What should I eat after I catch a cold and have a fever? I have been coughing for too long and there is no medicine. What can I eat to relieve it?

Fever, sore throat, cough... Everyone has experienced these steps during the whole process of catching a cold and having a fever, but what should you eat after catching a cold and having a fever? How can you eat scientifically and rationally, with balanced nutrition, to help improve your immunity and physical fitness? Which foods are better? How to match them reasonably? What can you eat to relieve a cough that lasts too long? The editor has searched through all the major authoritative public accounts and summarized these points to share with you. Let's take a look!

1. Increase protein intake

Image source: Pixabay

Protein is the material basis of life and an important component of human tissue.

The protein needed by the human body is mainly obtained through diet. Fish, shrimp, poultry, livestock meat, eggs, soy products and milk are all foods rich in high-quality protein.

Experts from the Chinese Nutrition Society conducted a nutritional assessment of common foods in our daily lives, mainly examining two indicators of food:

The first is the "quantity" indicator, namely "protein content", which refers to the amount of protein in every 100 grams of this food;

The second is the "quality" indicator, namely the "protein amino acid score" to evaluate the quality of protein. The higher the score, the better the protein quality and the easier it is for the body to absorb and utilize.

1. Eggs

With a protein content of about 13%, an amino acid composition close to that required by the human body, a full range of vitamins and rich minerals, eggs are a well-deserved cost-effective choice of protein.

Recommendation: Adults should eat one egg per day, and eat both the egg white and the yolk.

2. Milk

Don’t underestimate the high water content of milk, which only contains 3% protein.

Not only does milk contain the necessary amino acids in a proportion that meets human needs, it is also easy to drink, digest and absorb. It is easy to consume several hundred grams of it, making it a high-quality protein.

Recommendation: Each person should consume 300-500 grams of milk or dairy products equivalent to 300-500 grams of milk per day.

Image source: Pixabay

3. Fish

The protein content of about 15%-22% and various amino acids essential to the human body make fish meat a high-quality protein.

Fish is not only easier to digest than livestock and poultry meat, but moderate intake can also help reduce the risk of hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular diseases.

Recommendation: Adults should consume seafood at least 2 times a week.

4. Shrimp

Shrimp has a protein content of 16%-23%, a low fat content and mostly unsaturated fatty acids.

It is worth mentioning that the abundant magnesium in shrimp plays an important role in regulating heart activity;

It is rich in vitamins, calcium, phospholipids, etc., which can provide nutritional supplements for children and pregnant women.

Image source: Pixabay

5. Chicken

The protein content of about 20% makes it a favored protein source for many people who want to build muscle.

In addition, chicken has low fat content, contains more unsaturated fatty acids, a variety of amino acids that are easy for human digestion, and is rich in phospholipids and minerals, vitamins, etc., which play an important role in human development.

6. Duck

It has a protein content of about 16% and its nutritional value is similar to that of chicken.

In addition, duck meat is a meat that contains relatively high levels of B vitamins and vitamin E, and has a high potassium content, with 100 grams of edible part containing nearly 300 mg.

7. Lean Beef

The protein content is over 20%, and has an amino acid composition close to that required by the human body. In addition, the fat content of beef is lower than that of pork and mutton, and it is rich in minerals and B vitamins. It has a high absorption rate by the human body, making it an excellent choice for protein supplementation.

8. Lean Lamb

The protein content is also around 20%, and the mineral content, lysine, arginine, histidine and threonine in lamb are higher than many other meats;

The ratio of essential amino acids to total amino acids for adults is over 40%, making it a high-quality protein food.

9. Lean pork

In addition to about 20% protein content, essential amino acid composition close to that of the human body, and mineral elements required by the human body, pork also contains trace amounts of water-soluble vitamins.

10. Soybeans

Soybean is the only plant-based protein on the list. Soybean, black bean and green bean all belong to this category. It has a protein content of 30%-40%, unsaturated fatty acids, calcium, potassium and vitamin E, etc. The composition and proportion of essential amino acids are similar to those of animal protein.

In addition, soybeans are rich in lysine, which is lacking in cereal protein, and are an ideal natural food that complements cereal protein.

It should be noted that among the wide variety of soy products, fermented soy products such as black beans and fermented bean curd have too high sodium content, so you should be careful to control the amount you consume.

In fact, the more protein you take in, the better. According to the dietary pyramid recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022), each person should consume 120-200 grams of meat, eggs or aquatic products rich in high-quality protein every day (at least 2 servings of aquatic products per week);

25-35 grams of soybeans and nuts, 300-500 grams of milk and dairy products, so you must follow the principle of balance and rationality.

