When we feel sick, it can be hard to eat and hard to work up an appetite. However, when we are feeling under the weather, we need to make sure we keep well hydrated and take on plenty of nourishment. As the age-old saying goes, “let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food”. When we are unwell, eating and drinking the right foods and drinks is vitally important if we are to have a swift recovery, but what should you eat when you have a cold or the flu, will the same foods help when feeling nauseous, and what foods should you avoid?
In this post, we will take you through the answers to these questions and more so you know all the dos and don’ts of eating and drinking when you’re feeling unwell.
Best Things to Eat With the Flu
Flu symptoms come on quickly and can be very debilitating. Symptoms include a sudden temperature, aches, and pains in the body, loss of appetite, and nausea. It’s important to make sure you get plenty of rest and sleep and keep yourself nice and warm. Ibuprofen and paracetamol can be used to lower your temperature, following guidelines on the packet and you should also drink plenty of water. If your urine is too yellow, you should consider drinking a rehydration salt. Getting the flu vaccine also reduces your chances of catching and spreading the flu.
In addition to these general steps, there are also a number of foods that can be beneficial when you’re suffering flu-like symptoms. So what are the foods to cure a cold and flu? Here we outline some basic dos and don’ts:
Dos: (foods to cure a flu)
#1 Eat Broths & Chicken Soups:
#1 Eat Broths & Chicken Soups:Chicken soup is a classic home remedy that has been tried and tested for hundreds of years. Interestingly, the science backs up the claims that chicken soup, in particular, and broths more generally, can have beneficial effects to people suffering from a cold or flu. Packed full of vitamins, minerals, and calories, and easy to stomach even when feeling queasy, a chicken soup or a broth nourishes your body quickly without asking it to do too much work with digestion.
If you’re vegan or vegetarian, then don’t worry, you can also benefit from cooking up a hearty broth (packed full of minerals like magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus). As this is a liquid, it is also easy for your body to digest and absorb the nutrients it will be craving. It will also help to keep you nicely hydrated and, best served hot, it will help to soothe an irritated throat and help ease congestion. Make sure to watch the salt content of your broth and chicken soup as this can be dehydrating.
#2 Eat Garlic
Just as chicken soup has been a common cure for a cold or flu for centuries, garlic is also a classic cure from alternative medicine that has been used since time immemorial. Studies have shown that the use of garlic supplements for people with flu-like symptoms enhanced some individual’s immunity levels and helped to lower the severity of symptoms. Moreover, eating raw (or near raw) garlic is renowned for having similar effects.
Garlic is known to stimulate the body’s immune system, have antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal effects, and some studies have even shown that people who regularly consume garlic get sick less often than those that don’t. Better still, another study found that people using garlic supplements get better quicker. So if you want to boost your immune system, get sick less often, and recover more quickly, give garlic a chance!
#3 Eat Dark and Leafy Greens
Whether you are already sick or not, eating dark and leafy greens is a good idea due to their high iron content. They are also known to boost your immune system, a helping hand when you’re suffering from a cold or the flu. But that’s not all. Leafy greens are also packed full of Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Both of these vitamins also help you to shake off cold and flu-like symptoms quicker.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps regenerate the body in its fight against a cold or flu. As well as in leafy greens, you can find it in things like chili peppers, guava, broccoli, and bell peppers as well as strawberries. However, avoid citrus fruits as although they are high in vitamin C, they can aggravate the stomach. Vitamin E enhances the strength of your white blood cells, the things that fight viral infections, helping you see off the flu quicker. You can also find it in sunflowers seeds, almonds, peanut butter, and olives!
#4 Dairy (with some conditions):
This one is controversial! Whilst many people naturally tend to steer clear of dairy when feeling under the weather, there are good reasons to consider tucking into a delicious probiotic yogurt or drink, when suffering with a cold or flu. The belief that dairy can increase congestion does not seem to be backed up by the research and pro-biotic yogurts contain live cultures that are known to boost the immune system. Milk and yogurt can also soothe the throat made raw with a cough.
But what are the conditions? Well, for one thing, you should make sure to go for probiotics that have no added sugar. It is also true that drinking milk can make phlegm thicker, which can irritate the throat more. However, the belief that drinking milk leads the body to produce more phlegm is unfounded. Adding cream or milk to your soup can help you get some extra calories into your body too.
Don’ts: (you shouldn’t eat)
Just as it is a good idea to know what can be beneficial to eat, it is also worth thinking about what you shouldn’t eat when suffering from a cold or flu. Here, we outline some no-no’s when it comes to having a cold or flu, if you want to see the back of it quickly:
#1 Don’t take antibiotics:
Whilst antibiotics are so often the go-to cure for doctors and patients alike when it comes to seeking a cure to illness, with good reason, in the case of the flu they will be of no help at all. However, GPs do not recommend using antibiotics to treat the cold or flu for one simple reason – it won’t help. In fact, they have no effect on viruses at all. This being said, they may be prescribed to help with a bacterial chest infection, if you have developed complications as a result of having the flu.
#2 Don’t drink alcohol:
This is an obvious one! In all fairness, it is likely going to be the last thing you fancy when you’re struggling through a cold or flu, but there is good reason for this. Unlike the options above, alcohol actually lowers your immune system making it more difficult to recover quickly. It also causes dehydration, something you definitely want to avoid.
