Many people believe that eating eggs when feverish and sick is not only light and easy to digest but also nutritious and beneficial for recovery, but this practice is unscientific. Eating eggs when feverish will increase the body's internal heat. As this heat cannot be dissipated, it is like "adding fuel to the fire," causing the fever to burn more fiercely.
Li Zhi, an associate chief physician in the internal medicine department of Wangjing Hospital under the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, told reporters that while eggs are indeed rich in nutrients, they should not be consumed in large quantities during a fever, especially fried or scrambled eggs. Eating eggs can exacerbate fever symptoms.
This is because eggs mainly contain ovalbumin and ovoglobulin, which are complete proteins with 99.7% absorption by the human body. After eating eggs, a certain amount of extra heat is produced, increasing the body's heat and worsening fever symptoms. Lean meat and fish should also be avoided.
Similarly, other high-protein foods such as lean meat and fish will also add extra heat to the body and should be consumed as little as possible. Patients with fever should eat liquid or semi-liquid foods and fruits.
The diet of a fever patient should be light, easy to digest, and rich in vitamins. It should generally consist mainly of liquid or semi-liquid foods, such as rice soup, congee, noodles, and water chestnut starch, along with some fresh fruits. After the fever subsides, one can eat clear chicken noodle soup and vegetable puree congee. In the later stages of recovery, one can supplement with more high-protein foods such as lean meat, fish, and tofu.