5 Ways to Help Your Family Stay Healthy This Fall

Fall is just around the corner. With the beginning of this season comes a host of new threats to your family’s health. Here are five things that you can do to keep your family healthy this fall.

5 Ways to Help Your Family Stay Healthy This Fall

Start Taking a Vitamin D Supplement

As the coolness of the fall starts to settle in and the days begin to get shorter, it is natural that you start to spend more time indoors. This may mean that you might become deficient in vitamin D. Because you get most of your vitamin D from the sun, it can be difficult to maintain healthy levels once you spend less time outside.

While it is always important to make sure that you have plenty of vitamin D in your system, it is even more crucial during this time of a global pandemic. There have been some studies that point to adequate levels of vitamin D being a powerful tool in the fight against the COVID-19 virus. Vitamin D not only boosts the immune system function, but it can also improve your mood.

Indulge in Seasonal Produce

The arrival of fall brings a bounty of fresh produce that should be made an integral part of your diet. After the heat of the summer has passed, many individuals are itching to get back into the kitchen and create delicious homemade dishes to bring comfort on those chilly evenings.

The best vegetables during this time of the year are anything in the squash family. Zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, and pumpkins are all great choices for your autumn dinner table. Other in-season vegetables include kale, beets, broccoli, and eggplant.

Apples and pears are delicious choices for fruits during this time of the year. You can eat these seasonal delights plain or bake them into a fruit crisp for a special treat.

Drink Plenty of Water

All of the good nutrition in the world will not mean a thing if you are not properly hydrated. Just because you are not spending as much time out in the sun working up a sweat, it does not mean that you do not need to be diligent about drinking enough water each day.

Most healthy adults need at least 64 ounces of water per day for optimal hydration. Some people find it helpful to invest in a quality water bottle and keep it filled all day long. This will also help you to track how much you are drinking to ensure that you are reaching your goal.

Learning more about the benefits of purified water will inspire you to install a system in your own home. The better that the water tastes, the more likely that you will be to drink it throughout the day.

Get Your Flu Shot

One of the best things that you can do to promote good health in your family this fall is to take the preventative measure of getting a flu shot for everyone. It is always important to get a flu shot. However, the current health crisis has compounded this importance even further.

Most medical providers will have the flu shot ready for administration by September. The protection will last through the entirety of the flu season with most health officials recommending that you get the vaccine as soon as possible. Most providers will also offer the flu vaccine mist for those individuals who are not able to tolerate the shot.

Prepare for Daylight Savings Time

Moving the clock back one hour can cause havoc on the body’s sleep and awake cycles. Rather than just jumping into the time change, it is a good idea to gradually prepare your family for this transition.

Avoiding coffee and alcohol before bedtime will make it easier to adjust. You can also go to bed earlier starting the week before the time change. Exposing yourself to bright light in the morning will make it easier to get used to this adjustment.

Although you can never guarantee good health, taking these five steps will go a long way in helping to promote a safe and healthy season for everyone in your family. The more diligent that you are about promoting these wellness actions, the more likely it will be that your family will remain healthy.