What is good to eat when you have a cold? What can you drink and eat if you have a cold? What can you eat when you have the flu?

Text: Natalya Soshnikova

Sometimes you need to eat certain foods just to gain weight. But not in terms of weight or extra centimeters on the waist, but with the sole purpose of defeating the disease. What is so special about the flu and cold diet? And how quickly does it help restore health?

Naturopathic doctors (supporters of non-medicinal forms of treatment) are convinced that diet for the flu plays one of the leading roles in recovery: proper nutrition will help you quickly get rid of the disease, and vice versa - indiscriminate and thoughtless consumption of any food will certainly weaken an already weakened body.

What is good to drink when you have the flu?

Before talking about what to eat when you have a cold or flu, it is worth mentioning what you need to drink. After all, microorganisms that provoke disease thrive in a dry throat and nasal passages. Therefore, drinking plenty of fluids in the flu diet helps restore the moisture of the mucous membranes, and therefore increase their ability to catch viruses and block them. An excellent drink recipe: add an orange cut into slices to filtered water - it will increase the overall tone of the body, improve your mood and add an additional 50 g useful vitamin C. If your throat hurts, drink warm water with honey and lemon juice, which will soothe the swollen tissue in the throat and destroy some of the viral cells.

Nutrition for the flu: what to eat

Now about healthy products. But first of all, advice: nutrition for flu and colds should be light, not burdensome for a weakened body. Avoid complex meat and fish dishes, fast food, fried foods and sweets during your recovery. Perhaps the most popular and truly effective dish in the flu diet is chicken soup. Numerous studies have shown that chicken soup can suppress neutrophils (a form of white blood cells), the number of which increases sharply during colds. It is the accumulations of neutrophils that provoke the characteristic nasal and throat congestion during flu or colds. So while you are sneezing and sniffling, eat light chicken soup in any portions in the literal sense of the word - for your health.

Another popular diet product for flu and colds is garlic. The fact is that allicin contained in garlic cloves successfully kills harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi. If you don't like the strong taste of garlic too much, you can cut up cloves and swallow these pieces without chewing. But not only garlic is useful for flu and colds. Spices and spicy Indian herbs also have a healing effect. For example, coriander, cinnamon and ginger stimulate sweating, which is extremely important at elevated temperatures. In addition, these spices constrict blood vessels, making it easier to breathe and swallow, which are difficult during illness.

What needs to be temporarily excluded from the diet

Healing nutrition for flu or colds implies not only an emphasis on special foods and dishes - chicken soup, garlic, spices, vitamin fruit drinks - but also a temporary exclusion of certain dishes from the diet. For example, the flu diet “does not tolerate” coffee and alcohol on the dinner table. These drinks dehydrate the body, whereas during illness it, on the contrary, needs large quantities liquids. Even 50 g of vodka “for prophylaxis” - supposedly a folk Russian remedy for all germs and viruses - is not allowed. The same goes for sweets. Sugar makes leukocytes (blood cells that fight viruses and microbes) inert - due to which the disease progresses quickly. American scientists have proven that 100 g of sugar (that’s about 2 cans of regular sweet soda) reduces the activity of leukocytes by half! And this cell passivity persists for 5-6 hours. So you must agree that it is quite reckless to indulge in buns and eclairs during a flu or cold. For the same reason, instead of fruit juices and soda, it is better to drink berry or herbal fruit drinks without added sugar.

Every diet has its secrets

The diet for flu and colds also has them. Namely: as soon as the disease makes itself felt, start eating black elderberry extract (can be bought in pharmacies). This is truly a magical remedy, especially for those who suffer from colds for a long time and severely. Black elderberry contains several types of flavonoids that naturally boost immune function. Recently, Israeli scientists proved that those with the flu who included black elderberry extract in their daily diet experienced a significant improvement in their health on the second day! While the other group of experiment participants, who took conventional medications, began to recover only on the fifth day of illness. Black elderberry extract can be added to tea, along with honey and lemon - and you will get a miraculous drink that has no less power than the potions that were once brewed by the ancient Celts, known throughout the world for their healing abilities.

When dealing with colds and flu, it is very important to adhere to a certain drinking regime. Drinking large amounts of fluid during illness is worth it for the following reasons:

• With flu and colds, the temperature often rises, and this contributes to increased sweating and therefore provokes dehydration. Lack of fluid has a negative impact on internal organs and slows down recovery;
• During the acute period of the disease, viruses and bacteria begin to multiply intensively in the body, and their waste products cause intoxication, which is accompanied by headache, chills, a feeling of weakness, and aches throughout the body. Most toxins are eliminated by the kidneys, and therefore you need to stimulate the work of these organs by drinking more fluids;
• healthy drinks are good way easily and quickly get a portion of vitamins that a weakened body so lacks. Liquid products instantly enter the stomach and are well absorbed, and all the necessary substances immediately penetrate into the bloodstream.

