People who don't get sick all the time... what's your secret?

[blackcoffeenosleep]

Long story short since the end of September me and my family (DH and 3 kids) have had the following between us: Novovirus, normal cold, ear infection, bronchiolitis and now 3 of us have hand foot and mouth.

Once we are past this how can I build up our immune systems? We already practice handwashing before /after the loo, beforw eating, after changing nappies/blowing noses and when we come home and just generally throughout the day. Hand sanitiser used reguarly by the kids at school and in shops etc. We're in scotland so still wearing masks in most places. We all take vitamin supplements and eat a healthy varied diet.

Are we just unlucky? Today is halloween and my middle child has woke up covered in HFM spots after being up all night with a cough and temp. Im just getting over it and his baby sister had it last week. My oldest son has had a cough too so think its going his way now too... DH seems to be immune to these things (except Novovirus.. that one got him bad 😩) no trick or treating for us tonight. Luckily we have pumpkins to carve and halloween crafts to do to keep us entertained.

Really this is just a moan but any other advice is welcomed! (I will add we all tested for covid at first sign of cough/temp and all neg) we all do regular lft as well.

• than, not then!

I think some of it is luck/genetic and some is good food choices and exercise.

When you say a varied healthy diet, are you getting at least 3-4 portions of veg a day and around 2 of fruit (minimum)? Are you taking extra vitamin D supplements? (Not just a multivitamin.) Are you going to bed early enough? (Sleep before 12am is better quality sleep, apparently.) These things have helped me a lot.

@BurbageBrook

When you say a varied healthy diet, are you getting at least 3-4 portions of veg a day and around 2 of fruit (minimum)? Are you taking extra vitamin D supplements? (Not just a multivitamin.) Are you going to bed early enough? (Sleep before 12am is better quality sleep, apparently.) These things have helped me a lot.

This. I’m always shocked at others’ diets. There was a thread here by a lovely woman seeking to introduce more veg into her diet. She described what she’d cooked and posters suggested starting with adding carrot to mince based dishes, so she was off to buy a carrot. And often on ‘vegans feeding omnivores’ threads it’s obvious that lots of posters have very little fibre in their diets. They describe getting upset stomachs eating veg, pulses, grains, tofu and soya and I suspect it’s just ‘normal’ healthy bowel movements.

I haven't read everything but I would say that having something like noro does seem to weaken you, so that you then get everything going. Also, I am 100% certain that lack of sleep is a huge issue for many, and with young children that's often just a perennial problem. I've always had a pretty good immune system but I definitely notice that now that the kids are a bit older I really am rarely ill and I think it's because I'm just less tired all the time.

while I agree that there's no need for constant hand washing/sanitising etc, I disagree that surfaces shouldn't be cleaned with actual anti bacterial. You're not cleaning those surfaces to remove germs leading to illnesses but to remove things that breed the kind of bacteria that lead to food poisoning.

Vitamin D