Although not super exciting, very plain and bland foods can help ease symptoms. Try pasta, dry cereals, oatmeal, bread and crackers.
Try eating bland, starchy foods like white bread or white bread's close cousins — crackers and boiled potatoes. White bread is soft, low in fiber, and not spicy. It doesn't typically cause stomach upset, even when people are sick. Plus, it contains carbohydrates — a good source of energy.
“While white bread is high in carbs and low in nutrients, depending on how sick a person is, sometimes they just need to eat what they can handle,” says Gabriel. “Whole grains take more energy to digest and make our digestive system more tired, so [for stomach illness] white bread is probably a good alternative.”
With an upset stomach, it's best to eat easily digested foods such as dry crackers or toast. Crackers, dry or with a little Marmite, are the second-most recommended treatment for nausea and vomiting (second to eating small, frequent meals). They're bland foods, which are easily digested by the body and well tolerated.
Worst foods: Avoid hot liquids and hard, scratchy foods such as potato chips, nuts, and granola. The acidic juices from raw fruits and vegetables, as well as orange juice, grape juice, and lemonade can also irritate a sore throat.
Whole grains, such as a warm bowl of oatmeal or slices of whole-grain bread or toast, offer a nutritious choice that can help support your recovery from the flu.
Fibre rich food: During fever, avoid eating food like whole wheat grains and cereals. As they take longer time to digest, your digestive system will get tired of breaking down the food molecules.
Avoid rough foods such as: — dry toast — crackers — granola — some raw fruits and vegetables. Soak dry foods (breads, crackers, biscuits, cereals, cookies) in some type of liquid (milk, soup, gravy) before eating. Moisten foods with butter, mayonnaise, sour cream, syrups, oils, gravies or sauces.
Milk, ice cream, cheese: Dairy gets a bad rap. Common wisdom says to avoid it when you're stuffy or runny because you'll make more mucus. But there's little evidence to support this. So if you crave ice cream to soothe that sore throat, go ahead and indulge.
Caffeinated drinks should be avoided as they are dehydrating. They include coffee, cola drinks, energy drinks and tea. Alcohol is also dehydrating and should be avoided. In addition, it affects the functioning of the immune system and drinking too much alcohol makes you more likely to get an infection.
Drink clear or ice-cold drinks. Eat light, bland foods (such as saltine crackers or plain bread). Avoid fried, greasy, or sweet foods. Eat slowly and eat smaller, more frequent meals.
As Abramson explained, when we are sick, whether we have a fever or not, our metabolic rates skyrocket, and our bodies need more calories to support that high metabolic rate.
Your body needs extra energy when it fights an infection. If you try to push through a cold, especially if you have a fever, you'll exhaust yourself. That could make your symptoms worse.
Sugary Foods
While you may want comfort food when you're sick, sugar-packed foods like donuts, cake, and other sweet treats don't have many beneficial nutrients—if any at all. Too much sugar can also inflame your stomach and cause your immune system to work harder.
“Oatmeal is easy, and usually gentle on the stomach,” she says. She also suggests trying toast with egg whites, drinking bone broth, or having a smoothie, if you think you can tolerate it. “Keep it simple and don't force it if you feel like you cannot even look at food,” Cording says.
Plain flavored yogurt is the best way to help your body recover from touches of the flu and colds. When choosing a yogurt, be sure to pick one that is rich with probiotics. This healthy bacteria helps shorten the duration of your illness by giving your body the strength to fight back.