Starving a cold?

Heather Little-White, PhD, Contributor

The flu is attacking almost everybody in its path and it can be very debilitating, causing decline in productivity and school attendance. The flu virus is contagious, so you have to take precautions not to get it and there are certain 'must dos' to lead to your recovery.

You may have heard your grandma say 'starve a fever and feed a cold', but what if you have both conditions?

Starving yourself nutritionally is never a good option. Protein-rich foods are designed to repair tissue and promote healing. This is why the proverbial chicken soup is touted to provide fast healing. We have a wide variety of foods rich in protein, minerals and vitamins and antioxidants to help you maintain good health and a speedy recovery.

Wrong treatment

You may wonder why flu lingers for some people compared to others. Some reasons are:

1. Failing to slow down at the first sign of a sniffle - trying to keep up with the hectic pace of life. When it takes hold fully, it is too late and lingers longer than it should maybe spanning two or three weekends.

2. Drink more fluids, (non-dairy, low sugar), to replenish electrolytes you may lose in perspiration. As such, you could easily become dehydrated and this leads to discomfort and lengthening your condition. Water flushes the congestion releasing mucus from your system and ridding the body of toxins. You should be drinking water or natural juices as part of your daily health routine.

3. Be careful of over-the-counter drugs that dry you out. The power of advertising places cold and flu treatments for the consumer to lap up. While it may be useful to get some relief, you may confuse flu symptoms with sinusitis and allergy conditions. According to WebMD, you can differentiate cold symptoms as they start from the neck up and may go away in a few days, while allergies are more persistent with cough, runny nose, muscle aches and fatigue. Cold symptoms easily attack the immune system leading to other opportunistic infections through other organisms besides the virus.

4. Stick to wholesome foods and beverage sources as many of them are made from fruits and vegetables. There is a huge push on herbal 'cure all' remedies but they should be properly assessed for safe consumption. Relying on herbs for a speedy remedy may leave you disappointed. Vitamin C has withstood rigorous studies and there is work being done on vitamin D to determine if low levels lead to lower possibilities of contracting the flu (WebMD).

Common foods for the flu

• Chicken soup
• Lemonade (lightly sweetened). Lemon's sharpness makes sweet foods more tolerable especially when you need an energy lift.
• Spicy food, chillies, onions and garlic contain mustard oils which make your eyes water and clear the congestion.
• Coffee is a real sniffle booster warding off drowsiness that may come with the build-up of cytoketones.
• Eat small meals frequently and resist the temptation to 'pig out'.
  

Chicken vegetable soup

2 cups chopped chicken meat, (breast, bony parts, and feet)

2 tablespoons margarine

I cup chapped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 tablespoon each red and green sweet pepper.

2tbs minced garlic

6 cups homemade chicken broth

3 sprigs thyme

1 Scotch bonnet, cut in slivers

1 cup diced potatoes

1/2 cup diced carrots

Method

1. In a large pot, sauté chicken in margarine for three minutes. Add onion, celery and sweet peppers and continue to sauté for another three minute.

2. Add chicken broth, thyme and pepper,

3. Add potatoes and carrots, reducing heat and simmering for 20 minutes.

4. Serve hot.

Adapted from WWW.Food.Com