A diet for colds and respiratory infections involves drinking 1.5–2 liters of liquid per day, but not every drink can be drunk during illness. The most accessible drink for replenishing moisture in the body is a herbal decoction. It is advisable that there is no sugar in it. It is better to replace the sweet ingredient with honey. Do not forget that honey can only be placed in warm liquid, otherwise the nectar will lose its healing properties. By the way, drinking too hot, which many mistakenly consider useful for sore throat and chills, is generally contraindicated during the period of flu and colds:

1. Firstly, it irritates the already inflamed mucous membrane of the larynx.
2. Secondly, it can increase the temperature even more.

Therefore, any drink during respiratory diseases can only be consumed warm. You can also add lemon, ginger and various herbs with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects to your drink.

Doctors also advise drinking mineral water with an alkaline composition (for example, Borjomi). This drink is famous for its ability to “wash out” bacteria that have lingered in the body.

Besides, mineral water perfectly quenches thirst, replenishes water balance well and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

For colds, it is recommended to consume unsweetened berry fruit drinks, for example, cranberry, and herbal infusions with chamomile, linden, mint, and herbal decoctions. The most effective decoction for treating colds is one based on rose hips - it contains a huge amount of ascorbic acid, known for its tonic and antioxidant properties.

Foods that can and should be eaten during illness

Nutrition for flu and colds means one thing: important rule: a sick body needs to be “unloaded” as much as possible so that all the energy is spent not on digesting food, but on fighting the disease. It is for this reason that food for a cold should be light, but balanced, so that there is no deficiency of valuable microelements - a weakened immune system does not need this at all.

So, what foods should you eat when you have a cold?

1. Vegetables and fruits are a real storehouse of vitamins. You can eat them either fresh or boiled or baked. But during a period when the body is fighting a fever, it is better to give preference to thermally processed vegetables and fruits: this will reduce the amount of fiber and reduce the load on the digestive organs. Especially useful are those natural gifts that have a positive effect on the immune system. These are carrots, pumpkin, beans, beets, asparagus, garlic, onions, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, citrus fruits, apples, melons and watermelons, peaches. But doctors do not advise overusing potatoes: this root vegetable contains a lot of starch, and starch is known for being able to thicken phlegm and mucus, thereby slowing down the elimination of cough and runny nose.
2. Food containing plant proteins. Protein nutrition during a cold is extremely necessary for the human body, since protein is very important for the work of leukocytes - red blood cells that fight bacteria and viruses. Studies have shown that a person who ate protein foods recovered much faster than someone who neglected such foods. Treatment will be undoubtedly successful if you saturate the body with plant protein - eating chickpeas, lentils, red beans, oat bran and nuts. Regarding the last point, doctors note: you can eat nuts during a cold, but in limited quantities, because they are high-calorie foods.
3. Porridge. You need to eat cereal dishes in order to saturate your body with easily digestible carbohydrates. This will allow you to quickly get the necessary energy and achieve a feeling of fullness without overeating. Oatmeal, rice and buckwheat porridge. The latter, by the way, is another source of protein.
4. Healthy spices. We are talking about coriander, cinnamon and ginger. You won’t be able to eat a lot of them, and it’s not necessary. These products are most often consumed in drinks as a tasty, healing additive. Such spices effectively fight the symptoms of colds - fever, runny nose, cough and sore throat.

When you have a cold, you need to eat fractionally – 4-5 times a day in small portions. Small amounts of food are digested much easier, and thanks to short breaks, hunger does not occur.

A proper diet during illness includes not only what you can eat when you have a cold, but also foods that should be excluded from your menu at least temporarily.

As mentioned earlier, in case of flu and colds, food should be light and as healthy as possible, so it is logical that you will have to give up heavy dishes. These include fatty, spicy, smoked foods, and any foods prepared by frying. You should not overuse salty foods: salt is retained in the body and increases the load on the kidneys, which are already working in critical mode, removing toxins from the body.

Any semi-finished products are also prohibited, as are products from the fast food category. They complicate the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and the body’s strength will begin to go to restoring digestive functions, and not to fighting viruses and bacteria.

The list of things to exclude from your diet when you have a cold includes all kinds of store-bought sweets. Scientists have proven that sweets negatively affect the functioning of leukocytes - red blood cells that resist pathogenic microorganisms during illness.

A healthy diet for flu and colds may require avoiding certain drinks. Of course, first of all, you need to completely eliminate the use of alcohol: it reduces immunity and impairs the functioning of the liver, which at this moment is busy eliminating intoxication. Coffee and strong tea lead to dehydration of the body, which is completely unacceptable for colds, ARVI and flu.

