Nasty bugs have been going around lately and have been knocking down the immune system hard. How do you handle the nutrition and hydration piece? Check out these suggestions from Nutrition Mechanic Becca to help you (or a loved one) get through. —Dina
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Who remembers the adage “feed a cold, starve a flu (fever)”?
The flu made its way through my house this week and it had me thinking about this old saying. Gratefully, we didn’t follow this old advice when I was young, so I am used to finding foods that work when I’m sick.
But I know many folks who either a) believe it is best practice not to eat when feverish or b) believe they don’t need as much nutrition when they are sick due to inactivity.
But wait! Good science and reason tell us to FEED when we are sick. Fighting a virus requires the body to work, and work requires food (energy). It really is that simple!
I want to share a couple of my own observations around appetite from being sick recently, and tips that you can also apply if you are feeling down.
Hungry, but no appetite. I experienced this on multiple occasions: tummy rumbling but nothing sounded good to eat or drink. My best tip for this? Just try.
Sensitive to temperature. I often want something cold or something hot, and nothing in between, especially if I’m running a fever.
Lack of thirst. Is it just me who is sick of plain water?
A couple of my “go-to sick-friendly” options that address all three of these are smoothies and soups. Foods that typically go down easier are liquid or semi-liquid and don’t require a lot of chewing effort.
Smoothies and soups are perfect foods to reach for because we can pack in a ton of nutrition, and they help us hydrate. Other foods that are generally better tolerated when sick are more bland choices such as pretzels or crackers with nut butter or hummus, egg sandwiches, and cooked grains like oats or rice.
To help hydrate between meals, sip on a low or no-sugar mild electrolyte drink like Propel, Drip Drop zero, UCAN Hydrate, or Nuun. Craving something warm? Try squeezing fresh lemon and a bit of honey in hot water or find a soothing herbal tea.
Lastly, it’s important to remember that while we want to create an enjoyable eating experience and savor our food most of the time, sometimes food simply has a job to do. It’s okay if eating isn’t the most pleasurable experience 100% of the time. Does this remind anyone else of race-day? It’s a similar but different type of force-feeding to get us to the finish line/kick whatever is getting us down.
And it works.
Thanks for reading and hope this helps,
-Becca
Email me with any questions!