Nutrition during colds. What's better to drink

There is a lot of information on the Internet about what you should eat when you have a cold and flu, and what you shouldn’t. As strange as it may be, many of the tips are diametrically opposed. So, what should you eat when you have a cold? What should you eat and what should you not eat? More on this later.

Very often, mothers feed them all sorts of goodies when their babies are sick. After all, during this period the baby has no appetite at all, and energy is needed to fight the disease. Caring family members do the same if someone is sick.

And often the result is the opposite of what was expected: the patient most often finds himself unable to eat, and in some cases his condition even worsens. In fact, there is no need at all to eat sweets and fried foods, and very often our patients refuse such always-favorite dishes. They have no appetite.

But besides this, a person who is sick with a cold has a number of other reasons to refuse food. This is a sore throat, nausea, diarrhea, headache and general weakness. And here we have a question.

What foods and dishes are undesirable to eat when you have a cold?

It must be said that there will be a lot of undesirable things, but here we will consider only those foods and dishes that can cause complications ( stomach pain, abdominal cramps, fever).

So, a list of what food should not include when you have a cold:

fried foods;
smoked meats;
carbonated drinks;
fatty foods or high content fats (except dairy products).

In the diet of a patient with a cold, you need to adhere to the following: simple rule that the food should be easily digestible, not cause heaviness in the stomach and side effects, contain vitamins and minerals useful for treatment. But it should not only be food that is easily digestible by the body, but also contain a large energy reserve, that is, a lot of proteins (but not fats).

To make food for a cold not only tasty, but also medicinal, you need to select the right products, and then prepare appropriate dishes from them. Next we will give 5 tips on what foods will be useful for colds and how best to prepare them so that they are tasty and medicinal.

Advice one

You need to drink a lot. High fever and infection are eliminated through sweat and urine. Drinking a lot will help remove colds from the body in the literal sense of the word. But there's another one here important point: A properly selected drink will help not only remove a cold, but also fight it. It can be.

Herbal teas, infusions. Rosehip, herbs (linden, coltsfoot, savory, St. John's wort, oregano), ginger.
Regular black or green tea with lemon, honey, ginger, cinnamon, anise, etc..
Milk with the addition of honey, ginger, lemon, propolis.
Fruit and vegetable juices, cocktails, smoothies. Raspberry, currant, apple, citrus, and cabbage fruits are especially useful.

These drinks will not only help remove colds from their body, but will also help reduce fever, thin mucus and expectoration, and fight throat infections.

Prepare them and drink them right away. They should always be warm or at room temperature, but do not use too hot or cold. The patient does not need additional stress.

Tip two

Meals for colds must include cereals, jelly and soups. Liquid, warm - they are very useful for the patient. After all, their digestibility is high, and for a sore throat it is also a treatment. There is a lot in such dishes needed by the body vitamins A, C, group B and useful macroelements, they will not cause complications for a sick stomach. To make them more presentable, add juice, jam or fresh berries.

Include semolina, oatmeal, buckwheat, barley, cereal with candied fruits and raisins (but not breakfast cereals). Perhaps your charges love cottage cheese casseroles, good and simple cottage cheese. Puréed (or not) vegetable soups with cheese are very healthy.

The older generation remembers how grandmothers fed the sick with chicken broth. Nowadays, scientists claim that it contains not only vitamins and macroelements that are beneficial for the patient, but even medicinal cysteine, which improves bronchial patency and also resists infections.

Tip three

Animal proteins are must-have foods for colds. They will bring the energy needed to fight the disease, and at the same time, they are rich in vitamin B 12, which actively strengthens the immune system.

However, the meat for the patient should be cooked, lean, and appetizing. After all, he doesn’t want to eat anyway. Perhaps it will be a steamed cutlet or an original pureed soup. Maybe just meat with sour cream and garlic (very healthy and tasty). If your throat hurts, cook the meat as steam cutlet, but decorate it beautifully, let it smell delicious (use herbs, like ginger).

Among the healthy animal products we also include:

cottage cheese,
eggs,
liver,
and of course fish.

Everything needs to be cooked boiled or steamed. WITH minimum quantity fat

Tip four

Add herbs and spices to your food that can fight infection: onions, garlic, pepper. Ginger is very good (it relieves inflammation in the stomach, throat, stimulates the immune system). Anise and lemon are also good in this case.

