What to eat when you have a cold. Diet rules for influenza. What to eat to recover during illness

24.10.2023 Brain damage

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Antibiotics are completely useless for ARVI and influenza. According to information from 2009, antiviral drugs were also ineffective. However, an advanced cold can develop into a more serious illness. How to treat it? The answer is simple: proper nutrition. At the same time, focusing on fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C turned out to be useless. From this article you will learn which other popular products and tinctures for colds turned out to be ineffective, which are harmful, and what really promotes recovery.

website advises not to fast when your body temperature rises. When you have a fever, your metabolic rate increases and your body requires more beneficial nutrients and fluids. It is also undesirable to go on a diet in the autumn-winter period: people who have a low-calorie diet are more likely to become infected with the flu.

1. Garlic

The effectiveness of garlic in treating colds has not been proven. It is likely that its use can serve as a prevention of colds, but during illness it is no more beneficial than a placebo.

But products containing quercetin (a natural antioxidant) have powerful anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. This substance is found in broccoli, kale, red onions and red apples, cranberries, blueberries and blueberries, as well as green tea. Quercetin not only helps the body fight ARVI, but also prevents the transition of a viral infection to a bacterial one.

2. Processed foods

Chemically processed foods contain preservatives, dyes, trans fats, texturants (substances that create the desired texture), flavorings, as well as excess amounts of sugar, salt and fat. These products include not only chips and sausages, but also sauces, canned food and industrial pasta. Excess of such foods in the diet can lead to weight gain and various diseases.

If it is difficult for you to exclude these foods from your menu completely, then do not eat them at least during illness. Because of them, your body not only does not receive enough nutrients, but is also forced to spend energy on getting rid of harmful ones. Instead of pasta and store-bought semi-finished products, give preference to homemade cereals, and Replace sausages and sausages with herring, sardines or salmon. Omega-3 acids contained in fatty fish reduce inflammation, and vitamin D prevents new infections.

3. Herbs and spices

Many spices and herbs - nutmeg, curry, black pepper and others - should not be consumed if you have a sore throat, as they irritate it. You can replace them with ginger, which has anti-inflammatory properties and promotes sweating. 20–40 grams of ginger are poured with hot water, lemon or honey is added to taste and drunk as tea..

Chili pepper will help get rid of mucus accumulation in the nose. Although it acts as an irritant, it copes well with both colds and allergic rhinitis. If you don't have a sore throat, add a small amount of pepper to your food. Your sinuses will be cleared and breathing will become easier.

4. Fried food

During illness, it is better to avoid fried foods, as they are of little use, high in calories and are less digestible. In addition, it can have a negative impact on your immunity.

Healthy people should also not get carried away with potatoes or meat cooked in a frying pan: consuming fried food more than 3-4 times a week can lead to diabetes, obesity or hypertension. It is acceptable to occasionally eat food cooked in olive or sunflower oil., but during heat treatment it should be changed frequently.

5. Red meat

Like fried foods, meat is a fairly heavy food. In large quantities, it increases the risk of inflammation and weakens your immunity. You can replace it with boiled chicken.

By the way, warm chicken soup is very good for colds. It has a mild anti-inflammatory effect on the upper respiratory tract and helps get rid of the symptoms of the disease.

6. Oranges

Eating oranges and their juice can be an excellent prevention of ARVI and influenza, but it will not help much if you are already infected. According to research, it is really beneficial for people who are exposed to increased physical activity to eat more vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C. By regularly eating oranges, athletes suffered from illnesses more easily and recovered faster.

For others, the effectiveness of vitamin C (and citrus fruits in particular) is questionable. But we do not recommend giving up oranges completely: they have been proven to be useful in preventing cancer, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases.

It is not recommended to eat citrus fruits and other sour fruits if you have a sore throat: they can irritate it. Replace them with melons, kiwis, bananas or peaches, which will soothe inflamed mucous membranes. Yellow kiwi is considered especially useful. It has a sweet taste and is rich in vitamins. Scientists believe that eating this fruit reduces the severity and duration of illness in older people.

7. Echinacea and ginseng

During an illness, there may be a desire to speed up recovery with the help of various tinctures and medicinal plants. Echinacea is considered one of the popular remedies for boosting immunity. However, scientists have experienced experimentally that Echinacea, ginseng and Chinese herbs are equally useless for colds.

The product whose effectiveness was confirmed was honey. Children who were given a little of this sweetness at night had a decrease in cough.

In addition, the bactericidal properties of honey have been confirmed. It has proven effective against many microbes, including Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli.

8. Alcoholic drinks


While some foods help the body fight infection, others slow down the healing process. What are the rules for eating when you have the flu?

