Cold and fever are common illnesses. At this time, the patient's diet is affected. In addition to appropriate treatment, dietary conditioning is also very important. First, let's understand the dietary taboos during a cold and fever. In addition, you should also get plenty of rest, drink plenty of boiled water, and keep the room well-ventilated.
When you have a cold and fever, whether you take fever-reducing medicine or the fever subsides naturally, it is achieved through sweating. The human body loses a large amount of water and salt while sweating to dissipate heat. Therefore, what is most needed during a fever is water, followed by nutrients. The dietary principles at this time are first to provide sufficient water, second to supplement a large amount of vitamins, and then to provide appropriate calories and protein. The diet should be mainly liquid and semi-liquid, and special attention should be paid to the following six dietary taboos during a cold and fever:
1. Avoid eating too many eggs:
Although eggs are rich in nutrients, they should not be eaten in excess during a fever. This is because the protein in eggs will produce a certain amount of extra heat after being broken down in the body, increasing the body's heat, exacerbating fever symptoms, prolonging the duration of the fever, and increasing the patient's suffering.
2. Avoid eating too much honey:
During a fever, the focus should be on clearing heat, not on tonifying. Honey is a nourishing supplement that replenishes qi and benefits the middle jiao. Taking too much honey will prevent the patient's internal heat from being effectively cleared and eliminated, and it can easily lead to other complications.
3. Avoid drinking too many cold drinks:
If the fever is caused by an infectious disease such as bacterial dysentery from unclean food, gastrointestinal function is impaired. Drinking too many cold drinks can worsen the condition, and in severe cases, it can even be life-threatening.
4. Avoid drinking too much tea:
Drinking strong tea can keep the brain in an excited state, speed up the pulse, and raise blood pressure, which in turn can raise the patient's body temperature and cause restlessness. At the same time, tea can affect the breakdown and absorption of drugs, reducing their efficacy.
5. Avoid eating too many spicy foods:
Due to the elevated body temperature, the body's metabolism is vigorous. In this situation, indiscriminately eating warm and spicy foods like ginger, garlic, and chili will add heat to the body, worsening the condition and hindering the reduction of fever and early recovery.
6. Avoid forcing food:
When some children have a fever, parents often think that fever consumes nutrients, and it's even worse if they don't eat. So, they force their children to eat, and some even frantically feed them high-nutrition foods. In fact, this approach has the opposite effect. It not only fails to stimulate the appetite but can also ruin it, and may even cause vomiting, diarrhea, etc., worsening the condition.
Health Tips:
1. When you have a cold and fever, drink plenty of water, eat something light like congee, and avoid greasy, heavy foods like big fish and meat. Get plenty of sleep, cover yourself with a blanket to sweat it out, and you'll be fine.
2. When you have a cold and fever, cook some plain congee. Buy half a pound of fresh mushrooms, thin ones are better. Use only water and a little salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Drink the soup and eat the mushrooms while hot. Avoid spicy foods. When you have a fever, your energy consumption is relatively high and your resistance is weaker, so you need to supplement with some nutrition.