Use foods to strengthen your immune system along with spices. Honey, aloe, propolis, rose hips, syrup from pine cones, infusion of honey on radish.

Can vitamin complexes, but better than ordinary fruits, berries, eggs, boiled meat.

The last tip, fifth

Dried toast or crackers are also good for colds. They will provide the body with the necessary energy and eat willingly even when there is no appetite at all. If it’s difficult to eat them like this, you can add them to soup or soak them in milk or juice. Soup with croutons is a very tasty dish.

You should not give the patient sweets, pastries, or cakes. Especially when there is stool disorder or nausea. In addition, such products contain a lot of fat, and they are hard on the stomach. This will create additional stress on the digestive tract.

The role of salt, sugar and fruits in the body during colds

And a few more tips on food and nutrition for people with colds.

Salt is removed from the body through sweat. If the patient sweats a lot, he will need to replenish his supplies. This does not mean that you need to give over-salted food, but you should add salt to your food in a timely manner. sufficient quantity.
A number of recipes suggest alcohol as a cure for colds. But most scientists consider alcohol to be an additional burden on the body, which is already fighting infection, and drinking alcohol even in medicinal purposes not recommended.
Very sweet foods and fruits will provoke fermentation in the intestines. And this is not very desirable for the patient; it can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Fruits are very healthy as they contain many vitamins. But you need to approach the choice consciously:

If a child is allergic to citrus fruits, they should not be given.
For those who have nausea, it is better not to eat grapes, pears, or bananas.
People with tonsillitis should not eat oranges and tangerines, they are irritating sore throat.
Apples are good for everyone to eat, preferably with the peel (but washed).
Raspberries, blackberries, and currants are also very useful for colds.
It is beneficial for all patients to eat lemon (with tea, sugar, honey, as juice or seasoning).

Honey is one of the most powerful immune stimulants, and it also fights infections. It is useful for everyone who suffers from colds and flu, except those who are allergic to it.
It is better not to prepare vegetable and fruit salads. Make a smoothie or juice from vegetables, prepare pureed soup, puree, stew, but eating a salad with a sore throat will most likely be uncomfortable.

How to serve food when you have a cold

The patient should be fed frequently, but in small portions. Place crackers, tea and fruit near your child's bed. Let him drink and eat whenever he wants. Make sure he eats liquid food at least 4 times a day. Recovery will depend largely on nutrition.

If the temperature is very high and the child does not want to eat at all, try giving him chicken broth or a cocktail made from a mixture of juices. Perhaps jelly or pureed soup will do.

But there is no need to force-feed at first. Let the baby sleep until the temperature subsides and give him plenty to drink. When the child feels better, offer delicious juice or soup.

A proper diet directly affects a person’s health. A flu diet that includes healthy foods alleviates symptoms and significantly speeds up the recovery process. What type of food should you “lean into”, let’s look at this issue in more detail.

Those who have the flu should follow special diet for recovery

Having become infected with the flu, each of us feels symptoms that cause not just discomfort, but excruciating headaches, high fever, cough, aching joints, muscle pain, etc. The reason for this is intoxication of the body from the decay of some cells and viruses. External manifestations are evidence of internal problems - swelling, inflammation, congestion. To eliminate symptoms and destroy bacteria, comprehensive treatment is necessary.

To eliminate the disease, symptomatic as well as etiotropic treatment is undertaken. Reception shown antiviral agents, immunomodulators, immunostimulants, antipyretics, painkillers, antihistamines and antispasmodics. To stimulate expectoration and eliminate the cough reflex, mucolytics and bronchodilators are prescribed depending on the type of cough.

Important: reducing the temperature to 38.5 is not recommended. Temperature indicates the body's fight against viruses.

Nutrition for colds and flu

Of great importance for relieving symptoms and minimizing intoxication is proper nutrition. Balance in food allows healthy cells to grow, stimulates their regeneration, nourishes muscles and bone structure required volume useful microelements, minerals, strengthens general state the body with valuable vitamins and enzymes. Normally, a person should consume 2000 kK daily, and after 50 years, the figure should correspond to 1600, since they decrease with age metabolic processes. But one thing remains the main thing - at any age a person should receive healthy vitamins, microelements, minerals to keep the immune system in good shape, and therefore have protection against viruses and bacteria. It is especially important to balance your diet during colds and fever.