The body of a person who is ill faces a difficult task. He needs strength to fight the virus, maintain vital functions and recover from illness. An important source of this energy is food. But, as you know, not all products have the same effect on the body: some strengthen the immune system and help maintain health, while others reduce its antimicrobial activity. Therefore, during illness it is especially important to eat right - it depends on how quickly recovery occurs. What are the rules of nutrition for influenza?

Keep drinking regime

Since childhood, we know that during acute respiratory viral infections we need to drink more - this is the first rule for a speedy recovery. The liquid helps flush microbial waste products from the body; restore the water balance disturbed by profuse sweating during illness; restore moisture to the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and thin out mucus.

You need to drink, on average, at least 2 liters of fluid per day, periodically, without waiting for thirst to appear. Tea, rosehip decoction, tea with lemon or raspberry, herbal teas (chamomile, linden, oregano), and dried fruit compote are good to drink. It is advisable that the temperature of all drinks be approximately 37-39 °C - this way the liquid will be absorbed faster and help the body.

Foods to help fight the flu

It is no secret that during illness, appetite decreases significantly. But you still need to eat. Food should be easily digestible: you should not overload an unhealthy body with unnecessary work in the form of difficult-to-digest food. This is especially true for children.

During illness, eat more often than usual, but in small portions. Food should be rich in vitamins and microelements.

Chicken soup still remains the most popular dish for flu patients. The effectiveness of this product, proven over the years, has also been confirmed from a scientific point of view. Thus, scientists from the University of Nebraska have proven that compounds contained in chicken soup (carnosine) help the immune system fight influenza and cold viruses at the initial stage of the disease. This compound increases the activity of neutrophils - white blood cells that protect against infections. Moreover, it is soup, and not simple broth, that is most effective - the natural substances contained in onions, garlic and herbs (soup ingredients) have a complex effect on the body.

"Antibacterial" and "antiviral" products indispensable in the menu of a person suffering from influenza. These include onions, garlic, honey.

Spices and seasonings(ginger, cinnamon, coriander), as well as medicinal herbs (decoction of oregano, linden and mint) stimulate sweating. Through sweat, toxins and poisons that are formed as a result of the activity of the virus and the body’s fight against infection are removed from the body.

Vitamin-rich foods, play an important role in supporting the immune system. And during illness, the body actively consumes vitamins. Vitamins A, C, E promote a speedy recovery. They can be found in citrus fruits, kiwi, fish oil, sea fish, almonds, and hazelnuts.

Foods rich in flavonoids increase the activity of the immune system. These compounds are found in the soft white skin of citrus fruits (grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime).

What to exclude from the diet during illness?

Dietary rules for influenza require temporarily giving up complex meat and fish dishes, fried foods, sweets, and fast food. Therefore, exclude fatty soups, fatty meats, sausages, and canned food from the menu during this period.

Sweet dishes and sweets also have a bad effect on the healing process: the sugar in them reduces the activity of leukocytes. Therefore, you should not eat pastries, cakes and other sweets. Avoid juices made from sweet fruits.

Foods prohibited during the flu include alcohol and coffee. They dehydrate the body, which only weakens it during illness.

What to drink, what medications to take, what to eat when you have a cold? The treatment process is influenced by many factors: adherence to the regimen and special diet, compliance with medical prescriptions. When you have a cold, it is recommended not only to take medicine, but also to use traditional medicine. Gargling with decoctions will speed up recovery; the menu can include taking vitamin teas based on cranberries and rose hips.

Nutrition for flu and colds is important for a speedy recovery. There are several rules that should be followed during illness:


Diet during flu is very important, as the body is weakened and requires help. Nutrition for colds in children requires adherence to similar principles. The child's body is most susceptible to the influence of various products.

What and how can you eat when you have a cold?

It is important not only to include in the menu foods that help during the flu, you also need to adhere to a certain gastronomic order. You should develop a specific diet, divided into 5 meals. It is better to eat in small portions, but several times, than to eat a large amount of food at one time. These techniques should be performed at a strictly defined time, this is especially important for children.

It is better to give preference to boiled or baked foods rather than fried foods. The presence of a crust, a large amount of fat or vegetable oil is not an option for someone with a cold. If you want fruit when you have a cold, you don’t need to limit yourself. On the contrary, fruits and berries rich in vitamins will benefit a weakened body. Please note that fruits should be consumed fresh. Combining them with sugar, syrup or jam will negatively affect white blood cells, which play a protective role in the body, actively fighting viruses.

