What is a good food to eat if you have the flu?

Answer 1

If you are throwing up or have diarrhea, try clear liquids like sips of gingerale or lemon-lime soda, jello cups, clear broth, and plenty of plain water. Try soda or water crackers and see how they settle.

If you are not throwing up, you still need plenty of plain water. You can try plain and soft foods and see what works; plain crackers and bread, creamed soups, maybe rice, tapioca or pudding cups (avoid chocolate). Avoid fruits except maybe apples or banana. Ginger helps settle a stomach, suck on ginger or mint candy.

When your stomach is better, gradually add back in small amounts of lean protein like boiled or roasted chicken breast, if you aren't lactose intolerant try some low fat dairy like low fat milk, buttermilk, plain yogurt, cottage cheese or cheese like mozzarella low fat string cheese. And plenty of plain water.

Avoid citrus, fats, meats especially red meats, corn, tea, alcohol, coffee, chocolate, popcorn and nuts.

Ask your pharmacist what over the counter medications might help to use along with diet modifications or other recommendations. Especially if your symptoms don't improve in a few days. Watch for fever or other symptoms that will indicate advice is needed from a physician including when the symptoms last too long.

Answer 2

Anything you would normally eat, especially a balanced healthy diet. Drink plenty of fluids and water. Vitamin C - rich foods like citrus fruits and juices and pomegranate juice are recommended by some people. If you get nausea or vomiting, like some have with Swine Flu, keep drinking fluids and eating soups and soda crackers if you can. Even if you don't feel up to eating well until the vomiting passes, you must keep getting larger than usual amounts of fluids and then gradually restart foods that are easy to digest.

Foods that are easy for your body to process, like apple juice, other liquids and soups are your best friends when you are ill. Even Jello and pudding are OK. Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, and Soft cereals are good and especially Chicken soup or broth. The point is to give your body items that are nourishing but will not tax your already busy system. Don't turn your body from using energy to fight the sickness to digesting heavy foods. Soft foods and liquids can more easily and quickly get the needed nutrition to your body. And always drink plenty of water, your body craves water when it is sick!

When I had the flu I ate chicken noodle soup which helped my throat and headache. I also had smoothies. If you have a high temp. then a smoothie is good for that and energy. No extra sugar, but if you like it really sweet then you can add honey which will help a LOT. I made a strawberry, banana, blackberry, Orange Juice, and goats milk PLAIN yogurt smoothie. It is very tasty! Warm water and tea with honey is very good for your throat.

Answer 3

you should focus more on liquids, water, juice, gatorade. You need to build your immune system back up and get your electrolytes to proper levels. Eat crackers or something bland if you feel hungry but don't eat complex foods.

Answer 4

Liquids are the most important thing to consume when battling a flu or bad cold, to avoid dehydration, keep up your energy and help keep mucus thin.

Start with clear liquids; water, diluted apple juice, weak (non caffeinated) tea, broth, rice water - if you have had difficulty keeping anything in your stomach, you can also use an electrolyte replacement to help restore your electrolyte balance.

Avoid any beverage with caffeine as it can make dehydration worse, avoid milk products, they make mucus thicker and are harder to digest.

Once clear liquids are "staying down" add banana, chicken broth with rice, apple juice or apple sauce, and toast to your choice of liquids.

Eating warm liquids like non-caffeinated tea and chicken with rice/noodle soup will help ease nasal congestion and soothe irritated tissue from post nasal drip.

Answer 5

i have had the stomach flu 3 times now... it can make your life pretty miserable for a couple of days. the best thing to do is to get a LOT of rest. you also want to drink clear liquids like water, Gatorade or tea. don't try to eat any citrus, or anything spicy. soup, porridge, and saltine crackers are good to eat. don't eat anything for the first few hours after you find out you have the flu. the last time i tried that, i threw up.

Answer 6

Lean meat, poultry, fish, legumes, eggs, and nuts and seeds are good sources of protein. Avoid dairy, it can increase the mucus.

There is a great article about this on WebMD see the related link below.

Answer 7

High in Vitamin C, Oranges (fruit) etc..Hoit drinks such as Herbal tea to allow flu to sweat from the body

Answer 8

You should eat and drink warm things like soup and tea.

Answer 9

Eat light thinks like noodle soup or regular crackers. Drink plenty of water and a coke every once and a while to settle your stomach. After it passes you can begin to eat denser food. :)