A strong immune system is essential to good health. You can help make your own immune system function well by eating a balanced diet. Starting the day with a whole grain cereal from Nestlé® is one way to give your system a morning kick-off. Many of the Nestlé® whole grain cereal products are fortified with essential vitamins and minerals to help your immune system function properly.
It’s a name we give to a collection of organs, proteins, and cells that all come together to keep invaders out of your body. These invaders can include germs such as bacteria and toxins from the environment.
You can help build your immunity by eating a good diet, packed full of the key vitamins and minerals you need, such as Vitamin B complex, Vitamin D, iron and zinc [1]. Scientists have found that the body’s immune response — how it reacts to the invaders — depends on having enough of these nutrients.
They help build the immune cells and power their function. Some cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals to help increase your intake of these essential building blocks. If you combine these with getting enough sleep, doing plenty of exercise, and keeping your stress levels low, you’ll be on the way to a good immune system.
Of course, we all know that it’s important for kids to get their vitamins & minerals. But did you know it’s even more important for you to get them as you age? Your immune system needs more support as you get older, and we don’t always get what we need. According to the Malaysian National and Health Morbidity Survey (NHMS, 2018), 3 in 10 elderlies are malnourished [2].
One essential nutrient is the vitamin B complex. It’s a group of vitamins essential to health, including thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folic acid (B9), and cobalamin (B12).
B6 is key to your immune system [1]. It works to make new red blood cells and moves oxygen to your cells.
Most of your Nestlé® favourites, such as Nestlé® KOKO KRUNCH®, Nestlé® GOLD™ Cornflakes and Nestlé® FITNESSE® Flakes, are fortified with B6 (as well as B2 and B9).
A vital nutrient that whole grain cereal can provide is zinc. Not only does zinc help keep the immune system strong [1], but there’s even some evidence that it might help fight off colds.
But how much of these vital nutrient will you find in a bowl of Nestlé® TRIX® breakfast cereal? With just 1 serving, kids are able to meet 52% (boys) and 54% (girls) of their daily zinc requirement [3]. That’s a great beginning to the day. So, to kickstart your kid’s day, grabbing a bowl of Nestlé’s whole grain cereals could be the perfect way. Couple the whole grain colourful Nestlé® TRIX® with a handful of berries or, nuts and milk, and their body will thank you.
You can also add some immunity-supporting toppers to your Nestlé® fortified breakfast cereals. For instance, a bowl of Nestlé® FITNESSE® Original flakes can be combined with fruit and low-fat milk to make a delicious and healthy start to the day. Milk is a nutrient powerhouse, loaded with calcium, protein, vitamins B2 & B12,and zinc [4]. And the right choice of fruit can give you a boost. Oranges and other citrus are packed with vitamin C, while you’ll also find it in blueberries, along with minerals such as iron, magnesium, and zinc.
The word ‘fortification’ means ‘a defensive wall or other reinforcement built to strengthen a place against attack’ – so what has that got to do with cereals? Well, when cereals are ‘fortified’, it means they contain added vitamins and minerals to help our body work well.