The diet of the child and adult during this period should be enriched with vitamins. To do this, you need to eat as much fresh vegetables, berries and fruits as possible. Vitamin C is found in lemon, black currants, apples, oranges, tangerines, sauerkraut and sweet peppers.


The vitamin is found in rosehip infusion and decoction. Vitamin A, which is important for a sick body, can be found in eggs, liver, butter and hard cheese. Vitamin B2, also called riboflavin, is found in almonds, cheese, chicken eggs, yeast and cottage cheese. B6, or pyridoxine, is found in sufficient quantities in offal, beans, soybeans, yeast, potatoes, rice, millet and buckwheat. To improve immunity, you need to provide your body with vitamin D, which can be obtained by eating salmon, herring, mackerel, tuna, eggs, sour cream and cream.

Should you include fish and vegetables in your diet?

When dealing with the flu in adults, you need to act rationally: be sure to eat carrots, beets, and herbs (parsley, onions, dill). For meat products, lean pieces of chicken and veal are best. Do not neglect fish products; it is better to give preference to squid and shrimp. You should definitely include in your diet porridges cooked with milk, rice, millet or oatmeal. You should drink as much milk as possible and eat fermented milk products: cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt, kefir. It is important to eat nuts during this period; eating a small handful per day is enough.

Consumption of all these foods in reasonable quantities is the basis of proper nutrition. It will have a positive effect not only on a sick body, but also on a healthy one. This rule is especially true for women. A representative of the fair sex who eats according to these principles will be able to get into shape quite quickly and without harm to her health, without following strict diets.


One of the useful foods at this time is garlic. It actively fights various viruses and microorganisms. The best option is to use it in its pure form. Only the most desperate people can eat garlic this way; for the picky people there are alternative options for consumption. Garlic cloves can be eaten with some dish, preferably soup. It can be grated on a fine grater, mixed with sour cream and butter and seasoned with the mixture on a salad or spread on bread.

Garlic can also be eaten after the flu for preventive purposes.

Onions and hot peppers have a slightly lesser effect. These foods are worth eating to prevent colds. It is important to drink plenty of fluids when you have a cold. This can be boiled water, all kinds of teas and infusions. An effective remedy against colds is tea with spices. An excellent option would be to consume various unsweetened berry fruit drinks, mint infusions and herbal teas. It is better to exclude alcoholic drinks, fruit juices, strong tea and coffee from the diet during illness.

What should you not eat when you have a cold?

Proper nutrition consists not only of eating high-quality foods, but also of eliminating harmful ones that have a negative effect on the body. What foods should you not eat during colds and flu? There are several of them:



You should not consume these products for several weeks after the flu. This is due to the fact that the body, weakened after illness, will not be able to adequately respond to the appearance of harmful food, even if previously it was often present on the patient’s menu.

By following a special diet during a cold, you can recover much faster. You should always be aware of what you eat. Any harmful product will negatively affect the functioning of the body.

In order for a sick person to recover quickly, he needs not only to start taking medications, but also to change his diet. You should give up some familiar foods.

This is indeed a very effective way to fight infection and colds. If you do not adhere to proper nutrition, the condition may worsen, and recovery will not come so quickly.

Let's talk about what you can drink and eat when you have a cold, ARVI, or flu.

What's best to drink when you have a cold?

It is better not to consume hot food and drinks if you have a virus or a cold. High temperature irritates the mucous membranes of the mouth and pharynx, sensitivity increases during illness, and the risk of getting burned will be maximum.

If when you are healthy you drink hot tea without consequences, then when you are sick you can definitely burn your throat. Therefore, if you are sick, try to drink only warm drinks.

We are all sure that warm milk with honey is the best healing drink. But when we add honey, it loses its healing properties, because at high temperatures all the beneficial substances evaporate. It is not recommended to put honey in hot milk, herbs, or decoctions. It is correct to first eat a couple of spoons of honey, and then drink milk or tea.

What should you drink when you have a cold?

If you get sick, start drinking a lot right away to:

  • rinse the mucous membrane of the pharynx from various bacteria and viruses;
  • flush out toxins formed in the blood during infection;
  • sputum separated and recovery accelerated.

You need to drink 3 liters of liquid per day. The best option is plain water, to which you can add a little lemon or orange juice. The water should be warm.

Dried fruit drink.

100 grams of any dried fruits, these can be apples, pears, raisins, dried apricots, prunes. Wash, cut, boil. But keep in mind that apples and pears are boiled for half an hour, and raisins, prunes, dried apricots - 5 minutes. This drink has a softening and restorative effect.

A medicinal drink with ginger, which has a warming and antiseptic effect.

Grate the peeled root on a fine grater, we need a teaspoon, grind with a slice of lemon, put a few mint leaves in a cup and brew. To increase the effect, add more ginger and add spices - cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, cardamom and cloves.

