30+ Flu Fighting Food Recipes! (2024)

FAQs

What is the best food to eat when you have the flu? ›

Things that are easy to digest are best. Simple items, like lean turkey or chicken in a simple sandwich, chicken soup, bananas, toast and non-flavored crackers are good options. Ice pops made from 100% fruit are good as well. Not only for nutrition, but again, to help with fluid balance,” Dr.

Refined white bread, crackers, and pasta are easy on your stomach if you have diarrhea or vomiting. Foods that reduce inflammation, such as fatty fish and green leafy vegetables, may alleviate cold and flu-related symptoms like body aches. Staying hydrated is essential, no matter your symptoms.

Hydrating foods like broth, juice and herbal tea. Soups like chicken noodle, vegetable-based or legume-based. Ice pops. Fruits and vegetables with zinc and/or vitamin C, including citrus fruits, berries, carrots, cantaloupe, kiwi, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes.

Chicken soup

Chicken soup has been a go-to for sickness for generations — and for good reason. It's an easy-to-eat source of vitamins, minerals, calories, and protein, which are nutrients your body may need in larger quantities while you're recovering from an illness.

This superfood is your secret weapon to help naturally support your immune system, packed with 11 different vitamins and nutrients. Founding Director of Food and Nutrition Australia, Sharon Natoli says, “many of the nutrients found in eggs can help keep our immune system healthy, and help the body fight off germs.

Yogurt, oatmeal and other soft foods that are bland and easy to tolerate. Yogurt has probiotics, which help with gut health and prevent diarrhea. Ginger, turmeric and cinnamon. These spices have been shown to have some anti-inflammatory effects, so using these in foods when you aren't feeling well can help.

Chicken Soup

It helps you get the fluids you need and it's nourishing, too. Some scientific evidence suggests that it may help with healing. Hot chicken soup may also improve the way tiny hair-like parts in the passages of your nose protect your body from bacteria and viruses, but more research is needed.

Is peanut butter good when sick? ›

Protein sources such as lean meats, dairy, eggs, and legumes are especially important because they supply the amino acids that your body needs to build the components of your immune system. Choose protein-rich plant sources with heart-healthy fat, such as peanut butter and nuts.

Here's what to eat when sick with stomach problems. Bland carbohydrates. Choose bland carbohydrates like plain rice, toast, crackers, or pretzels when your stomach feels queasy. These low-fiber options provide gentle nourishment while minimizing irritation.

There are plenty of comfort foods you can eat when sick that don't require much effort. From hot soup to mac and cheese, these dishes will help make you feel better.

Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

No other dish describes comfort quite as well as chicken pot pie. Made with tender chicken, mixed veggies, satisfying spices, and a delicious pie crust, this is the perfect easy weeknight dinner.

Even the warmth of chicken soup can help. Drinking the liquid and inhaling the vapors increase the temperature of nasal and respiratory passages, which loosens the thick mucus that often accompanies respiratory illnesses. Compared with hot water alone, studies show chicken soup is more effective at loosening mucus.

Bone broth serves as a great way to replenish the fluids that you're losing, while also providing your body with valuable electrolytes from the sodium in the broth. These electrolytes will also help you absorb the water more easily.

Stick to bland foods like crackers, toast, potatoes, noodles, and rice. Try eating very small meals, 6-8 a day. You may be able to tolerate foods that contain a lot of water, like frozen pops, Jell-O, and broth-based soups.

Eggs might not be the first food you think to chow down when you're feeling under the weather, but they may be one of the best foods for a cold. They're loaded with protein, which is an important nutrient to have in your body when you're fighting an illness of any kind, explains Roger E.

Eating fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamin C is a smart move. Vitamin C boosts your immune system, which is how your body naturally fights off infection. If you're feeling nauseous, following the BRAT diet – bananas, rice, apples and toast – may be your preference.

Is Gatorade Good for flu? ›

To keep your salt and water balance even, you can lose salt with sweating/fever, choose Gatorade, Powerade or other sports drinks for both fluids and salt. If it tastes too strong, just water it down. Because symptoms vary, you need to pay attention to how you feel and eat, accordingly.

Choose foods that are easy on the stomach. These include broth-based soups, white rice, plain pastas, toast, applesauce, bananas, mashed potatoes, and cold foods like Jell-O, yogurt, or ice cream.