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“Feed a cold, starve a fever,” used to be how people
approached illness dietary needs, but after our understanding of how the
body eliminates sickness increased the mantra became “feed a cold, feed a
fever.” That’s because it doesn’t matter if you have a cold or a fever, your
body need lots of nutrients to stay strong while fighting your illness. It
is important to listen to your body though. I f you aren’t hungry don’t
force it, but do keep your hydration up. There are many good foods to eat
when sick that will help your immune system work efficiently and
effectively.
Chicken Noodle Soup
When thinking about what to eat when sick, chicken noodle soup is often
the first thing that pops into peoples’ heads. It is good for sickies,
because it has lots of protein, vitamins and other nutrients, and helps
maintain your body’s electrolytes and hydration. Homemade chicken noodle
soup is ideal due to the fact it has more fresh nutrients than the canned
variety and no preservatives. When homemade soup isn’t an option, look for a
premade soup that doesn’t have added sweeteners, tons of sodium, or lots of
preservatives.
Chicken or Fish Stock
This was the original go to food when sick, but has dropped in popularity
in recent years due to fewer and fewer people having stock on hand. As the
base for good chicken noodle soup, chicken stock (or fish stock) have the
same nutritional benefits, but in a more concentrated dose. Homemade stock
is much better than store bought, but there are a growing number of decent
store bought stocks. To find one, read the ingredients list. If it reads
something along the lines of “water, chicken, onion, celery, carrots,
garlic, sea salt,” then it is good.
Miso Soup
The most basic form of miso soup is made from a sort of fish stock known
as dashi, a miso paste, but it can be dressed up with various vegetables and
spices. Miso soup boosts is good for providing your body with the nutrients
it needs, while maintaining healthy digestion and boosting your immune
system. Fresh miso is easy to make at home and will often provide the best
benefits, but it can also be found at most Japanese restaurants. The
powdered miso soups aren’t as effective due to the fact that the good live
bacteria tends to die in the drying process, but it still will provide your
body with good nutrients.
Hot, Spicy Anything
Soups are very good foods to eat when sick, but if you are just beginning
to feel a bit under the weather and don’t want to wait for it to become a
full blown illness, then you might want to try this technique. There are
tons of people who swear by this. Do be warned that it is probably not great
for people with sensitive stomachs, and does involves a bit of pain and a
lot of tissues.
What you need to do is eat the hottest, spice-wise, food that you can
find. If it makes you break into a sweat just by smelling it, then it is
perfect. To find your tear inducing meal you can either go out to a
restaurant, Southeast Asian cuisines work wonderfully, or you can buy an
assortment of chilies from the market, dried chilies are more potent, and
put them in any dish you want. Your mouth will be burning, the tears will be
flowing and your clothes will be bathed in sweat, but when you wake up the
next day your impending illness will be gone.
The next time your find yourself sick, or getting sick, you’ll know how
to get yourself feeling healthy in no time.
This article on the best foods to eat when you are sick has been written
by expert author ‘Emily
Cordz‘.
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