The following tea has anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic and antipyretic properties. Brew weak black tea. Let it sit to cool. Grind a tablespoon of linden blossom a little, add boiling water and leave for 5 minutes. Mash the raspberries and squeeze out the juice. Mix: raspberry juice, linden infusion, tea, bring to a boil. Pour into cups and add a slice of lemon.

What to drink and eat for colds, ARVI, flu?

Follow simple rules for eating during illness.

  1. You need to increase the amount of vegetables and fruits in your diet, as they contain many antioxidants and phytoncides that fight bacteria and viruses.
  2. You should eat eggs every day; they contain zinc, which helps speed up recovery.
  3. The menu should include low-fat protein foods that will help restore strength.
  4. It is better to prepare dishes with purees that are shaped, soft, they are easier and faster to digest.
  5. When you have a cold, you don’t need to load yourself up with heavy, fatty meats and fast food. For ARVI, colds and flu, you need to eat recommended foods, reducing your usual portions.

Most of us, when we get sick, immediately start eating lemons, but they contain a lot of acid; with constant consumption, a favorable environment is created for bacteria and viruses.

It is better to replace lemons with tangerines, but no more than 5 per day. If you decide to eat lemon, it is better to squeeze its juice and add it to tea. When eating citrus fruits, drink alkaline mineral water to reduce acidity.

Chicken soup is the most popular dish recommended for colds. It reduces the blood concentrations of cells responsible for inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx. But the broth should be eaten warm, without hot seasonings, in small portions 5 times a day.

How to properly cook chicken broth?

The chicken needs to be washed, skin and fat removed, filled with water and allowed to boil. Then drain the water, rinse the chicken and the pan again. Add water again and let it boil, skimming off the foam. Throw in the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, dill. Cook over low heat for about two hours. Then remove everything from the soup and strain the broth.

Conclusion: what to drink and eat when you have a cold should still be decided by your body, you don’t need to force yourself, try to avoid fatty foods during illness, eat easily digestible foods, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, help your body cope with the disease.

Forecasters promise that frosts will begin very soon after the abnormal heat. This means that colds cannot be avoided. Some foods can aggravate the disease and prevent you from fighting the infection; they should be excluded from your diet during the illness.

Alcohol

It constricts blood vessels, thereby causing headaches. Yes, and it has a negative effect on the immune system. And if you have a fever, alcohol is generally contraindicated. In addition, it causes dehydration.

Fast food

A lot of calories, a lot of stress on the liver and digestive system, a lot of fat, all sorts of chemicals, terribly fatty sauce, fried cutlet or sausage, and so on. The disadvantages of fast food can be listed for a very long time. But there is no benefit. It is not recommended for a healthy person to eat fast food, but for a sick person it is generally poison...

Nuts

Pine nuts, walnuts, and almonds are very high in calories. 100 g can contain up to 600 kcal. In addition, they contain a lot of fat, which, although healthy, nevertheless makes nuts a difficult-to-digest product. Nuts also slow down the fight against colds and are not recommended for respiratory diseases.

Dairy

You should be careful with dairy products, especially fatty ones. The fact is that dairy products contribute to the formation of mucus in the body, and therefore inhibit the treatment of runny nose and cough. If you still want to drink some milk or eat yogurt, add a pinch of turmeric or a piece of ginger. The spices will remove the mucus-forming effect, and you will get a warming and healthy dish high in protein and calcium.

Packaged juices and soda

Juices contain a lot of sugar and preservatives. And soda also contains caffeine. All these substances negatively affect the immune system. Drinks from the store will also not bring benefits. In addition, try not to eat foods containing sweeteners - this is also a blow to the immune system and digestive system.

But freshly squeezed fruit juices are healthy. Only experts recommend diluting them a little with water and not overusing them.

fried food

Lots of fat and carcinogens. Don't force your heart and your liver to fight all this, don't overexert them. Moreover, fried food is very difficult to digest, and we need the stomach and intestines now more than ever, because most of the immune cells are hidden in the digestive organs.

Raw vegetables and fruits

During illness, digesting raw vegetables and fruits requires a lot of energy needed to fight infection. Therefore, it is best to steam vegetables, without skin, and bake or stew fruits, if possible.

How to eat when you have a cold

If the temperature has exceeded 38 degrees, then it is better to eat as little as possible and mostly liquid food: light soup, broth, tea... But even if the temperature is not too high, you need to be careful not to burden the digestive system. Eat in very small portions, but often, and drink a lot. Herbal teas are best, maybe with spices and honey, unless, of course, you are allergic to it.