Doctor’s Recommendation: What To Eat When You’re Sick?

When you’re down with a cold or flu, the last thing you want to do is contemplate what to make for dinner. At the same time, the foods and drinks you choose to consume can make a difference in how you feel while you’re still sick and how long it takes for you to recover from the virus. After all, the last thing you want to do is hinder the recovery process and make the symptoms worse. To add more clarity to the situation and make choosing the best flu diet an easy task for you, we explain what foods and drinks doctors generally recommend or warn against during an upper respiratory infection.

The drinks to choose and avoid when you've got the Flu

As you already probably know, increasing your fluid intake is crucial when you’re down with a cold. As doctors explained: "During an infection, the body's basal metabolic rate increases, which can lead to increased loss of fluids, and you need to increase hydration with water to mitigate these losses." Therefore, the recovery process can be quite dehydrating, and drinking plenty of fluids can really help support your health and flush out those germs from your system as soon as possible.

However, it’s important to choose the right kinds of drinks, as certain beverages can actually be dehydrating for the already weakened body. The absolute best choice is sipping on some plain room temperature water, warm herbal tea, or ginger tea to warm up the throat, as these drinks provide plenty of hydration and antioxidants. 

 

What about the quintessential vitamin C rich orange juice, you say? Doctors actually recommend avoiding it when you’re sick, as juices can be quite high in sugar, which, in turn, can cause diarrhea that further dehydrates the body. Other sugary drinks, such as energy drinks, sweet tea, and soda are best avoided as well. 

 

Alcohol and caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, tea, and sports drinks are off the table, too. As Alpert, a certified dietitian, stated in an interview, “Not only are caffeinated beverages very dehydrating to the body but drinking these beverages as a replacement for hydrating drinks puts you even further behind on your overall hydration status." If you drink coffee every day, try limiting your intake to just one cup a day when you’re sick and drink plenty of water afterward.

The Best Foods to Eat When You’re Down With a Cold 

 

Although dehydration is a major concern when you’re sick and it should be the top priority, the recovery process also drains your body from necessary nutrients at a quicker rate, and symptoms like muscle aches and fatigue are evidence of that. Therefore, it’s our job to get as many beneficial nutrients back into our bodies in order to feel better as soon as possible. 

 

This doesn’t mean that you have to eat all the time. After all, you may be nauseous, and getting food to stay in the stomach may be difficult as is, so don’t push yourself. Instead, look for specific nutrient-dense foods instead of junk foods and snacks. Dr. Charles Peters recommends foods like chicken soup, leafy greens, yogurt, oatmeal, broccoli, pepper, and horseradish in a statement. Here’s why:

Chicken soup or broth- soups are not just easier to slurp down when you’re feeling ill, but they’re also full of beneficial nutrients and water that will help replenish and rehydrate your system. Be careful with canned soups, though, as most of them are too high in salt, and hence, dehydrating, so opt for low-sodium options if you have to get canned soup. 

 

 Plain white yogurt - not only is it pleasantly cooling for an inflamed throat, but yogurt is also a great source of proteins, vitamins, and minerals (calcium and zinc), so it can replenish the much-needed nutrients in your body. Yogurt also contains probiotics, which will help with digestion, therefore, it’s a great choice for those who feel sick on their stomach when they have the flu as long as you’re sticking to sugar-free plain white yogurt, of course.

Fruit and veggies - particularly leafy greens like spinach or kale, as well as broccoli, bell peppers, berries, apples, and mangoes - are full of vitamins and antioxidants that help you fight the cold. An added bonus is that most of these foods you can just eat as-is or blend up into a smoothie, no cooking required. 

 

Oatmeal - easy and quick-to-make, oats will fill you up in no time and alleviate any digestive discomfort, too, as they have plenty of fiber. 

 

Foods with a bit of spice, such as horseradish or ginger can clear up your airways if your nose is feeling clogged.

