I spent last night going back and forth between freezing and burning up. I knew something was wrong when I started to feel cold in my 80 degree apartment. It turns out I'm sick. Don't worry, I'll be fine. But since I don't have the energy to do anything active today, and my mind is thinking of all things sick, I figured I'd write a post about just that.
There are billions of rumors about what you should eat when you're sick. Most people think eating this or that will make them get better quicker. While I don't know everything that does and does not help, I'll share what I do know.
1) Taking loads of vitamin C will only help if you're deficienct. If you eat fruit or green leefy vegetables everyday, or are taking a supplement, you probably already get enough vitamin C. But if you think it really helps, by all means eat that orange or take a vitamin C tablet, just be careful not to overdose. Too much vitamin C can lead to diarrhea...yuck!
2) Do you have a cold? If so, the best supplement you can take is zinc. It has been proven to help reduce the length of the cold. You will find it in the cold medicine isle. Just look for the zinc cold remedy. This is much more affective than taking a whole bottle of vitamin C tablets.
3) As important as vitamins and minerals are, protein is usually more important when you're sick. Your body is using up protein like crazy to fight whatever illness you have. The more severe the illness, especially if you're body goes into shock, the more important protein is. So, if you're staying home sick, switch your breakfast from cereal to eggs, yogurt and milk. Try to get more protein without loading up on too much meat if possible. Meat is not the easiest food for a sick body to process.
4) Drink! I mean water, juice, milk, or Gatorade. Anything else will probably not help, especially soda and alcohol. Try to drink double what you would on a normal day, but obviously not all at once or you could become even more sick. Fluids will help your body fight infection and replace water lost from sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea.
5) Why do people crave simple carbs when they are sick? I know when I'm sick all I want is a bowl of ramen. I probably don't have to tell you that ramen is not exactly the healthiest food. Neither is your canned chicken noodle soup. So why do we want these things? Because they are easily and quickly digested. Normally that's a bad thing because we would rather eat something that takes longer to digest and keeps us fuller longer. However, lack of appetite and energy pretty much always come when we're sick, so the easier it is for our body to get those nutrients, the better.
6) So I know you've been tempted to buy those products that claim they boost your immune system and make you heal faster. I personally don't believe in them, and they certainly aren't worth the money. However, they won't hurt you, and if you're certain they work for you, go ahead and use them. The placebo affect here is great. You think it works so it does. More power to you!
7) I've heard all sorts of crazy theories about which fruits and vegetables help boost the immune system when you're sick. My theory is that all of them do, but you should be eating them on a daily basis, not just when you're sick. Here are my favorite sick foods because of their antioxidant qualities: Berries, beets, spinach and similar green leefy veggies, citrus fruits, nuts, fish, tomatoes and carrots. There are obviously many more, but these are the most normal and are found year round.
We've come a long way in the medical field since the days of blood leeching and other harmful practices, but we still don't place enough emphasis on nutrition. Your doctor may have taken one or two nutrition classes in his/her twelve years of schooling. That's it! And they probably don't remember a thing. It's up to you to take your nutrition into your own hands and make healthy choices. It'll make all the difference in how soon you get better and even how long you live. You can do it! :)
-Kamie
