Ever heard of the old adage, ‘feed a cold and starve a fever’?
Although no one recommends starving to recover from illness, there is some truth to the ancient saying that you can benefit from this flu season. It lies in the ‘feed’ section of the phrase, which is great because that involves eating (remember – we definitely don’t want you to starve).
Accredited Practising Dietitian, believes that maintaining a balanced diet that’s rich in healthy sources of energy – like protein – and other nutrients like and – is essential when battling the flu.
That’s because your body requires more energy to assemble the large number of immune cells needed to battle the illness.
Getting enough fluids will have a positive impact on our health and ensure that we will not become dehydrated. But we still need to make sure we are getting enough energy.
“When you have the flu, your body is running a marathon, trying to fight illness,” Talliopoulos tells SBS. “If you were preparing for a marathon, you would make sure you got enough energy. Well, it's the same when you’re sick. You really need to prioritise looking after yourself and get enough energy into your diet to help fuel your body as it runs the marathon of recovery.
The dietitian pitches a scenario: “let’s say you get the flu quite badly. The severity will affect how much energy you need to take in and the amount of protein you should consume. Being sick with the flu, all other things remaining equal, will bump these amounts up. You have to make sure you consume enough ”
This advice may sound like it’s forgetting the common flu recommendation –don’t worry about eating and just focus on fluids. After all, fluids (not alcohol or coffee) help you to rehydrate if you have a fever. Water and juice can also help to expel dried up mucus and germs from your body.
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Talliopoulos agrees in the power of fluids. However, she encourages people who feel up to eating to go ahead and consume as much nutrient-dense food as they can in addition to increasing their fluid intake.
“Getting enough fluids will have a positive impact on our health and ensure that we will not become dehydrated. But we still need to make sure we are getting enough energy.”
Foods to fight the flu
Talliopoulos advises that if you can stomach food, focus on eating healthy, high energy, high protein foods.
Avoid sugary foods like cakes and chocolate, and ultra-processed foods that require a lot of energy to digest.
“Try to have chicken broth with pieces of chicken in it,” she says, recalling her Greek heritage and the many bowls of chicken soup she’s consumed in the past featuring chicken meat, noodles or rice. “Chicken soup is a popular dish across many cultures that people have traditionally eaten to fight the flu. There’s a reason for that – when you have chicken soup, you’re drinking plenty of fluids and consuming a protein that also contains zinc.”
A suggests that zinc is an essential micronutrient that is required to mount an effective antiviral response.
“You can also eat eggs – another protein source that contains a moderate amount of zinc. Opt for poached eggs, which are easy to swallow. That will be beneficial if you are coughing a lot and your throat is irritated.”
Research has found that up to 70 per cent of our immune health is in our gut.
Eat for your gut
Talliopoulos also recommends eating high protein yoghurt when you have the flu for another reason – it’s a probiotic that's good for your gut and immunity.
“Research has found that up to ,” she says. “When we have the flu, it's really important that we focus on eating good quality foods that are going to enhance our gut health because that's actually going to assist with our recovery as well.”
Other include fermented drinks, miso soup, sauerkraut and kimchi. “These are all the sort of foods that we see occurring in many traditional diets from across the world.”
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Tarhana
Talliopoulos mentions another dish that’s beneficial for gut health. It’s trahana (also known as tarhana): a Cypriot dish her grandmother used to make when anyone in the family had the flu.
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Tarhana
Traditionally, it is made of fermented ewes or goat milk and cracked wheat flour although Talliopoulos' grandmother made it with cow's milk. The soup features probiotics and prebiotics – a double bonus for your gut.
“Looking back, I can see how the dish was beneficial in supporting our gut health and how it fought the flu. You can even add meat to it for added protein.
"Back then, it made sense why we ate it when we had the flu. It just made us feel better. But now we actually have the the fact that it was good for us.”
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