Foods to Avoid When You’re Feeling Ill  

 

If you like to have your chicken soup with a few saltine crackers on the side, or you’re really eating as many citrus fruits as you can when you’re sick, we have bad news for you - both of these habits may be hindering your recovery or just make the process of recovering more difficult than it has to be. Here are the foods you should avoid when you have the flu, and why: 

 

Acidic foods, such as citrus fruits or tomatoes, are not the best choice for those who are experiencing nausea and stomach flu, according to experts. These foods may cause heartburn and could hurt your throat.

Saltines are considered to be a staple food for upset stomachs, but these crackers actually contain a lot of sodium, high fructose corn syrup, and soybean oil, which can drive up the inflammation in your body according to dietitians. An equally crispy and low-calories alternative to saltine crackers is rice cakes. 

 

Junk food. Let's face it, we should be eating this stuff even when we're healthy, so try to resist the temptation of ordering takeout when you're sick. The main concern with junk foods, like in saltines, are unhealthy fats, which can drive up inflammation and hinder the recovery process. 

 

Dairy. Yogurt is the only dairy food nutritionists recommend because the rest of the foods, such as ice cream, milk, and even cheese may make the saliva and phlegm become thicker and hence cause additional discomfort when you're sick.

Potato chips, toast, and other crunchy foods may likewise scratch and aggravate a sore throat, so doctors advise against them if you have a painful throat. 

 

Sweets and other high-sugar foods. As we've mentioned earlier, sugar can be dehydrating, but Sharon Palmer, a registered dietitian, also mentioned to the Insider that refined sugar can also potentially increase inflammation levels and reduce the ability of some immune cells to function as they should. Therefore, avoid sweets like ice cream, popsicles, cookies, and cake until you get better. ​

 

We hope you found this information useful, and if you're currently suffering from a respiratory infection, we'd like to remind you to stay hydrated and wish you a speedy recovery!

 

 

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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8 Foods You Shouldn't Give to Children

There is no doubt that one of the most important things we need to monitor regarding our children is their nutrition – after all, today we know very well how much the things we put in our mouths significantly affect our health, and this is even more true for our children, who need a regular supply of essential nutrients to develop properly. However, there are quite a few very common foods that we simply don’t realize how harmful they are to our children in a clear and immediate way. There are also many foods that we know are not necessarily healthy, but we don’t suspect the damage they can cause to children in the long term, and therefore, from time to time, we let them eat these foods. To help you understand which foods you should actually get your children to stop eating, or at the very least reduce their consumption as much as possible, we’ve prepared a list of 8 such foods that you should definitely know about. 

1. Children's Yogurts 

Various children's yogurts, offered in colorful packaging with cartoon characters that appeal to little ones – are very popular food products, and most of us also believe they have certain benefits for our children. But the truth is, that’s not entirely accurate – a significant portion of these products contain sugars, food colorings, and other ingredients that, even if present in small amounts that may not necessarily harm adults, can trigger allergies in your young children or, at the very least, cause hyperactive and disruptive behavior, according to a study conducted at the University of Southampton in the UK.

 

 

 

Therefore, instead of industrial children's yogurts that may harm them, prefer serving your children plain white yogurts without added sugar. To adapt them to your children's taste and encourage them to eat them, you can sweeten them by adding a little honey (only if your children are over one year old!) or chopped fruits.

2. Rice Puff Snacks  

Various snacks and breakfast cereals made from rice puffs are certainly common and widespread in the food market, and many children love eating them. So you might be surprised to hear this, but according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), consuming these products may expose your children to high levels of inorganic arsenic – a dangerous compound that is not healthy for humans at all. Since we often give our children cereals and snacks based on rice puffs, their rice consumption is three times higher than that of adults, which can, of course, have a harmful impact on their development and learning abilities. 

 

 

Therefore, to prevent potential harm, it’s recommended to prepare the healthy snacks and breakfast cereals you give your children at home (you can do this together with them) using healthy ingredients that don’t contain arsenic. 

