Resigned yourself to another year of the family sniffling and sneezing from every bug your kids bring home? Well, there's a lot more you can do than just beefing up your stockpile of tissues and chicken soup. Although you have little control over the bugs your kids may pick up from school or daycare, simple changes to your lifestyle and diet can mean the difference between being knocked out by a serious illness and a day spent feeling simply under the weather. They can also protect you and your family from ever becoming sick in the first place. Here are some stay-well strategies from the experts.

Wash your hands. This advice has stuck around for good reason. Because your hands can touch hundreds of bug-infested surfaces every day, hand-washing is still your best defense against illness. "In most cases, simple hand-washing is as good as using an antiseptic," says pediatrician Keith Powell, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Just the friction created by running water on rubbing hands, he says, can eliminate most of the bugs you may have picked up. Get your kids into the routine of washing their hands frequently, whether at home or at school, before and after they eat or use the washroom. Good hand hygiene in and out of the home means bugs won't travel to your kid's mouth, nose or to the rest of your family.

Use hand sanitizers. While simple hand-washing will zap most of the pathogens that can cause illness, there are some heartier bugs that require something a little more powerful to get the job done. Enter alcohol-based hand sanitizers, such as Purell. "Purell is more effective with the gastrointestinal bugs that aren't as easily removed by hand-washing," says Powell. In fact, a 2005 study out of the Children's Hospital in Boston found that families who used hand sanitizers combined with regular hand-washing were much less likely to become sick with stomach illnesses, or to pass them on to the rest of the family. So keep a bottle on hand in the entrance to your house, and get your kids in the habit of working a blob or two onto their hands when they come home.

Don't skip meals. Yes, we all know how much damage too many calories can do, but if your kids are too busy to eat breakfast, or you're trying to lose that extra 10 pounds, you could be whittling away at your body's defenses. "Immunity doesn't function in people who are malnourished," says Powell. Rachel Brandeis, an Atlanta registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA) explains it like this: if you're not getting the calories or nutrients you need, your body goes into starvation mode, which lowers your metabolic rate as well as your body's natural defenses. She recommends eating throughout the day - three balanced meals as well as healthy snacks - to keep your metabolism humming and ensure you're getting the calories you need.

Drink up! One way to ensure your immunity is performing at its peak is to stay well hydrated. Getting enough liquid in your diet ensures that your system can flush away many of the viruses and waste materials that can cause illness. Besides carrying a bottle of water with you, get your family to indulge in water-rich meals. "Twenty percent of our fluid intake is already from food" says Brandeis. "So go for lots of fruit and veg, which are packed with disease-fighting antioxidants. Also, have lots of water, enjoy hearty soups, and drink non-caffeinated herbal teas." Remember to say, "No," to the pop and fruit flavored drinks that drain your immune system with too much sugar.

Get your good bacteria. There's no better way to fight a bad bug than with a good bug. That's the concept behind the science of probiotics, where specific strains of bacteria are eaten in yogurt or probiotic capsules so they can colonize our gut and do battle with any disease-causing bacteria or viruses we may come in contact with. "Lactobacillus GG in particular has been shown to stimulate the intestinal immune system," says pediatric researcher and Clinical Nurse Specialist Rosemary Young at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. One study found that children with cystic fibrosis needed fewer antibiotics for respiratory infections if they were taking capsules of this bacteria. You can find these immune boosting strains of bacteria in many yogurts and capsules, like Culturelle probiotic capsules. Just look on the label for strains such as acidophilus or lactobacillus GG.

Make your food your vitamin pills. Whole natural foods are your most easily absorbed sources of the vitamins your family needs to fight illness throughout the year. Three of the biggest immune-boosting nutrients? Zinc, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C.

"Zinc is one of the most important nutrients for our immune system," says Lona Sandon, a Dallas registered dietitian and spokesperson for the ADA. "Zinc helps your body make an adequate supply of white blood cells that are needed for fighting off bugs." Sandon says your best daily sources of zinc can be found in typical servings of lean beef, eggs, poultry, milk and yogurt and seafood. Whole grains, breads and nuts also provide zinc but your body can't absorb the mineral as easily from these sources.

Vitamin B6 is another immune booster that helps your immune system to produce the antibodies that fight infections. Luckily, Sandon says you can find B6 in pretty much the same foods that you find zinc - lean meats, whole grains as well as beans.

Finally, your good friend vitamin C is probably the most well-known immunity enhancer, repairing and protecting much of the tissue in your body from infection. Just one cup of orange juice will give your your daily recommended dose of vitamin C. You can also find this wonder vitamin in most fruit and vegetables, from broccoli to tomatoes.

Choose immunization. Whether it's against flu or chicken pox, immunization seems like a pretty obvious disease preventative. However, some parents throughout North America and the UK have begun to question the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, leading some to deny their children what most doctors consider a potentially life-saving treatment. "Immunization continues to be one of the best preventatives we have against disease," says Dr. Powell. And although the prevalence of many life-threatening diseases, like German measles, may be down, says Powell, if more parents forgo immunizations for their children, we'll start to see these diseases make a dangerous comeback.

Get healthy, stay healthy! Find more information on nutritious eating, a good night's sleep and more at Kaboose's Healthy Kids department

And if you do get sick, visit Kaboose's Cold & Flu Guide for information, tips and suggestions.