Foods to avoid when down with flu and cold

NEW YORK: Recovering from the flu and cold can be pretty cumbersome. Avoiding these foods can ensure you feel healthy in no time.

1. Caffeinated beverages, alcohol and sugary drinks: Caffeinated beverages such as coffee, black tea and alcoholic drinks can make you dehydrated. Flu can cause increased temperatures and sweating, leading to dehydration, and caffeine and alcohol can worsen your symptoms. Another food to avoid is sugar-loaded fruit juice or aerated drinks, as they are not nutritionally-dense and can compromise your immune system.

2. Foods that are hard to chew and digest

Crunchy wafers and foods with similar textures can further aggravate your cough and sore throat. Moreover, flu could cause you to have an upset stomach, so it is important not to consume foods like bread toast and even oats, as foods that are high in fibre are much harder to digest. Additionally, consider refraining from eating foods that are difficult to break down and hard on your gastrointestinal system, such as oily curries or meat that are high in saturated fats.

3. Candies and chocolates

Foods that are rich in sugar such as candies and chocolates cause inflammation, and this may decrease your immunity by weakening white blood cells. Moreover, as these cells are responsible for fighting infection, eating candies and chocolates will hamper the capacity of the disease-fighting cell to fight the flu and cold effectively.

4. Mucus-creating foods

Mucus is your sworn enemy when recovering from a flu and cold. If you think this superfood is a safe bet when you are sick, think again. Strawberries are one such example, as they are histamine releasers that can contribute to congestion. Histamine-powered mucus can create a sense of discomfort in your nose, and cause sinusitis. Milk is another food to avoid, as it can temporarily thicken mucus, which will cause harmful allergens to stay in your system longer. Additionally, avoid spices, such as chilli peppers as the capsaicin in chilli peppers that is an irritant for the nasal passage, causing greater production of mucus. (Agencies)

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