Feeling sick can cause your stomach to reject foods you would normally enjoy. Changing your diet while you ride out your cold or flu can help you feel better. Jordan Rubin and Joseph Brasco, authors of "The Great Physician's Rx for Colds and Flu," note that eating certain foods can help reduce your symptoms as well as help prevent you from getting sick in the future.
Chicken Soup
Your grandmother's recommendation that you eat chicken soup when you are sick is valid, says "Reader's Digest." Eating about 1 1/2 cups of chicken soup can help clear your nasal passages and alleviate a stuffy nose. Chicken soup may also ease congestion in your lungs so you are able to breathe easier. "Reader's Digest" notes that homemade chicken soup as well as canned chicken soup have similar symptom reducing properties. Simply inhaling the steam from a pot of warm chicken soup may also work to clear your nasal passages and make it easier to breathe.
Chili Peppers
The properties in chili peppers may work to reduce your symptoms, reports "Reader's Digest." The ingredients that make chili peppers spicy may help ease your nasal congestion by activating the cells in your nasal passage so they open up and allow you to breathe easier. Adding a few chili peppers to a soup or salad may bring comfort. Other spicy foods may work in a similar way, adds "Reader's Digest." Try adding spicy mustard, horseradish, onion or ginger to your food to help reduce your symptoms. Garlic may also help reduce respiratory illness so consider mincing a clove into your chicken soup.
Fruit
Fruit contains a variety of different antioxidants that can help you body fight off illness on its own, reports Gary Null, author of "The Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing." Null suggests that fresh fruits will not cause additional stomach problems because they are considered whole foods and provide your body with exactly what it needs to fight off germs. Any type of fruit will offer these benefits, so add berries, melon, oranges, bananas and apples to your diet to help you get rid of your bug. Several servings of different colored fruits will give you the most benefit so aim to eat at least two or three different kinds of fruit each day.
References
- "The Great Physician's Rx for Colds and Flu"; Jordan Rubin and Joseph Brasco; 2006
- "Fight Back with Food: Use Nutrition to Heal What Ails You"; Reader's Digest; 2002
- "The Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing"; Gary Null; 2005
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