To quickly cope with a cold, acute respiratory viral infection or flu, it is important not only to adhere to the treatment regimen prescribed by the doctor, but also to follow a certain diet. Proper nutrition in case of respiratory diseases, it helps strengthen the body's defenses, improves well-being and speeds up recovery.

Despite the fact that we are doing everything possible to winter period not to get sick, anyway, almost every person usually gets even a slight runny nose. During cold and flu season, you need to know a list of foods and drinks that will get you back to work in no time.

Very often during a cold or flu there is absolutely no appetite, but our body needs nutrition to fight viruses and diseases. So what should you eat when you're sick? After all, it is necessary to choose light, nutritious and healthy food so that the body receives the maximum amount of useful and nutrients to fight the disease and at the same time spends a minimum amount of energy on digesting food. In addition to the fact that food must be nutritious, it must also be tasty, because during illness you so want to please yourself with little joys.

What to eat when you are sick and why?

During illness, our body needs a lot of calories. Our body works twice as hard to fight infection, especially if you have a fever. To more effectively fight the disease, our body spends a lot of energy. Therefore, eating the right food during illness helps you recover twice as fast.
All doctors say that it is necessary to eat properly and regularly, because if we eat little, the body does not have enough calories to repair itself. The latest research shows that when food is reduced, the patient’s health worsens and the duration of illness lengthens.

Of course, during illness there is no appetite or strength to eat anything, but you need to eat in small portions and often. We have decided that we must eat, now we will decide what to eat during illness.

What to eat to recover during illness?

1. Chicken soup
You won't believe it, but in fact, ordinary chicken noodle soup is a wonderful food during illness. Chicken contains an amino acid called cysteine, which helps remove mucus from the lungs. Chicken bouillon helps keep nasal passages moist, prevents dehydration, and also fights inflammation in the throat.

2. Hot tea
Warm liquids can help soothe a sore throat, such as freshly brewed green tea, which is rich in antioxidants that effectively fight infections and supports a healthy immune system. Or, for example hot water with lemon is an ideal remedy for combating throat disease, and also helps relieve nasal congestion.

3. Citrus fruits
We all know very well that vitamin C is an excellent remedy for fighting diseases. Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C and they reduce the severity and length of diseases. The film between the slices on oranges, lemons, grapefruits and limes contains flavonoids, which boost the immune system and are great for speeding up the fight against disease.

4. Spicy food
Spicy foods will help relieve nasal congestion. In addition, chili pepper, wasabi or horseradish will help kill viruses in the nasopharynx.

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A person suffering from a cold must remain in bed, adhere to a certain diet and take medications.

You should know what you can eat when you have a cold and flu in order to recover as quickly as possible and return to your normal routine.

Naturopathic doctors advocate the use of non-drug methods in treatment. They argue that nutrition during flu and colds significantly influences the human recovery process.

If consumed proper food, the disease will go away faster. Otherwise, the body will be forced to return to its optimal state longer.

To support a weakened body, it is necessary to provide it with a sufficient amount of drink. As a rule, pathogenic viruses and bacteria accumulate in the oropharynx and nose.

For example, coffee is not a drink that can be consumed when you have a cold or flu. It is better to replace coffee with decoctions of medicinal herbs.

In a sick person, the mucous membranes are dry and inflamed, so the body's protective barriers cannot function normally. If you increase the degree of humidity of the mucous membranes, they will again begin to retain bacteria and stop their negative effects.

The flu diet always involves increased intake of vitamin C. You can prepare a drink from clean water with a few slices of any citrus fruit. This drink increases the overall tone of the body and supplies it with vitamin C.

If you have a sore throat, you should drink heated water with lemon juice and honey. This remedy is good for the immune system and also allows you to get rid of viral cells, soothing the throat mucosa.

Honey is an effective remedy for colds and flu if used correctly.

Components of the diet

Meals for the flu, as well as for a cold, should not include “heavy” fish and meat dishes. The same goes for fried and sweet foods. It is not recommended to eat fast food.

In most cases, the body of a sick person tolerates light first courses perfectly. The best thing to eat when you have a cold is chicken soup; it is a popular and healthy dish with a warming effect.

Various Scientific research have shown that chicken soup has a positive effect on the condition of the throat and nose, and is necessary as food for colds. If eaten regularly, it reduces the number of neutrophils - a kind of white blood cells. Neutrophils provoke inflammation in the nasopharynx.

Priority vegetables include:

1. carrot,
2. parsley,
3. beet,
4. dill,
5. garlic,
6. pepper.

Vegetables can also be eaten steamed or boiled. During the cooking process, do not add a lot of oil, salt and fat. In addition, you can recommend to readers an interesting and effective recipe.