Diet for colds and flu

When choosing products on store shelves, you need to give preference only to healthy ones that promote cleansing and recovery. To simplify the procedure, you need to rely on rules, if followed, no one will get lost in the rich assortment of supermarkets.

What to eat for colds and flu

Porridge. Due to the attack of viruses, the body is exposed to great stress and loses energy, so it is necessary to eat easily digestible carbohydrates: oatmeal, semolina, honey, fruits, juices.

Meat and eggs. To combat pathogens, blood serum activity is necessary to protect against bacteria, which is impossible if there is a lack of protein that stimulates the synthesis of enzymes and antibodies in the body. For acute respiratory viral infections, the daily dose of protein should be at least a gram per kilogram of the patient’s body weight. Therefore, you need to include it in your diet for colds and flu. chicken eggs, poultry, fish.

People with the flu should eat more meat and eggs, which contain protein.

In this case, you need to drink more often chicken bouillon, which contains a lot of amino acids that are essential for the weak body of an influenza patient, stimulating the removal of mucus, increasing the viscosity of sputum and coughing.

Kefir for colds and flu. A unique natural product “works” in our body in different directions:

reduces high temperature;
promotes the digestion of food, thereby saving energy consumption;
creates an optimally destructive environment for infection in the gastrointestinal tract and stimulates the removal of bacterial decay products and dead cells.
It is highly nutritious, contains trace elements, vitamins, enzymes and minerals, allowing a weak patient to quickly get enough.

Garlic, nuts, broccoli, onions, spinach, Brussels sprouts . Each of the listed storehouses of vitamins contains glutathione, powerful antioxidant and an immunostimulant.

Vitamin complexes. Here you need to focus on compounds that strengthen the immune system.

The first place in this sense is taken by vitamin C - ascorbic acid. Activates macrophages, has excellent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and bronchodilator properties. In products such as black currants, sauerkraut, rosehip dose is several times higher than the daily dose.
Riboflavin - vitamin B2 takes an active part in tissue respiration, increases the functions of cell immunity, and is indicated for runny nose and colds. Contained in raw eggs, cottage cheese, wet yeast, nuts, almonds.
Pyridoxine - vitamin B6 - activates protein metabolism, due to which immunity is increased. Supplied into the body through meat, legumes, wheat, rice, buckwheat, potatoes, offal.
Vitamin D activates the body's immune forces and is found in fish liver, seafood, eggs, and sour cream.

What to eat when you have the flu to relieve cold symptoms

One of the main components of nutrition to strengthen immune forces is zinc. According to scientists, constant consumption of wheat grains (sprouted), beef, pork liver, nuts, sunflower seeds and flax helps reduce long-term symptoms of the disease.

Is it possible to drink coffee when you have the flu?

Doctors are dubious about drinking coffee for colds. They explain this by saying that there is no benefit from the drink, but there is a risk of deterioration in the condition of blood vessels and the heart. They also fear development allergic manifestations due to weakened immune system sick. For those who cannot imagine their morning or day without a cup aromatic drink and does not have reactions in the form of itching, sneezing, swelling, an exception can be made. The main thing is to combine coffee with healthy spices that stimulate the immune system and strengthen the walls of blood vessels.

Coffee for colds and flu

With cardamom— the substance strengthens the heart muscle, has bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties.
Cinnamon- copes well with primary symptoms flu, reduces temperature, eliminates general weakness, the drink is useful for colds and flu. The coffee should not be strong.
With star anise(anise) - eliminates dryness, nonproductive cough, activates ligaments, frees the respiratory channels from swelling and mucus.

Coffee with cinnamon helps fight the first symptoms of the flu

What can you drink for colds and flu?

The main drink of every person on Earth is water.. Without it, there would be no chance for all living things to exist. A patient with ARVI simply needs fluid, it stimulates sweating, is a diuretic and moisturizer, which facilitates dry breathing, removes mucus from the lungs and bronchi, and cleanses the body of toxins formed due to the breakdown of some cells and viruses.

