When the flu gets worse at the table
There’s little as frustrating as curling up on the couch in a nest of used blankets and handkerchiefs, knowing there’s nothing you can do to mitigate your misery — or is there? Relief can come from an unexpected angle. Oddly enough, some foods can make flu symptoms worse without you realizing it. Your beloved macaroni and cheese may have betrayed you in your time of need.
“The flu often makes eating food difficult as flu symptoms can cause nausea or gastrointestinal symptoms,” Kacie Vavrek RDLD, a registered dietitian at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Bustle . “Nausea can decrease the desire to eat, and [gastrointestinal] symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea can be triggered if food is eaten too soon.”
The old adage “feed a cold , starve a fever ” does not hold water in modern medical thinking. According to Scientific American , the idea in the past was that eating will warm you during a “cold,” while fasting cools a fever. Eating nutrient -dense foods , however, is beneficial no matter what type of disease you have. In fact, it’s especially important when you have a fever.
But not all food is so useful. When you have the flu, you may want to stick to a steady diet of ice cream , toast , and chocolate milk , but comfort foods won’t necessarily help you get better. In fact, as Vavrek tells Bustle, you should probably avoid your favorite comfort foods, “since you may develop a dislike for these foods if you consume them when you’re nauseous.” The more you know.
Fortunately, there is also good news: thanks to the use of masks, the flu did not arrive in Italy in the winter of 2020-21 .
Forms of cold or sore throat can also be caused by breathing microbes on the sheets, which should therefore be changed often .
Foods to avoid
- Hard-to-digest cereals . The flu occasionally causes stomach upsetwhite rice often tend to prevailThis is a good idea, but only apparently due to the missing seasoning, but it can be antagonistic and make flu symptoms worse. Better to opt for foods that are easy to digest as simple carbohydrates such as dry salty crackers, toast, are easy on the stomach, and are more likely to be tolerated when you have the flu. Fiber-rich foodsare also harder to digest.
- Sugary drinks . A vitamin C -rich fruit juice or an electrolyte -rich sports drink may seem like the best drinks for flu, but they’re actually not particularly beneficial from a nutritional point of view. Often these drinks are rich in added sugars and do not bring minerals and vitamins contained in fruit, present in low percentages. It is always useful to carefully read the labels affixed to drinks and juices . Even better, squeeze and centrifuge fresh fruit and vegetables to fill up on nutrients, antioxidantsand vitamin C, which play an essential role in strengthening the immune system.
- Beverages containing caffeine . Between the high temperature and increased sweating , dehydration is something to watch out for when you have a fever. Avoid diuretics such as caffeine-containing coffee, which can contribute to dehydration.
- alcohol . Alcohol is a diuretic just like caffeine which can cause dehydration if you have the flu. Dehydration can dry out the mucus in your throat, nose and mouth. In turn, this can make coughing difficult and painful. When you are sick with the flu, it is essential to drink plenty of liquids, even in the form of soup, an excellent food from a nutritional point of view as it is rehydrating, comforting and easy to digest, as well as rich in minerals and vitamins.
- Supplements . Certain supplements such as echinacea , zinc and probiotics can help boost the immune system and stimulate digestion . A study published in mBio in 2020 found that the flu can impact your gut biome, and it’s therefore helpful to keep it healthy with probiotics.
- Fatty foods . Food high in fat is difficult for digestion and should be avoided to avoid exacerbation of flu symptoms. Fried , greasy and oily foods hinder the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal system.
- Dairy products . Dairy products, including milk, yogurt , and cheese , may not prolong a cold but promote mucus production, phlegm production , and more irritating throat and bronchial tubes .
- Meat . Not eating meat during a cold or flu could shorten your healing time. Animal fats hinder the body’s ability to rid itself of the germs and viruses that cause colds and flu.
Here, however, information on what to do at the first signs of flu .
Foods that improve flu symptoms.
There are instead foods, the intake of which is strongly indicated during flu constipation , because they are able to reduce the symptoms.
citrus fruits , garlic , onions , lettuce , ginger , spinach , honey , pineapple , mango , fresh juices, fruit and vegetable smoothies , soups and broths, vegetable broth , broccoli , cabbage, wild berries , black pepper , cinnamon .
Maintaining proper nutrition is also the basis of the 21 day theory .