#3 Don’t drink caffeine or sugary drinks:
Caffeine, tea, and even things like coca-cola, should be avoided when you are trying to recover from a cold or flu. Drinks with a high caffeine content tend to make you more dehydrated. Moreover, if you add sugar, or the sugar is already there when it comes to the soda, then you will also end up suppressing your immune system. Research has shown that increased sugar levels can inhibit the body’s production of white blood cells and increase inflammation, the last thing you want when suffering with a sore throat.
Best Thing to Eat When You Are Sick or Feeling Nauseous
Feeling sick or nauseous happens to us all and often clears itself up on its own. However, if you’re feeling sick and it doesn’t seem to want to pass, what can you do to help and what’s the best thing to drink after being sick? Here, we outline some dos and don’ts of eating and drinking when it comes to feeling sick:
Dos: (foods to cure a cold)
#1 Eat Ginger:
Ginger, and products containing it, such as ginger biscuits help to cure feelings of nausea. Ginferol, paradol, and shogaol, found in ginger, have been found to help relieve symptoms of nausea.
#2 Drink cold fizzy drinks:
Taking small sips of cold or fizzy drinks have a calming effect on the stomach when feeling nauseous or even after being sick.
#3 Meals rich in protein:
Some studies have shown that meals rich in protein can help to reduce the effects of nausea. Equally, when you are feeling sick it can be difficult to eat much, so when you do eat it is important to make sure what you manage to take down is nutritious.
#4 Eat & drink little and often:
Eating or drinking a lot when you feel sick is likely to tip you over the edge. However, avoiding eating altogether is also likely to worsen the situation. By eating and drinking little and often you can help to safely alter the way you are feeling.
Don’ts: (you shouldn’t eat)
#1 Cook the wrong food:
If you cook or eat food that smells strong when feeling sick, then there’s a good chance this will cause a sensory overload that will end in disaster. Greasy food is also likely to upset the stomach further.
#2 Eat quickly:
Eating too quickly, or drinking a huge amount whilst eating, is likely to exacerbate the situation.
#3 Lie down after eating:
This is never recommended as it shuffles everything around in ways it should not be. When you already feel bad, this is a major no-no.
Best Things to Eat While Sick on Amazon 2022
#1 Best Chicken Soup for a Cold: Cambell’s Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup
#1 Best Chicken Soup for a Cold: Cambell’s Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup
If you’re feeling ill with a cold or the flu, then the last thing you want to do is stand over a hot stove for hours cooking up a chicken stock just to help you get better. Fortunately, this excellent chicken soup comes ready-made in a can and is both delicious and helpful in your fight to get better. The added noodles slip down easily and help you get in the extra calories you’ll need to quickly see the back of a cold or flu.
#Chicken_Soup #Cold_Remdy #Flu_Remedy #Chicken_Soup_For_Flu #Soup_Revival
#2 Best probiotics for a cold: Garden of Life’s Once Daily Probiotics
Probiotics can boost the immune system when you feel ill but work best when taken daily as part of a healthy diet. So if you want to keep the flu at bay, rather than fight to recover when it strikes, this precautionary measure can help you prevent an unwanted sick day that you just cannot afford. Dairy-free, and vegetarian, this probiotic is suitable for pretty much everybody and can also help people suffering with digestive issues.
#Probiotics #Flu_Prevention #Cold_Prevention #Staying_Healthy #Healthy_Foods
#3 Best Garlic Oil for a Cold: Sport’s Research’s 1000Mg
Getting garlic into your diet regularly can be tasty, but it can also be very smelly. These odorless pills filled with garlic oil remove this problem and help to give you a concentrated shot of the beneficial elements of garlic that boost the immune system and help you to fight colds. However, don’t let taking these stop you getting garlic involved in your food. To hell with everybody else, garlic makes food taste delicious!
#Garlic #Garlic_Oil #Garlic_Supplements #Garlic_Pills #Garlic_Remedy
#4 Best Ginger Tea for Colds & Nausea: VAHDAM’s Tumeric & Ginger Powerful Wellness Tea Bags
Ginger tea is great for settling the stomach, but with turmeric as an added bonus, this tea will wipe away nausea in no time. It’s also suitable to drink if you are suffering from a cold or flu and can soothe a sore throat and help keep you hydrated when tea, coffee, and soda are off the table. You can also try this tea out for free as if you don’t like the taste it comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. This tea is also fair trade and ethical to make you feel even warmer inside.
#Ginger #Ginger_Tea #Nausea_Cures #Tumeric_Tea #Sickness_Remedy
#5 Best Fizzy Drink for an Unsettled Stomach: Coca-Cola!!!
No one knows why, but sometimes, when you’re feeling really queasy, a few sips of a can of Coca-Cola can soon have you feeling better. Whilst drinking this stuff is a bad idea if you have a cold due to its high sugar and caffeine content, it is certainly worth a try if you are feeling sick as it can have rapid restorative effects. For a quick stomach settler after being sick, Coca-Cola can also be a great choice although no one knows why!
#Coca_Cola #Cola-For_Sickness #Sickness_Remedy #Cola_Cures #Cola_Remedies
Conclusion
Whenever we feel sick or under the weather, it is always advisable to seek professional help, be that from your GP or the Pharmacist. However, it is also a good idea to take actions that help keep illness at bay altogether. The tips above offer some dos and don’ts when it comes to staving off a cold or flu and getting rid of feelings of nausea in a flash.