These are some important foods to (try to) eat if you’re battling the flu.
Clear Fluids
When you are fighting off the flu, you need to drink plenty of clear fluids to avoid dehydration. People who have fevers often have low appetites or face nausea and vomiting, which can cause dehydration. Drinking plenty of clear fluids can help keep mucus thin and help lessen congestion. A good rule of thumb is to check your urine -- if it is a pale yellow, then you are adequately hydrated.
Popsicles
Along the same lines as clear fluids, popsicles help keep you hydrated while you’re fighting the flu. Icy popsicles can also help soothe sore, painful, or dry throats. By buying popsicles that are made from 100 percent fruit juice, especially strawberry or orange, you can help give your body a boost of vital nutrients, rather than just taking in sugar water, and vitamin C is an essential immune booster.
Lean Protein
If you’re like most people fighting off the flu, you’ve lost most of your appetite, and eating protein is the last thing on your mind. However, if you can stomach it, eating lean proteins is important to repair your body tissues. Eggs (such as scrambled) are the easiest protein to digest, and yogurt can pull double duty -- it’s both a good source of protein and a source of probiotics. In your recovery phase (once your fever is gone), it’s important to boost your protein intake to repair and rebuild body systems. If you can stomach it, turkey is a healthy, lean protein that can help boost your energy, and can serve as a comfort food. If your appetite is still lacking, try drinking a protein drink once a day to supplement your dietary intake.
Ginger Ale
Flat sodas (never drink fizzy drinks when fighting the flu), and in particular ginger ale, can help soothe upset stomachs. Some studies also suggest that it may help fight inflammation. When shopping, try to choose natural ginger sodas, which have more real ginger content in them. You also can opt to brew your own ginger tea by slicing up ginger and steeping in hot water for several minutes or add slices of ginger with your favorite, soothing tea blend to ease your stomach and give you comfort. If you aren’t a tea drinker, you can try adding freshly grated or powdered ginger to other foods for the same effect.
Vegetable Juice
Getting your daily recommended servings of fruit and vegetables is probably a challenge even when you’re feting your best. When you’re ill, eating your vegetables is probably low on your list of priorities, but they are essential to getting enough immune-boosting antioxidants to help your body fight off and recover from the flu. One way to get this jolt of vitamins and antioxidants is to drink a glass of low-sodium vegetable juice once a day (or several times a day).
Chicken Soup
In addition to being a great source of nutrition that helps keep you hydrated, some studies show that chicken soup may boost your healing and have some anti-inflammatory effects. Some studies have even found that chicken soup can improve the ability of cilia - the tiny, hair-like linings of the nasal passages -- to protect the body from bacteria and viruses.
Garlic
Garlic has long been known for its healing and protective properties -- from protecting against vampires to helping boost immunity. Science has backed this -- a British study found that garlic has antimicrobial and immune-stimulating properties thanks in part to the phytochemical allicin, and it may even give you some relief from the congestion caused by the flu. The study also found that people who are taking allicin supplements regularly suffered from 46 percent fewer colds and recovered more quickly from the ones they did get. So cooking with garlic during flu season (recommended intake is two cloves a day), can actually help keep you from getting sick in the first place. Try making a garlic paste with olive oil and spreading it on toast to give your immune system a kick.
Toast
While talking about toast as a vessel for your immune-boosting garlic, let’s not forget the importance of toast as part of the BRAT diet. Toast or crackers are great, bland foods to take the edge off of your hunger and upset stomach when your body can’t handle much food.
Hot Tea
Green tea, oolong and black tea offer drinkers a dose of disease-busting antioxidants, while breathing in the steam from the tea can help ease your congestion. Adding a spoonful of honey and a squeeze of lemon also do wonders for easing sore throats. For those with sensitivity to caffeine, you can try decaf or herbal teas instead.
Bananas
Bananas are one of the easiest fruits on the stomach. Along with rice, applesauce and toast, bananas are an important part of the BRAT diet, which is the list of foods that doctors encourage people to eat when they are recovering from the flu or other stomach bugs and are ready to start trying solid foods.
Rice
White rice, another member of the BRAT diet, is easy on the stomach and gives your digestive system a chance to rest and recover, especially when you’ve been suffering from diarrhea.
Applesauce
Applesauce, the final member of the BRAT pack, along with apple juice, is also a bland food that helps keep you hydrated while minimizing diarrhea. Applesauce has minimal amounts of fiber but is still full of good sugars and calories to help ease hunger and help your body bounce back from the flu.