What to drink when you have the flu

First of all, lean on the water. Volume - at least 2 liters per day. If you are sick, it is advisable to drink warm or room temperature.

Warm milk should be drunk when you have the flu if there are no contraindications. The drink is a storehouse of vitamins, microelements, and minerals. It has anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, bronchodilator properties. Used to ease the patient's breathing and stimulate expectoration.
Herbal teas - linden, chamomile, coltsfoot, rose hips, calendula and other plants can restore the body in a matter of days. They contain all vitamins A, B, C, D, E, PP, K, etc. Also, the dose of trace elements, minerals, antioxidants, pain-relieving components, enzymes to strengthen immune forces exceeds daily dose factor of. During the flu, herbs help reduce fever, stimulate sweating, remove toxins and waste, and activate metabolism and metabolic processes.
Regular tea - you can drink it with lemon, raspberry, lime, ginger and others useful means, which alleviates the patient’s condition even with the most complex symptoms. Are being cleared Airways, phlegm is removed, the bronchi dilate, the nasal canal is cleaned, bacteria and viruses are destroyed.

What not to eat when you have a cold or flu

Not only in case of influenza, but also in normal conditions, you should not abuse products that cause dangerous processes in the body. The patient needs to conserve strength, accumulate energy and strengthen the immune system.

What not to eat when you have the flu:

Smoked meats- they contain a lot of carcinogens that stimulate the development of not only inflammatory, but also autoimmune and oncological processes.
Bold- suppresses the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, the liver - the main filter of the body. In the blood, there is already an accumulation of toxins from the decay of viruses and parts of cells, free radicals join them, heavy fats. The liver does not have time to process toxins, the level of the immune system decreases, and the disease is aggravated by the addition of bacterial infections.
Salty- salt causes swelling, which is detrimental to a patient who experiences swelling of the mucous membrane during infection respiratory organs. It is necessary to limit your sodium intake, or better yet, avoid salty foods.

Also, if you have a cold or flu, you should not eat sweets, baked goods, or preserves. Prepare porridges, broths, light soups without frying with the addition of vegetable oils.

Important: due to the fact that when the mucous membrane is damaged, painful sensations, soreness, it is strictly forbidden to enjoy dishes with a golden brown, hard crust, seeds, crackers, etc.

Smoked meats are undesirable for influenza due to their high content of carcinogens

What can you take for the flu?

Nutrition is one of the conditions for accelerating recovery. It is important to take action in time adequate treatment as prescribed by the doctor, which includes:

taking antiviral drugs - Kagocel, Amantadine, Remantadine, Viferon, Kipferon, Tami-flu, etc.;
bronchodilators - Bronholitin, Lazolvan, Bronchosan;
antispasmodics - Spazmalgon, Spazgan;
antihistamines - Tavegil, Suprastin, Cetrin, Diazolin;
painkillers - Analgin, Pentalgin, Tempalgin, Solpadeine.

The list includes anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and immunomodulatory drugs that have high efficiency for ARVI diseases.

Healthy eating as a habit

A severe flu condition forces each of us to resort to measures to alleviate symptoms. But it’s much easier to just eat regularly healthy products, exclude alcohol, which will be an excellent prevention of viral respiratory diseases.

Let healthy eating will become your habit!

If we add proper diet in an active way life, swimming, running, race walking and just walking fresh air- then the answer to viruses will be unequivocal. Pathogenic microorganisms will have no chance to curb strong immunity and excellent health.

You dressed warmly, ate a balanced diet, walked in the fresh air and led an active life, but still caught a cold. No need to be upset! Treatment prescribed by a doctor, as well as a cold diet, in short time will put you on your feet. What do you need to know about nutrition during illness? And what foods are important to exclude from your menu in order to quickly become healthy and active?

English folk wisdom prescribes “starving a fever,” but scientists are categorically against reducing the amount of food in the menu of a sick person. Research shows that when we get sick, our bodies need more calories to function properly and resist illness.

One of the worst things you can do when you have a cold is to stop eating a balanced diet by limiting your calories. Your body needs nutrients, which are necessary, among other things, to strengthen the immune system. This means that nutrition important condition a speedy return to a healthy life.