At the first signs of a cold, you should remember a product that is a natural immunostimulant - garlic. The vegetable contains allicin, a substance that perfectly eliminates viruses, fungi and bacteria that have entered the body.

If the patient does not perceive the taste of garlic, then the product can be cut into small pieces so that it can be swallowed without chewing. In addition, it is useful to place a plate with chopped garlic in the room where the person is.

Garlic disinfects the air and effectively prevents the re-entry of viruses and bacteria into the patient’s nasopharynx during breathing.

For colds and flu, it is useful to use various herbs, for example:

• coriander,
• cinnamon,
• ginger.

The listed products significantly alleviate the human condition by stimulating sweating.

Most spices have the following characteristics:

1. stimulate sweating,
2. constrict blood vessels,
3. improve the condition of a stuffy nasal cavity and throat.

Sweets should be excluded from the patient’s diet, since sugar has a negative effect on white blood cells, which do the work of destroying pathogenic viruses and bacteria.

Eating sweets makes white blood cells more inert, they stop fighting the disease. As a result, viruses are left free to multiply, making colds or flu worse. Ambiguous opinion about alcohol. on the one hand it is prohibited, on the other hand there is, for example, .

The main task during an illness is to provide the sick person with a sufficient amount of fluid. Not suitable for this:

• strong coffee,
• alcohol,
• fruit juices.

You can drink berry or herbal fruit drinks without sugar; they will fill the body with fluid and will not harm the activity of leukocytes.

Unconventional recipes for colds and flu

When the disease has just begun, you can try using black elderberry extract against it. The product has many positive reviews and is available at any pharmacy. Black elderberry extract is consumed with tea, lemon and honey.

The quick effect is explained by flavonoids, which are found in large quantities in black elderberry extract. If you drink tea with elderberry, you can cure many diseases in a short time.

Despite the fact that coffee is a drink that is not recommended for respiratory diseases, you can make special anti-cold coffee. However, it is worth remembering that this method of treatment is indicated for people with a healthy cardiovascular system and without allergic reactions.

Don't underestimate the methods traditional medicine, including aromatherapy. Of course, to destroy pathogens, it is not enough just to inhale the smell of coffee.

There are recipes to speed up the healing process, for example:

1. Coffee and cardamom. Cardamom is considered to be the base component for anti-cold mixtures. Cardamom normalizes internal processes body and improves heart function.
2. Coffee and star anise. Star anise is also known as star anise and is a common component of medicinal cough mixtures. Star anise helps with colds if consumed with coffee. This remedy relieves coughing attacks, facilitates breathing, restores voice, and also eliminates wheezing.
3. Coffee and cinnamon. Low strength cinnamon coffee is good for early stages diseases and as a restorative drink after a drop in temperature against the background of general weakness of the body.

In conclusion, the specialist in the video in this article will tell you how and what to eat when you have a cold.

When you have a cold, drink enough fluids to rid your body of toxic foods as quickly and efficiently as possible. The ideal liquid is purified water and freshly squeezed fruit juice. Avoid drinks that have a diuretic effect, such as birch sap, green tea and coffee.

Avoid milk and dairy products. At least one study has found that certain compounds in milk cause the release of histamine, a chemical that contributes to runny nose and congestion.

If you have a cold, avoid alcoholic drinks, as they dehydrate the body. It depletes the body of vitamin C, and puts additional stress on the liver, which must work very hard to detoxify the body during illness.

If your appetite decreases and you don't want to eat when you have a cold, still drink plenty of fluids. Products should be as light and easily digestible as possible. Choose foods with a strong emphasis on vegetable soups, broths, salads and cooked fish or chicken.

Avoid foods high in fat; indigestible foods such as cheese, red meat and baked goods are especially dangerous for colds.

When you have a cold, be sure to eat a balanced diet. Take supplements, which must include vitamin A, B vitamins (vitamins Bl, B2, B, B6, folic acid) and vitamin C, as well as the minerals zinc and copper.

Grapefruit is an excellent food to fight a cold. This product is high in vitamin C. It also helps detoxify the liver, which is under increased stress during a cold. The liver is your immune system's first line of defense, and when the immune system is weakened, you need something to help detoxify it. For example, acidic or alkaline foods.

All citrus fruits become alkaline when metabolized in the body. But oranges and other citrus fruits are too sweet to help with some liver substances, so you'll still get a much better detoxification experience with grapefruit. Experts recommend eating one or more grapefruits every day to prevent colds and strengthen your immune system.

Caution: Grapefruit may interact with some prescription medications, such as cholesterol-lowering medications, psychotropic medications, antihistamines, etc. Therefore, check with your doctor to make sure that grapefruit will not harm you if you have a cold if you are taking any medications.

Eating for a cold requires the most careful approach. Properly organized nutrition will help you recover faster and delight others in a good mood.