3. Processed Meat Products 

Admittedly, the presence of processed meat products on this list shouldn’t surprise most of you, who likely know that these industrial products have long been considered unhealthy and not nutritious in any way. However, many parents, in moments of weakness or when they don’t have time to prepare a proper meal, give their children such food products, like hamburgers, hot dogs, nuggets, and the like. If you do this to some extent, you should know that according to a study conducted by the American Cancer Society, consuming 50 grams of processed meat per day increases the risk of developing colorectal cancer by 18% – so the harm to your children may not always be immediate, but it can be significant in their adulthood. 

 

The best solution for this issue is to let your children consume fish dishes – even industrial ones, as their impact is still less harmful than that of processed meat products. Of course, the most recommended way to address this is to prepare delicious and nutritious fish dishes for your children yourself.

4. Industrial Ice Creams 

 On hot summer days, many bring home industrial ice creams in family-sized packages from the supermarket, which kids love to devour as much as they want (or until they’re told to stop and the package is taken away). What many of you probably don’t know is that many of these products contain substances called "emulsifiers," which a 2015 study showed interfere with the normal functioning of friendly gut bacteria, leading to obesity – a particularly dangerous phenomenon for children. 

 

Therefore, instead of the industrial ice creams you buy at the supermarket, the recommendation here is to turn the preparation of this sweet treat into a homemade activity you can do with your children. 

5. Potato Chips 

Potato chips, sold in various packages, sizes, and colors, are undoubtedly a salty delight for every child (and quite a few adults), but it’s clear they are not a healthy choice for your children in any way. Although they are made from potatoes – a vegetable with some health benefits – they are also rich in less healthy ingredients and packed with fats, calories, salt, and other things children should avoid, as they are even more harmful to them than to adults. From increased blood pressure that could be fatal later in life, to obesity and kidney stones – you have every reason to limit or completely eliminate your children’s consumption of these industrial snacks. 

 

As with most cases we’ve presented here – if your children love potato chips, the solution isn’t to deny them completely but to know how to prepare them at home in the right way, giving them the benefits of the snack while sparing them its negative effects.

6. Diet Carbonated Drinks  

Many of us are already aware of the dangers of excessive sugar consumption, and to avoid it while still enjoying our favorite carbonated drinks, we switch to their diet versions, which have gained significant popularity in recent years, and we also let our children drink them to reduce their sugar intake. But the truth is that the artificial sweeteners found in large quantities in these diet carbonated drinks don’t have significant advantages over sugar, and they may even cause more harm to you and your children. For example, a study published in 2018 found that aspartame – a common artificial sweetener in industrial diet drinks – restricts essential enzymes in the body that prevent obesity and diabetes, so their consumption by children who drink these beverages without restriction can cause physical harm. 

 

All you need to do to solve this problem while still providing your children with sweet drinks is to let them drink as much freshly squeezed, natural fruit juice as possible.

7. Microwave Popcorn Snacks 

Popcorn in a paper bag, ready in 2-3 minutes after heating in the microwave, is a convenient solution for many of us who want to provide our children with a tasty, salty snack for the hours they’re glued to the TV. But despite the convenience and ease for us as parents, you should know that some of these products’ paper bags contain various harmful chemicals. For example, some paper bags contain perfluorinated compounds, a substance that, when exposed to high heat, can cause the bag to release substances into the food that may harm children’s development and are even linked to the development of certain types of cancer in the future. 

 

Therefore, despite it being a bit more effort, revert to the traditional method of preparing popcorn – by heating corn kernels in a pot with a little olive oil. It takes only 5-7 minutes, it’s just as delicious or even more so, and it will harm your children much less than the microwave version of the snack.

8. Instant Noodles  

Another type of food you should prevent your children from eating, as it won’t benefit them in any way, is instant noodles – the kind where you “pour hot water, stir, and eat.” These products often contain more sodium than the recommended daily intake for a child; furthermore, the noodles in these products are made from white flour and lack fiber or any other nutritional value – so while these meals may fill your children, they certainly won’t nourish them or provide the essential nutrients they so desperately need. 

