Best Foods To Eat When You're Sick

The 15 Best Foods to Eat When You’re Sick
When you’re under the weather, eating may be one of the last things on your mind.
However, eating the right foods while you’re sick can do so much more than just provide energy.
Certain foods may help you feel better, recover more quickly, or stay hydrated as you recover.
Here are 15 of the best foods to eat when you’re sick.

1. 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
Chicken soup is also a rich source of fluid and electrolytes, which are helpful if you’re at risk of dehydration due to diarrhea, vomiting, sweating, or fever
The soup’s warmth may help reduce congestion, as hot or spicy liquids can be helpful for this.
The chicken in the chicken soup also contains the amino acid cysteine. N-acetyl-cysteine, a form of cysteine, breaks apart mucus and has antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects
Homemade chicken soup made from bone broth is also rich in collagen and nutrients that may help promote recovery — although there’s not enough research on bone broth’s effects on immune health to back up these claims.

2. Broths
Like chicken soup, broths are excellent sources of fluid and electrolytes that can be helpful when you’re sick. When hot, they may also help relieve sinus congestion.
They’re full of flavor and rich in a variety of nutrients while still being easy on your digestive system.
Additionally, bone broths are rich in collagen and amino acids (building blocks of protein) from animal bones, which may help promote a faster recovery, although research is still lacking.
If you need to follow a salt-restricted diet, make sure you choose low sodium or no-salt-added broths if buying premade broths from the grocery store.

3. Garlic
Garlic provides many health benefits and has been used in herbal medicine for centuries.
In test-tube and animal studies, it’s been shown to have antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal effects.
One study in 146 people found that participants who took a garlic-based supplement had about 70% fewer sick days than the placebo group. However, the authors noted that this isn’t enough evidence to conclude that garlic can help prevent illness, and more research is needed
Additionally, aged garlic extract supplements may enhance immune function and decrease the severity of colds and the flu

Adding garlic to food when you’re sick can both add flavor and make your food even more effective at fighting off cold or flu symptoms.