Many parents believe that tangerines are effective for relieving coughs and reducing phlegm, so they let children with coughs eat more of them. In reality, while tangerine peel does have the effect of relieving coughs and reducing phlegm, the tangerine flesh itself generates heat, accumulates dampness, and produces phlegm. However, it is impossible for a child to eat only the peel and not the flesh. Therefore, when a child has a cough, it is best not to eat too many citrus fruits.
Generally speaking, cold and raw foods are not suitable for children with coughs. Coughs are mostly caused by lung qi failing to descend and lung qi counter-flowing upward, often triggered by lung diseases. At this time, if the diet is still too cold, it can easily lead to a blockage of lung qi, worsening the symptoms and causing a prolonged illness. Furthermore, excessive consumption of cold and raw foods can damage the spleen and stomach, impairing their function.
Fatty, rich, and heavy foods should also be strictly avoided. Coughs are often caused by lung heat, especially in children. In daily diets, eating too many fatty, rich, and heavy foods can generate internal heat, aggravate the cough, and lead to thick, sticky phlegm that is difficult to expel. For children with asthma, overindulging in such foods can cause a combination of phlegm and heat, obstruct the respiratory tract, worsen the asthma, and make the disease difficult to cure.
During a cough, a child's diet should be light. For children with a long-lasting cough, they can drink water boiled with pears rock sugar to moisten the lungs and relieve the cough; they can also eat congee cooked with lily and rice, which is very effective for children whose lung qi has been weakened after a prolonged cough. For a common cold-related cough, one can purchase 50 grams of loquat leaf from a pharmacy, decoct it in water, and then use that medicinal water to cook congee with rice for the child to take, which has a good effect.