Guest Blog by Ginny Dent Brant
My heart goes out to the parents raising young children today who have an added responsibility—putting a plan in place to prevent disease and now protecting their children from Covid-19 and countless chronic diseases. The good news is, God created our bodies with an innate ability to heal! Here are six prevention tips that unleash our God-given healing against cancer and many diseases, including Covid-19:
1. Wash your hands constantly.
This should be daily practice when coming inside from the outside, before meals, and after touching what others touch. Don’t send your children to school if they feel sick, have a fever, or show symptoms.
Action plan:
Use the melody from one of your children’s favorite songs to teach them to wash their hands for 30 seconds. It’s special when each child has their own towel to dry with and keeps germs from spreading.
2. Teach your children to hydrate properly.
Give your children an immune boost by teaching them to drink two glasses of water after rising. Why? Because our immune function and every cell, organ, and system in our bodies require adequate water to function properly. The mucus in our respiratory system provides a crucial barrier against infections and viruses and is empowered by water.
Half your body weight in fluid ounces daily is your minimum goal. Avoid caffeinated drinks. Dehydration makes it difficult for your children to pay attention and think properly. This life-giving elixir is free, so drink up!
Action plan:
Buy each member of your family their own personalized steel Yeti cup. Inform them how many times a day they need to drink from it daily. These are also great for traveling—a time when most people get dehydrated. My grandkids love my Gigi’s Lemonade made from a squeeze of lemon, liquid stevia drops, and a dash of lime essential oil. They always ask for more, and why not—unless too close to bedtime!
3. Keep moving.
Our bodies work best when we move during the day. Movement increases the production of our immune killer B and T cells. It also helps our lymphatic system take out the trash from our bodies. The sedentary lifestyle contributes to many diseases. Throughout our recent quarantine, my husband and I walked several miles per day. Movement should continue to be a daily habit because it enhances every system in our bodies. It also decreases stress and reduces our risk for all cancers.
Action plan:
A walk in the afternoon, playtime in the park, dancing to the music, riding bikes, or relay races are great ways to spend time together as a family.
4. Allow your body to heal and repair with restorative sleep.
While you are reading this article, your body is performing miracles to protect you from disease. When you are in a deep sleep, the miracles of healing increase exponentially. Our bodies heal, repair and detox when we sleep. For example, melatonin, a hormone created in deep sleep, is a major cancer fighter and immune builder. Your healing can be as close as your pillow—and it’s free. If you are exposed to COVID-19 and regularly engage in deep sleep, it will be less likely to activate or develop severe symptoms. In addition, regular deep sleep enables your children to pay attention and convert their learning to long-term storage.
Action plan:
Many parents use noise machines, soft music, or stuffed animals to help their children sleep at night. Reading a bedtime story or telling a story softly helps them to fall asleep. Reading books such as Sleep is for Everyone by Paul Showers, and The Sheep Who Wouldn’t Sleep by Susan Rich Brooke allows children to understand the importance of sleep.
5. Use nutrient-dense food to nourish your gut and body.
We are what we eat. Eating a nutrient-rich, more plant-based diet can strengthen our bodies. All fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants and phytochemicals, which boost our immune systems and prevent cancer. Each child needs a minimum of five servings daily. Highly processed foods, excessive sugar, and fried foods suppress our immune systems. Avoid foods that cause blood sugar spikes.
Our gut lining is where 70 percent of our immune system is located. When this lining is properly nourished with probiotics such as yogurt and fermented foods along with prebiotic fiber from fruits and vegetables, it allows the good nutrients to flow throughout our body and keeps the bad stuff out. A healthy gut can take care of many germs and viruses that enter our bodies. Our gut is an important part of our God-designed, protective armor that protects us from cancer and many chronic diseases.
Action plan:
Teach your children to treasure God’s food. Provide healthy snacks such as carrots and celery sticks, fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, whole-food smoothies, and vegetable chips as snacks. Eat God’s Foods by Susan Neal is a great resource for teaching kids about the importance of healthy eating.
6. Keep communication lines and gratitude flowing.
Before bedtime or at dinner, allow your children to express their feelings and concerns. Teach them the practice of gratitude daily—to look for all the things they have to be thankful for even in the midst of a pandemic or difficult times. Fear and worry can increase the burden on our immune system, but expressing feelings and gratitude promotes healing in our bodies.
Action plan:
Schedule a devotional time as a family daily. You can emphasize emotions for children under 5 with books such as First Feelings by Mary Manz Simon. For the school-age child, my all-time favorite is Little Talks about God and You by Gilbert Beers. These books naturally open the door for your children to talk about their feelings and see God’s perspective. During devotional time, always allow your children to express what they are thankful for. You can even make a family book of gratitude during this pandemic!
As parents, your children’s health is largely influenced by the habits we teach. I learned these steps in my cancer journey. These tips allow your immune system to work and heal as God intended. While your children are young, teach them healthy habits that can benefit them for life. With cancer now approaching one in two, chronic disease rates continuing to rise, and this pandemic still on our doorstep, it’s time we come up with a plan to boost our children’s immune systems. First, of course, by washing our hands, we lessen our exposure. But when we make sure our children are properly hydrated, get adequate deep sleep, move daily, eat a nutritious diet, and express their feelings while practicing gratitude, we give them an added hedge of protection without spending a dime. Inexpensive, practical, and doable.
About the Blogger:
Ginny Dent Brant is a speaker and writer who grew up in the halls of power in Washington, DC. She has battled cancer, ministered around the world, and served as a counselor, educator, wellness advocate, and adjunct professor. Brant’s award-winning book, Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World, was endorsed by Chuck Colson and featured in many media interviews. Unleash Your God-Given Healing was released in May 2020 after her journey with cancer. It was written with the foreword and commentary by an oncologist, and was recently given a Golden Scrolls Award and named a Selah Award Finalist. Learn more about cancer and wellness prevention blog at www.ginnybrant.com.
