When wintertime brings colds and fevers, we must make our best effort to take care of ourselves to make a speedy recovery back to health. Sicknesses need to run their course, but there are things we can do to stay comfortable and well-nourished.
- Get Plenty of Rest
- Drink lots of Fluids
- Maintain Good Nutrition
The old saying “Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever” is based on previous thinking that fasting would help keep your body temperature down. Although this is true to some degree, the saying can be better thought of as “Feed a Cold, Feed a Fever” as consuming calories is essential, whether you have a cold or a fever.
When you have a cold, eating helps your body generate heat, just like wearing an extra layer of clothes or having a warm blanket. When you have a fever, your body’s increased temperature raises your metabolism, thus increasing your energy demand. Fever also dehydrates your body through increased sweating from elevated body temperature. Staying hydrated is critical in getting better as it also helps keep the mucus running, and mucus is one of our best natural defenses!
Proper nutrition, while we are sick, can be achieved by eating small amounts of food and drinking plenty of liquids. You can offer favorite foods but give smaller servings as small meals are easier to digest. Loss of appetite is common as your body is focusing on getting better. Although you must be mindful of staying hydrated, you do not want to force yourself to eat if you do not feel hungry.
Focus on eating easy to digest foods and fluids:
- Simple foods such as rice, pasta, noodles, bananas, applesauce, or toast.
- Avoid fatty, fried, or greasy foods.
- Include lots of fruit for proper nutrition and hydration. Include Vitamin C rich fruits such as lemons, kiwis, oranges, grapefruit, and berries. Try thawing frozen berries to offer a cooling sensation for the throat!
- Fluids such as water, diluted fruit juice, soup, broth, and herbal tea. Tea with honey and lemon is always the right choice!
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol as these enhance dehydration.
What about Chicken Soup?
Chicken soup does not possess any magic ingredients, but it has calories as well as the all-important liquid. The warm vapor rising from the bowl can also moisten and loosen dried mucus.
In conclusion, prioritizing proper nutrition and hydration is a critical element in combating winter sicknesses. It is also essential to keep ourselves clean and comfortable with access to fresh air and light. Love and attention will also help the recovery process!
