The age-old question of whether you feed a cold or starve a fever is often confusing. The truth is really that you should eat when you're hungry and always stay hydrated. Here are some more do's and don'ts that you should consider when you have a cold.
Do: Eat More Calories When You Have a Cold
To get better your body needs more calories to fight off the cold. But of course, you don't need to stuff yourself. Just try eating a little bit every couple hours, so that you'll have the caloric intake to fight off the cold.
Do: Drink Broth
You can drink any type of broth you feel like drinking while you're sick with a cold. Some people don't like broth. If you find it flavorless, try using stock instead. It is saltier but it's okay for just this time with a cold. The important thing is to stay hydrated. Being hydrated will help your throat, help you process phlegm, and more.
Do: Eat at Regular Intervals Like Normal
If you normally eat three meals a day and two snacks each day, try to stick to that schedule. This will help you ensure that you're eating enough calories by keeping track of the clock. If you are too sick to cook, don't be afraid to order in to ensure that you get enough food.
Do: Eat Smaller Portions
Sometimes when youíre sick it can be hard to eat due to a stuffed nose or a sore throat. The food might hurt going down. In this case, you'll want to eat smaller portions of food to ensure that you can get something down. Just eat more often.
Do: Eat Fruit Popsicles
To help you stay hydrated, a good fruit-based popsicle is good for you. Even though it has sugar in it, the extra calories will help you during your cold to get better faster. This works especially if you find it hard to get and you know youíre likely not getting enough calories.
Don't: Restrict Food
That old saying mentioned earlier is just not true. Restricting food does not help you get better when you have a cold. Some people believe that water fasting will help due to improving digestion, but that's not true. If you want to, make green smoothies instead of fasting, so that you at least get the right nutrients.
Don't: Eat Junk
It's a big mistake to use a cold as an excuse to eat a bunch of junk. Ordering a big cheesy pizza or eating a bag of chips or the entire leftover cake in the fridge because you feel too sick to prepare food is a terrible idea. The junk will just make you feel worse.
Don't: Eat Acidic Foods
A lot of people think that drinking orange juice will help them fight off a cold, but the truth is that it might irritate your stomach. If you have a lot of sinus drainage already, which can cause stomach upset, you may want to avoid citrus, tomatoes, and other acidic foods.
Don't: Eat Fatty Foods
Try to avoid fatty foods like fried foods, pizza with cheese, and hamburgers. Instead, focus on eating mostly carbs, veggies and lean proteins. Fat is hard to digest, as are most meats (because they're often high in fat). Focusing on low-fat carb rich soups, stews, and meals will help you more.
The main point is that you should eat nutritionally dense foods, soups, and a lot of liquid when you are sick. It's the perfect time to break the "eat your calories don't drink them" rule by making smoothies too.
These do's and don'ts may help you cope with your cold and get well faster. Remember to also take your vitamins while you're sick with a cold. Wash your hands a lot to avoid transmitting your cold to others and let people take care of you if they want to.
Next time, we'll talk about what you can and can't eat when you have a stomach bug.