5 Food & Drink Items to Avoid During Cold & Fever

It suddenly seems like everywhere you look, everyone you know has a cold and/or a fever. 

So, you may be surrounded by hot foreheads, runny noses, and sore throats, or you may have all these symptoms yourself. While eating may feel like the last thing you want to do at such times, eat you must. 

It is important to provide comforting and nourishing foods to your body to aid recovery from whatever you may have caught. 

It is also prudent to avoid certain food and drink items when you are sick with cold and fever, as these may make you feel worse, and delay your healing. 

Let’s have a look at the food and drink items to steer clear of.

Food And Drink Items to Avoid When You Have a Cold And Fever

1. Processed Foods: Avoid eating foods that come in a packet or box or items available at fast food joints. Processed foods such as chips, cookies, cakes, bacon, sausages etc., come loaded with preservatives, and artificial colouring and flavours. 

The more processed a food is, the farther it is from its natural state and the fewer nutrients it has. 

When you are sick, your body needs nutrients to recover, which processed foods cannot provide. Also, the additives in processed foods can increase the inflammation already occurring in your body during sickness, and slow down the recovery process. 

2. Hard or Crunchy Foods: If you are dealing with a scratchy and painful throat due to your cold and fever, note that hard, dry foods with sharp edges can irritate your throat further.

Avoid crunchy chips, biscuits, pretzels, and crackers and opt for softer foods (scrambled eggs, oatmeal, and soup) to comfort a tender throat.

3. Sugary Foods: Food and drink items with added sugar were never good for your health, and especially not so when you are sick. Sugar increases inflammation in your body, and chronic, sustained inflammation is harmful to your health. 

Your immune system, which should be fighting your cold and fever, will need to divert its resources to control the sugar-based inflammation, thus slowing your recovery.

4. Caffeinated Beverages: When you are down with a cold and fever, a warm mug of coffee or tea can seem very inviting, especially for the throat. However, caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea are diuretics and thus may dry you out. 

This is more of a concern when you have a fever because you may already be dehydrated with the elevated temperatures and increased sweating in a fever. 

You need lots of fluids when you have a cold and fever, so sip on warm water, herbal teas, and nourishing soups instead. 

5. Alcohol: Alcohol is known to slow down your immune system and cause dehydration, two things you do not need when fighting a cold and fever. 

Alcohol increases inflammation in your body and can also interfere with your sleep and medications, things that are vital to your recovery process.

Take ample rest, keep yourself hydrated, and eat nourishing, wholesome foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and soups. All of this will help you win over the cold and fever in no time. 

Disclaimer: This article is written by the Practitioner for informational and educational purposes only. The content presented on this page should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. Please "DO NOT SELF-MEDICATE" and seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns. Practo will not be responsible for any act or omission arising from the interpretation of the content present on this page.