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, and hemp seeds are good sources of omega 3 fatty acids.

My books, Restorative Kitchen and Restorative Traditions are full of non-inflammatory, nutrient-dense recipes to deeply nourish your family. 

Gut Health

Many important components of health begin in the gut. The gut is a crucial barrier between us and the outside environment and protects the body from foreign invaders. It offers a vital immune network through the gut associated lymphoid tissue. Additionally, the gut-brain axis is well established as a bidirectional communication pathway between the gut and the brain. So, supporting the gut directly supports the brain. In fact, the gut is responsible for 80 percent of the body’s serotonin production. Supporting the gut is vital for our children’s health. 

Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kombucha, kvass, kefir, and raw apple cider vinegar, deliver a hefty probiotic punch to the gut. It is also a good idea to eat prebiotics, which are the indigestible carbohydrates found in high-fiber foods. These are the best food sources for beneficial gut bacteria.

My number one supplement for gut health is ION Intelligence of Nature Gut Support. While ION supports the gut, because so many aspects of health begin in the gut, it also supports the immune system, the brain, the skin, and so much more! I also love the Megaspore probiotic and Megaspore FOR KIDS Gummies for little ones who cannot swallow pills. Details on ION and these probiotics below.

Immune Support

The immune system is an intricate army of cells that work together to fight off infections. Optimizing immune function is key in helping your children move through life with strength and resilience. Some helpful immune supportive strategies include:

Nasal rinsing: Nasal rinsing is a helpful strategy for cleansing the sinuses and avoiding pathogens from taking hold. This is particularly important if your child’s learning environment has mold. My favorite is Xlear. Only use Xlear with a known mold or pathogen exposure or to cleanse the sinuses for a short period of time.

Supplements: elderberry, Vitamin C, zinc, probiotics, glutathione, offer powerful antioxidant and immune support. I like to keep these on-hand for whatever are exposed to or for when illness ensues. 

Spending Time Outdoors: Sunshine and exercise go a long way in bolstering the immune system. We aim for daily time outside, even when the temperature or elements are not ideal. 1000 hours outside is such a valuable resource to inspire your family to get outside. 

Bee propolis: bee propolis is a sweet tasting resin-like material produced by bees that has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. I like using it as a protective throat spray.

Humidifiers: humid air hinders viral replication. I like humidifiers with blue light to kill mold or add a splash of hydrogen peroxide to the water to prevent mold growth. Also watch for mold growth in the rooms if this is a concern for your family.

Sleep

School aged children require about 10 to 12 hours of sleep to repair, heal, develop, and learn. To facilitate quality sleep, I recommend minimizing blue and even artificial light for 2 hours leading up to bedtime for proper melatonin production. Keep screens and devices out of the bedroom. Create a safe space to connect with your children in the evening to process what is going on in their lives. If your child has a difficult time settling down to sleep, you could try using a magnesium supplement or lotion (see recommendations below!). Additionally, I like circadian rhythm supporting lightbulbs, blue light blocking glasses, and red light products from Bon Charge to foster a melatonin supportive environment. Use code DRASHLEY 15% off storewide.

Screen Time

The average child spends anywhere from 4 to 9 hours a day engaged in screens. It is no surprise that too much screen exposure can lead to sleep concerns, mood problems, decreased cognition, poor self-image, and beyond. When taking part in screen-based activities, the brain neurotransmitters go awry. Of particular note is dopamine, the pleasure and reward neurotransmitter which is released in excess during screen time. Have you noticed your child becoming upset after screen time? That is likely due to crashing dopamine and craving for more excitement. Prolonged screen time is correlated with a decrease in focus and attention, trouble regulating emotions, anxiety, and depression. Do not hesitate to set firm boundaries on screen time. In our home, this looks like computer-based math curriculum and movie night once a week. We bring in educational YouTube videos and limited email time for our older children. There are no screens allowed in bedrooms or at least an hour or two before bed. 

Top 5 Back to School Supplements

Cod Liver Oil: My favorite cod liver oil is a raw handcrafted product that has been produced by the Rosita family for many generations. Rosita comes in soft gels and liquid for easy dosing. CLO contains only naturally occurring Vitamin A and Vitamin D in the concentration and proportion nature intended and work in a beautiful synergistic relationship to support overall health. 

Multivitamin: Our soils are nutrient-depleted so much of our food supply does not have as vibrant of a nutrient profile as it once did. I recommend taking a multivitamin and mineral support. I love the Seeking Health Kids Multivitamin Chewable and the MetaKids Multi Soft Chew for a simple way to incorporate vital, bioavailable nutrients in their correct forms into children’s diets. 

Probiotics: Megaspore offers powerful spore-based probiotic support. My older girls take the capsule form. The Megaspore Gummies are a great-tasting robust probiotic gummy to support the gut, brain, and beyond. My toddler loves these!

Zinc: Zinc is an essential, immune-supportive nutrient. Seeking Health Zinc Lozenge offers zinc in an easy to administer chewable lozenge. A close second would be Seeking Health Trace Mineral Complex 2, which Kevin, myself, and my older daughters take daily. 

Magnesium: Magnesium performs over 300 essential bodily functions such as promoting healthy sleep, detoxification, blood sugar balance, and gut health. Consider the Seeking Health Magnesium Chewable, a magnesium oil from Trace Mineral Research or lotion from Earthley, MagSoothe by Jigsaw Health, or Opti-Mag Neuro from Xymogen.

All of these supplements along with many others that my family uses on a regular basis can be purchased through my FullScript account with a 10% discount!

Intelligence of Nature

As stated above, ION is among my all time favorite supplements. ION is a liquid supplement with humic extract in it that supports the cellular integrity of the barrier systems of the body such as the gut, sinuses, skin, and blood brain barrier. Tight cell junctions within the barriers are eroded with exposure to gluten, glyphosate, toxins, stress, medications, and much more. ION helps restore those tight cell junctions. When cells are sealed together properly, the barriers act defensively to keep toxins and foreign proteins out of the body. So, ION supports digestive health, immune function, nutrient absorption, protection against gluten and toxins, and overall wellness. Use code DRASHLEY for a discount.

Earthly Favorites

Good Night Lotion: topical magnesium supplementation is incredibly effective and our family loves this lotion from Earthley.

Elderberry Elixir: elderberry has been used throughout history for its powerful immune supportive properties. It has been researched to prevent and shorten the duration of illnesses, including the flu. 

Feel Better Fast: a sweet (glycerin-based) tincture with great tasting immune supportive herbs such as echinacea, astragalus, and elder. 

Earache Ease: a simple ear oil with mullein to ease ear discomfort.

Breathe Well Salve: a lovely support for chest congestion, coughs, and runny noses that is safe for the whole family, even little ones!

Enjoy 10% off with code DRASH