Hellobee

Recently Charlie has been complaining about being very, very tired, even when he gets enough rest and sleep. This is highly unusual for him, as he always has a lot of energy, never naps, wakes up quickly every morning, and gets enough sleep at night because school doesn’t start until 9am (and we only live 3 minutes away). Since he had just started a new PE class at school three times a week, which is followed by an intense taekwondo class, I decided to wait a bit because he was still adjusting to his new schedule and didn’t have any other symptoms. After a couple weeks he got sick with a fever, headache and sore throat that only lasted a day, but I decided to take him to the doctor to get his blood work checked to rule out anything else that might be going on.

E L E C T R O L Y T E S

Charlie’s bloodwork showed that he had elevated lymphocyte levels, which happens when the body is fighting an infection or inflammation. He also had low sodium levels, which might be explained by all his exercise and excessive sweating he does in our hot and humid climate. His pediatrician suggested we give him an extra dose of daily probiotics as well as a drink with electrolytes like green smoothies or Pocari Sweat, especially on days he exercises. I didn’t want to give Charlie sugar-laden electrolyte drinks like Gatorade, and luckily there are lots of DIY recipes online. I’ve come up with one below using local ingredients.

DIY Electrolyte Drink

• 2 cups raw coconut water
• 1/4 cup fresh calamansi juice (similar to lime)
• 2 tbsp raw honey
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt

Fresh coconut is everywhere in the Philippines so it’s super cheap, and we’re raising our own bees so we will soon have our own raw honey! You can add any fruits you like to customize this. The salt is also an important addition to replace lost electrolytes.

S A L T

Speaking of pink Himalayan salt, I have a very good friend who is a nutritionist, and she’s told me in the past that sodium deficiency is one of the most common things she treats in both the children and adults she sees. She says like healthy fats, salt is an important component of our diet because it helps with mineral absorption and hydration. I’ve always tried not to cook salty because of an ingrained fear that salt is bad for you, and we rarely eat processed foods that are high in sodium (more due to lack of availability!). But after getting Charlie’s bloodwork back, I remembered what my friend had told me about sodium levels. Luckily she regularly gifts me this high quality pink salt from Premier Research Labs that is solar dried with no additives. This is the best price I’ve found online though Amazon does carry it too. My friend also suggested green juices (sweetened with fruit juice to make more palatable) to replace electrolytes. (Please note that I am not a medical professional so consult one before making any dietary changes).

1 0  – Y E A R  –  O L D  B O Y S

I asked the parents of one of Charlie’s closest friends whether their son, who is the same age, was tired lately too. They said their son was exhausted; it was probably just the age and that they were growing boys. But they also pointed out that we all drink filtered water here because tap water is not safe to drink, which means it is void of minerals. I’m not sure how much of an impact the minerals in tap water would have on overall health, but it was an interesting point!

For now we will try the electrolyte drinks and green juices. After getting dehydrated and very sick myself last year, I take proper hydration very seriously! We’ve always had irregular sleep schedules due to lots of guests and travel and flexibility from our school regarding absences. But I try to start the bedtime routine by 8pm now with lights out between 8:30-9:00pm. Perhaps a growth spurt is just on the horizon for Charlie!

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Have you noticed that your growing tweens are more tired than usual?