Parents do everything to protect our children from the cold weather. Thick warm and fuzzy blankets, heaters, hot water bottles, and the list goes on. But often, children fall sick and complain of cough, cold, fever, etc. during this season. Generally, our first reaction is; you must be playing out in the cold, you probably took off your sweater or were not properly covered. Parents barely focus on their immunity or lack of proper nutrition. Mostly, this is a repercussion of weak immunity and incomplete nutrition. No matter how warm you try to keep our children on the outside, if their immunity is compromised they are bound to fall sick. Especially in this season, parents need to feed their children with immunity-boosting nutrients to protect them from falling ill frequently. Apart from nutrient-dense food, another way to boost your child’s immunity is through healthy hot drinks for winter. Hot immunity boosting drinks prove to be the best health drinks for kids in biting cold weather.
Let’s take a look at some obvious benefits of immunity boosting hot drinks for winter:
Healthy immunity boosting drinks and homemade immunity drinks help children stay active, warm, and protected during winter months.
Warm drinks prepared with nutritious ingredients help strengthen immunity and support the body’s defense system against seasonal illnesses and infections in children.
Many homemade immunity drinks contain ingredients such as ginger, turmeric, and tulsi that help reduce coughing, congestion, and throat discomfort during winter.
Immunity drinks often contain antioxidants from spices, herbs, and fruits that help protect body cells and reduce inflammation caused by infections.
Warm drinks help digestion by supporting stomach function and improving nutrient absorption while helping remove unwanted toxins from the body.
Hot drinks help maintain body warmth during cold weather and provide comfort to children during chilly mornings and evenings.
Nutritious immunity-boosting drinks provide vitamins, minerals, and energy that support healthy growth, activity levels, and overall wellness in children.
When preparing homemade immunity drinks, parents should ensure the ingredients are suitable for their children’s ages, health, and dietary needs.
Too much sugar or jaggery may reduce the health benefits of immunity drinks and increase unnecessary calorie intake in children.
Strong spices may irritate younger children’s stomachs or throats. Use small amounts of ginger, pepper, cinnamon, or cloves while preparing drinks.
Always check whether children have allergies to milk, nuts, herbs, or spices before introducing new immunity-supporting drinks at home.
Excessive intake of strong herbal drinks may upset digestion or cause discomfort. Offer such drinks in moderate amounts suitable for children.
Children love holding a warm cup of hot Bournvita milk or herbal tea in their hands while studying or watching their favourite show, in winter. There are several ways to add essential immunity-strengthening nutrients to your child’s hot drink, to beat the cold.
Haldi or turmeric is known to be the immune system’s best friend for ages. There are numerous reasons for turmeric-infused milk to be the best winter drink in India. The antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties of turmeric are strong weapons against most infections and diseases. Haldi also contains a substance called curcumin, which helps prevent inflammation and enhances immunity.
Let’s make the concoction:
Jaggery, famously known as ‘gur’ in India, has perfect compatibility with milk. This is quite a well know winter drink in India. Since jaggery and milk both are good for health and there are various nutritional benefits of the combined hot drink for winter.
It is undoubtedly one of the best health drinks for kids as Jaggery milk contains high amounts of iron and enhances the hemoglobin count of children. While the sucrose present in jaggery helps children fight fatigue and weakness in the body by giving them an energy boost. Jaggery with milk also helps boost immunity and purifies blood, improves digestion, relieves menstrual problems in teenage girls, strengthens bones and teeth, enhances muscular health, and is also good for the skin.
It’s super easy to make this hot drink for winter:
Kadha became a popular winter drink in India during the covid times due to its nutritional impact and immunity-boosting qualities. Besides boosting immunity in children, this hot drink for winter is also known for improving digestion and respiratory growth, fighting flu naturally, relieving cough and cold, reducing inflammation, and consisting of antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties that prevent infections.
You will need 7-8 ingredients to make kadha:
Method to make Kadha:
No other ingredient excites children more than chocolate-flavoured Bournvita, and mixing it in their hot drinks for winter works like magic. Not to miss the nutritious content in Bournvita. It consists of Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Magnesium and Protein which will keep your kid’s immune system strong.
Lemonade is another most-liked drink among kids, and lemons are a powerhouse of Vitamin C that contains antioxidants which can fight against cell damage, and enhance the immunity of children to fight infections and diseases.
You are going to make this lemonade with a slight twist to make it a healthy hot drink for kids in winter:
Pumpkin spice might ring a bell for you, as pumpkin spice drinks are most prevalent in the Halloween season. But apart from the festive importance, pumpkin spice drinks are also good immunity boosters for kids and help promote brain health and cognitive function too.
The best health drinks for kids are homemade drinks that assist in boosting immunity. All you need for this healthy hot drink for kids is:
Method:
Carrots are rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene, vitamins A, C and E, and minerals like iron, zinc and copper. This winter superfood increases the production of white blood cells that fight infections. The vitamins and minerals in oranges protect your cells from damage, and help make collagen; a protein that heals wounds and provides smoother skin. Oranges are also a rich source of vitamin C, which boosts immunity.
Use 200gm carrots and 5-6 oranges to make this immunity boosting health drink for kids. Peel the carrots, trim their edges, and cut them up roughly. Cut and deseed the oranges, remove their rind. Add the carrot chunks and orange segments with 2 cups water to the juicer. Blend it all together. Strain the juice, sprinkle a pinch of black salt and stir.
Papaya leaf juice is sometimes used in traditional home remedies because it contains antioxidants and plant compounds that may support wellness and recovery.
Ingredients
Method
As Indians simply love to add spice to things, be it food or gossip!
Winter drinks in India are bound to have some too.
All of these spices have antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. They can be added to most of the hot drinks for winter. So here are 5 immunity-boosting spices for your kid’s healthy hot drinks.
Ginger and tulsi are another two powerful immunity-boosting agents that can be used in healthy hot drinks for winter.
Bringing more diversity to kids’ health drinks breaks the monotony, and children can avail a variety of health benefits from different immunity-boosting ingredients. Serve the best health drinks for kids in creative ways to keep them warm, protected and healthy this winter season.