 

Instead of these instant noodles, which children usually eat for lunch or dinner, it’s recommended to prepare a large batch of whole-wheat pasta for the week in advance, so they can consume it whenever they need a carbohydrate boost. If your children struggle to adapt to the texture of whole-wheat pasta, try mixing regular white flour pasta with whole-wheat pasta at first until they get used to it.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
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If You’re Lactose Intolerant, Avoid These 15 Foods

Milk is one of the many elements of the food pyramid that make up a healthy diet. However, despite the many health benefits, consuming milk in large quantities can cause migraines, and for some, have more harmful effects. Lactose intolerance, an allergy to milk and milk-based ingredients, is one of the eighth most common allergies in the world. For people with this particular allergy, dairy is a product best avoided, as it can cause varying degrees of stress to the body. If you’re on a dairy-free diet, here are some foods you might want to double-check the ingredients for, as you probably wouldn’t expect them to have dairy! 

 

1. All Beef Hot Dogs

With a name that includes the phrase “all-beef”, you probably wouldn’t expect it, but many hot dog brands do use milk ingredients to create their products.

 

2. Tomato sauce

While the main ingredient in tomato sauce is tomatoes, various brands of tomato sauce feature grated Romano cheese as one of the main ingredients. 

 

 

3. Canned Pasta in Tomato Sauce

Speaking of tomato sauce, many canned pastas that are purchased as quick meals for the kids also have trace amounts of cheese or milk products for added nutritional value. 

 

 

4. Store-bought crackers

 

 Most store-bought crackers contain either butter or milk powder, so if you’re looking for a dairy-free option, your best bet is organic crackers. 

5. Instant potatoes

The best way to get your mashed potatoes creamy and smooth is with a dash of milk and it's no different for instant mashed potatoes. Always check the ingredients, as some instant potatoes contain cream or other milk products to add to the taste.  

 

 

6. Potato Chips

Here’s another potato product, but milk isn’t a common ingredient for it, usually. While milk would seem like an obvious ingredient for Cheddar flavored chips, you probably wouldn’t expect to see it in flavors such as dill pickle, jalapeno, and barbecue. 

 

 

 7. Chicken Nuggets, Fish sticks, and other frozen foods

Most frozen foods, especially breaded items, such as fish sticks and chicken nuggets, contain milk ingredients (usually in the breading mixture) along with the usual spices and meat.

8. Vinaigrette and other salad dressings 

 

It’s important to check the ingredients of salad dressing before purchasing, as some brands may use different forms of cheese, or other milk products in the ingredients.  

 

 

9. Nutella

Nutella is a chocolate-like spread, made up of cocoa, hazelnut, palm oil, and sugar, along with skim milk, or skim milk powder, as well as whey powder. 

 

 

10. Canned Tuna

For those who think Tuna is a dairy-free product, think again and check the ingredients for casein. Casein is a protein derived from skim milk and is sometimes added to canned tuna to increase the nutritional value.  

 

 

11. Soy Cheese

This does not sound like something that should contain dairy. Normal soy cheese may contain casein or whey protein, both of which are dairy products, so look for a vegan label to ensure your soy cheese is dairy-free.

12. Granola bars

 

 

These breakfast bars and quick snacks usually contain only grains and nuts, with a sweetener like honey to solidify the bar. However, some granola bars contain small amounts of milk to add to the calcium and protein content of the bars.  

 

 

13. Baby Cereals

Rice or oats based cereals are sometimes recommended by doctors for babies switching to eating solid foods. Much like granola bars, some brands add skim milk powder for extra calcium and protein. 

 

 

14. Spice Mixes

 

Here’s a revelation for all people with lactose intolerance. Some spice mixes may contain whey powder, for increased protein content. 

 

 

15. Medications

There is a plethora of vitamins, pills, prescription and over the counter medications available today that most likely contain lactose. Dairy accounts for the base of approximately 25% of the most commonly used medications, so if you’re looking for a lactose-free medication, its advisable to check for alternatives with your doctor.

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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