But it's no secret that heat, body aches, sore throat and other cold symptoms negatively affect appetite. Sometimes it can be difficult to force yourself to eat at least a piece of lean meat or drink a glass of broth. In this case, you need to plan your diet by listening to your body.

Abundant warm drink and moderately high-calorie foods give the body additional energy, without which recovery is impossible. By putting the body into “starvation” mode, a sick person worsens existing symptoms and prolongs the disease.

For a comfortable recovery, follow these rules:

Eat when you're hungry, not just during mealtimes.
Eat small meals. Plan for 5-6 small meals instead of 3 main meals.
Hold healthy foods food at hand.
Limit fluid intake during meals.

What foods are best not to eat when you have a cold or cough?

Lush pastries, chocolate cookies, sweets and other sweets that abound in stores confectionery, during the period of a cold, it is better to exclude it from your menu. The fact is that they reduce the activity of leukocytes, blood cells that successfully resist viruses and bacteria. By leaning on sweets, you expose your body to additional risk and prevent it from actively fighting a cold.

In addition, flour products with various sprinkles - powdered sugar, coconut flakes or poppy seeds - can irritate a sore throat, provoking additional coughing attacks.

What to replace it with?

Opt for saltine crackers, biscuits and plain toast. This light food will not harm your health, but on the contrary, it will be well accepted by the gastrointestinal tract if you have digestive problems or an upset stomach. In the list of healthy foods for colds, also include dried fruits - prunes, figs, dried apricots.

Are dairy products beneficial during acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections is a pressing question for researchers. Many experts urge avoiding dairy products at the first suspicion of illness, as they can contribute to the formation of mucus, which worsens the symptoms of a “wet” cough and runny nose. Others say that there will be no harm from a glass of hot milk with honey, but there is some benefit.

The point of disagreement is the opinion of Dr. James Steckelberg, professor of medicine, consultant in the department of infectious diseases at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine (Mayo Clinic). “Although consuming dairy products may promote mucus production, milk does not thicken the phlegm or make the patient's condition worse.”

What to replace it with?

If you cannot imagine your life without dairy products, replace fatty “sour milk” with milk of 1%-2.5% fat content. Do you like warm drinks? Drink warm mint tea; it has high analgesic properties, and in combination with honey, it softens the throat and cures cough. Another great option is cranberry juice - natural spring vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system.

The stronger your cold and the more severe your condition, the easier the food should be for your stomach. Include in your diet dishes that create increased load on the gastrointestinal tract, is fraught with health consequences. Therefore, during your illness, avoid eating processed foods and fast food - they are difficult to digest, creating heaviness in the stomach. It is also advisable to reduce the amount of salty foods and those rich in spices, as they can irritate the intestinal walls.

As for fried foods, they should be excluded completely. The “taboo” category includes semi-finished products - pancakes, pies, etc., and “healthy” products - regular meat, chicken legs. In addition to being high in fat, fried foods also often contain carcinogens. By forcing the liver and heart to fight with all this, you once again burden the body, which now has other tasks.

What to replace it with?

Can successfully replace meat products during a cold chicken soup with noodles. Researchers Medical center University of Nebraska (The Nebraska Medical Center) have proven that this simple dish gives a sick person the desired relief. Thus, the amino acid cysteine contained in chicken helps thin mucus and facilitate its successful expectoration, and hot broth protects the body from dehydration and helps fight inflammation in the throat. A few more options for an appetizing hot lunch - stewed vegetables with a slice of meat, cereals and a piece of steamed fish, vegetable stew.

Korean snacks, spicy salads, homemade preserves, and “spicy” dishes increase secretion gastric juice and can cause heartburn. If the patient has a history of gastritis, consuming all of the above is strictly prohibited. Irritation of the stomach walls can cause a relapse of the disease and then gastritis will be added to the cold. Spicy foods are a common culprit of stomach pain and nausea.

Popular advice - eating more onions, horseradish and garlic during illness also does not suit everyone. Although the juice of these vegetables helps to ease nasal breathing, the sharp and rich taste irritates an already sore throat, causing discomfort. Therefore, you need to consume the listed products strictly in moderation, best of all by adding juice to other dishes.

What to replace it with?

