If you’re trying to fight off the cold or a flu then the last thing in the world you might feel like doing right now is actually eating. However, it’s important to still eat when you’re sick to help with boosting your immune system back up and to also help with the recovery process. The most important thing to know is that you can’t just eat anything when you’re sick because it could upset your symptoms even more and you have to be careful with what you pick to prevent that from happening. Exactly what can you eat when you’re sick?
Here are 10 Foods You Can Eat When Your Sick
10. Chicken noodle soup
A lot of people believe in the old wives tale that chicken noodle soup can help with soothing colds and a flu. The good news is, there’s some truth to this because chicken has cysteine in it which is an amino acid that can thin out the mucus in your lungs. The hot broth from the soup helps with preventing dehydrating and with fighting off inflammation. Other broth based soups also help with fighting off the inflammation.
9. Citrus fruits
There is not a lot of valid scientific evidence to support that vitamin C can help with curing the cold but there is a lot of evidence that can help to reduce your symptoms and speed up the healing process of colds. The reason why is because a lot of citrus fruits not only have vitamin C in them but lots of other useful vitamins and flavonoids that helps you to recover. Some good citrus fruits to have when you’re sick include lemons, oranges, limes and grapefruit.
8. Popsicles
It’s important to stay hydrated regardless of what kind of sickness you might have. It doesn’t matter if it’s the flu or a cold, having a popsicle can help with ensuring that you stay hydrated. They are easy on your throat. If you buy the 100% fruit popsicles then that can also help you with your cold. Popsicles can greatly comfort a person when they are sick no matter their age.
7. Eat spicy food
If you have the flu and find that eating food upsets your stomach more than you might want to skip spicy food but if you have a cold then eating spicy food might just be the thing that you need. Eating wasabi, horseradish or even chili peppers can help with your congestion because spicy foods act as a natural decongestant and can make your eyes water and nose run.
6. Have plain crackers instead of unsalted ones
When you’re having stomach problems or if you’re sick avoid having salted crackers. Instead stick with crackers that are plan. Having just plain toast can also help. Believe it or not, while these food items might be high starch, they won’t hurt your stomach or cause you to experience nausea and can even help with stabilizing your digestion system.
5. Bananas
Having a banana can help with a variety of symptoms so it’s good to have one for either the flu or cold. A banana can help to prevent diarrhea, vomiting and sweating plus they can lower your body’s temperature when you are sick. Bananas also help to replenish any electrolytes that might have been lost during the sickness. They are filled with potassium and this is one of the reasons as to why they can help you so much.
4. Have some eggs
Eggs happen to be filled with a lot of protein and the protein in eggs can help you to recover from your sickness. Another great benefit with having eggs is that there’s lots of ways that you can have them and they are usually easy to fix. You can have some eggs with a nice piece of plain toast on the side and a citrus fruit to really start your day off right when you’ve been sick.
3. Fight your infection with food items that have Glutathione in them
Glutathione is one antioxidant that’s extremely powerful and can help to fight off your infection that you might have. Some food items that contain this ingredient include broccoli, cabbage, kale and collard greens. They are also easy to digest. You can have some broccoli, with chicken and a piece of toast. If you don’t have any chicken broth just having plain chicken can still help you due to the healthy ingredients in it.
2. Eat potatoes
Have some broccoli on top of potatoes if nothing else sounds good. Potatoes work as an antioxidant and they also have flavonoids in them. They are also high in fiber and can help with your digestive system. Potatoes also come loaded with potassium in them so if you don’t like bananas and looking for a way to get some potassium, then have a potatoes.You might want to avoid the cheese if you’re having stomach problems.
1. Drink flat ginger ale, sprite or warm teas
Increase your intake on ginger. You can do this with having a flat ginger ale or either possibly with having ginger tea. If you decide to have a ginger ale or either a sprite then drinking it flat would be best because carbonation can upset your stomach. This is also a great way to keep yourself hydrated. If you’re having problems with nausea then eat ginger raw. Just chew up at least one quarter once of ginger that’s fresh and eat it. You’ll start to feel better. If you find yourself prone to eating raw ginger and having side effects from it, then having warm teas or flat sprite might be the best thing for you to consider.
Conclusion
If you don’t start to feel better within a few days, you might consider seeing your doctor as it’s possible you could have another infection from the cold or either might need medications in order to help with completely getting rid of your sickness. The most important thing is to stay hydrated and get plenty of rest regardless of what type of sickness you might have.