Yes, oatmeal is excellent when you're sick because it's bland, easy to digest, provides energy and nutrients (fiber, protein, vitamins/minerals), and its warmth is soothing for sore throats or upset stomachs. It's a great choice for a bland diet, supporting immune function and hydration, especially with healthy add-ins like honey, cinnamon, or berries.
Oatmeal: Because oatmeal is bland, it is often easy to eat when you are sick. Plus, it provides calories, vitamins and minerals. Just be sure to steer clear of eating artificially flavored oatmeal with added sugar. Instead, cook whole oats and use honey as a sweetener.
The BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) Diet is a top choice of doctors for improving digestive function during a stomach illness. Eating certain bland foods can help alleviate symptoms.
The 2-2-2 food rule is a simple guideline for leftover safety: get cooked food into the fridge within 2 hours, eat it within 2 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months to prevent bacteria growth, keeping it out of the temperature "danger zone" (40-140°F or 5-60°C).
If you have a severe infection or are at high risk of complications from a flu infection, your healthcare professional may prescribe an antiviral medicine to treat the flu. These medicines can include oseltamivir (Tamiflu), baloxavir (Xofluza) and zanamivir (Relenza). You take oseltamivir and baloxavir by mouth.
Warm Soups or Broths: Provides nourishment without irritating the throat. Chicken soup, in particular, contains cysteine, an amino acid that may help thin mucus. Soft Food: Yogurt, mashed potatoes, and oatmeal are gentle options. Herbal Teas: Chamomile or ginger tea soothes inflammation and provides hydration.
Symptoms of the common cold often take 1 to 3 days to develop, and then peak 1 to 3 days after the start of the symptoms. A cold usually lasts about 7 to 10 days. But it can take up to 3 weeks to completely go away. Colds usually go away on their own, so most people don't need to see a healthcare professional.
Try any or all of them and start reaping the benefits these nutritional powerhouses offer your body.
One line of reasoning used to argue oats aren't healthy is that eating them can lead to spikes in blood sugar (glucose). This seems to be linked to the rising use of glucose monitors by people who don't have diabetes.
Oatmeal can be an excellent source of nutrition that is easy on the stomach and easy to eat when you're feeling ill.
Let's take a closer look at the best foods to eat for a cold, and those you should be avoiding until you're feeling better.
Add banana, cranberries, cinnamon, ginger, coconut oil, maple syrup. Stir occasionally, mashing banana into oats. Once oatmeal reaches desired consistency (cook shorter or longer time based on your preference), remove from heat.
Steven Gundry warns that oats contain a gluten-like lectin, which may trigger immune responses in gluten-sensitive individuals, potentially leading to intestinal damage and systemic inflammation.
Signs Your Cold is Getting Better
You'll know your cold is on the mend when you notice a slow resolution of your symptoms. The urge to blow your nose subsides and nasal discharge clears up. Fatigue and body aches go away, and energy levels also return to normal.
Your body needs to battle what is ailing you. “Extra sleep can help your immune system function at its best and potentially shorten the duration of your illness,” says Heather Finn, MD, of Upstate Family and Preventive Medicine. “It can also help prevent you from becoming sick in the first place.”
Viral infections often develop gradually, such as a cold that starts with a scratchy throat and progresses to a cough and congestion. Bacterial infections, however, tend to appear suddenly and with more intensity. For example, strep throat can cause a severe sore throat and high fever that comes on quickly.
Avoid salty foods, alcohol, coffee and sugary drinks, which can be dehydrating.
Below are ways you can feel better while your body fights off cold symptoms:
Foods to Eat When You Have a Cold
Food & Drink to Avoid With the Flu
Some of the effective home remedies to manage flu include: Getting plenty of bed rest to boost immune function and ward off viruses. Drinking plenty of fluids like water or juice to flush viruses or bacteria out of the body.
This year's flu season is shaping up to be a nasty one—driven by a new variant of the influenza virus that may be able to slip past our vaccine defenses.