An alternative to the spicy menu will be tender taste qualities rice, buckwheat and oatmeal, boiled potatoes. You can eat them on their own, or you can add baked skinless chicken or turkey, or light salads. Please note that you should not eat broccoli and other types of cabbage raw, just as you should not indulge in legumes and mushrooms. They will lead to bloating and may cause increased gas formation and cause diarrhea.

When you have a cold, you may want to cheer yourself up by drinking a cup of strong coffee or a bottle of energy drink. These drinks can really give you the desired energy and tone your body. But the effect will be short-lived - it will be replaced by lethargy, anxiety, increased fatigue and loss of mood. In addition, coffee and strong black tea can worsen a sore throat, especially if the inflammation is severe. Doctors advise avoiding caffeine-containing drinks when sick.

What to replace it with?

Focus on soothing and soothing throat herbal teas, drink sweetened water with lemon and ginger. But drinking packaged juices and juice drinks is not recommended. Because of high content sugars and preservatives, they can increase inflammation and work against your immune system. Only natural concentrated juices, slightly diluted, are useful clean water.

And be sure to load up on fresh fruits and berries, they are... best source cheerfulness and Have a good mood. The only exception to the rule is citrus fruits, which should be consumed with caution. Due to the presence of vitamin C, they are great for speeding up the recovery process and strengthening the immune system, but can cause an allergic reaction.

If during a period of illness the patient refuses to eat, then there is no need to force him. After a cold, your appetite will be restored.
The diet should contain various cereals, jelly, dietary soups. This is the most suitable food for a weakened patient.
For meat products, it is better to use veal or poultry. Fish dishes are also good for colds. It is better to eat them boiled or baked.
You should eat foods with high content vitamin C. This vitamin is found not only in lemon, but also in apples, herbs, black currants, and rose hips.
During cooking, seasonings should be added to dishes: ginger, onion, black pepper, horseradish, etc. It is best to use them in their pure form. It should be remembered that they all irritate the mucous membrane.
During colds Vitamin A, which is found in orange and red fruits and vegetables, plays a special role. The patient's diet should include beets, carrots, and pumpkin. Vitamin A is absorbed along with fats, so vegetable oil or sour cream should be added to cooked dishes made from these vegetables.

To confront infectious diseases The patient’s daily diet should contain foods that contain mineral elements such as

Iron
Calcium
Magnesium

Zinc is found in large quantities in the following foods:

Wheat grains
Pork and beef liver,
Nuts
Seafood

This essential microelements to support the immune system. What products affect speedy recovery Onions and are common vegetable crops that have many beneficial properties. This is due to their unique composition. The components of garlic and onions have a positive effect on the human body during colds. Garlic contains the following beneficial substances:

Phytoncides
Allicin
Volatiles

All of them have antiviral and antibacterial effect, suppress the proliferation of foreign bacteria, viruses and fungi. The effectiveness of garlic will be in combination with certain components: honey, fat, milk, onion, vegetable oil. Will help speed up recovery daily use honey This product is used to treat many diseases, including colds. Honey combined with warm milk promotes the removal of sputum and alleviates the patient's condition. Pepper has a mucolytic effect, expands, reduces the formation of mucus and activates blood circulation. It is important to consume foods rich in glutathione in sufficient quantities. This substance activates the immune system, which is very important for colds. Glutathione is found in garlic and onions, broccoli, veal, etc. What should be avoided when you have a cold The patient’s diet should be free of foods that will not lead to improvement, but will only aggravate the condition. Such products include:

Sweet and flour products
Alcoholic drinks
Fried and spicy foods
Fast food

Use alcoholic drinks leads to dehydration of the body. It is better to give preference to freshly squeezed juice rather than store-bought juice. Flour and sweet products contain a large number of refined sugar, which affects white blood cells. As a result, these cells stop fighting infection. It is undesirable to eat fried foods, since excess fats only increase inflammatory process. Fast food and other foods that do not provide nutritional value burden the tract. From salty and spicy food It's better to refuse. It irritates and increases swelling of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. While watching the video, you will learn about a cold. Proper nutrition should be followed not only during a cold, but also for prevention purposes. Therapeutic treatment, bed rest and taking medications will help defeat a cold within 4-5 days.