2. I have poor appetite. How should I eat?

Loss of appetite, how to eat? If the cold symptoms are more serious and there is no appetite, then according to different symptoms, more adjustments need to be made to the diet.

0 1Fever

In this case, when the body temperature rises, the activity of digestive enzymes in the body will decrease and the secretion of digestive juices will decrease, resulting in loss of appetite.

Try to chop the ingredients into small pieces, cook them until soft and thoroughly, and try to eat some food that is high in nutritional density but appetizing and easy to digest, such as milk, egg custard, steamed egg with minced meat, vegetable and minced meat, shrimp porridge, wonton, tomato egg drop soup, vegetable and minced meat noodles, etc. But be careful to avoid greasy and difficult to digest food, such as roast chicken, roast duck, fatty meat, etc. You can also add some appetizing seasonings or side dishes to the dishes to increase appetite.

0 2Sore throat

You can eat anything you can eat. However, at this time, eating foods that are slightly colder can help relieve the pain in the throat, such as ice cream, refrigerated/frozen yogurt, refrigerated milk, jelly, canned yellow peaches and other canned fruits, oral rehydration salts, sports drinks... but it is best to eat and drink in small bites.

At the same time, sugar can make you feel better. However, if you need to control your blood sugar, you need to choose sugar-free products.

0 3 Loss of taste

After losing your sense of taste, you should pay special attention to oral hygiene. You can smell slightly stimulating smells, such as lemon, rose, etc., for 20 seconds each time, twice a day.

If your throat has recovered, you can also consider adding sour and spicy seasonings or side dishes to your meals according to your personal taste, such as vinegar, lemon juice, tomato juice, pickles, pickled radish, spicy cabbage, etc. In addition, canned fruits with sweet and sour tastes, such as canned hawthorn and canned oranges, are also good choices.

04 Heavy sweating and persistent diarrhea

In this case, you should pay attention to the body's electrolyte balance. If you don't have rehydration salts or sports drinks, you can drink some light salt or sugar water. When you sweat a lot or have persistent diarrhea, it is best not to drink a lot of boiled water alone, which will further aggravate the electrolyte imbalance.

You should also eat less foods that easily produce gas in the intestines, such as raw white radish, large amounts of potatoes, beans, etc.

You can also consider freezing rehydration salts or sports drinks into smoothies and taking small sips to relieve sore throat while replenishing fluids and electrolytes.

05Problems with chewing and digestion, vomiting

If you have problems with digestion and chewing, you can consider eating some liquid food. If adjusting your diet does not work well, or even causes anorexia, you can use enteral nutrition preparations under the guidance of a doctor or clinical nutritionist. If the situation is particularly serious, you will need to receive parenteral nutrition treatment.

If vomiting continues, it is best to separate wet and dry food when eating. Eat drier meals and then take time to drink water after eating.

3. Is it safe to eat canned yellow peaches?

Canned yellow peaches have been very popular recently, but are there any preservatives added to such a large bottle of "sweet water" with a long shelf life? The food preservatives allowed by national standards are safe and reliable, but there is really no need to add preservatives to canned yellow peaches. Experts explain that the characteristics of yellow peaches themselves determine that they are particularly suitable for canning.

First of all, yellow peaches are not easy to preserve and can only be kept for four or five days after picking. However, the flesh of yellow peaches is hard and has little fiber. After being steamed at high temperature, it remains firm and the soup is golden and clear, so if it is used to make canned food, it will be beautiful and sell well.

It takes many processes to turn yellow peaches into canned yellow peaches.

First, the fresh yellow peaches are washed, selected, and pitted, and then sterilized with high-temperature steam, that is, sterilized at a maximum temperature of 121°C for more than 30 minutes. Throughout the entire process, all pathogenic and corrupt microorganisms that may be contained in the canned yellow peaches are killed.

Microorganisms in the external environment of the can cannot enter. Therefore, canned yellow peaches do not need any preservatives to be preserved for a long time. Of course, some canned yellow peaches do need to add some additives such as vitamin C, which mainly plays a role in color protection and has nothing to do with preservation.

In fact, it is not only canned yellow peaches that do not need preservatives, other canned foods basically do not contain preservatives. At present, the production process of most canned food manufacturers in my country relies on filling, sealing and long-term high-temperature heating for sterilization. After such treatment, even the most tenacious bacteria and microorganisms will be killed, and naturally there is no need for preservatives to "come forward" to help.

It should be noted that the modern food industry uses preservatives based on the principle of "necessary and safe". Canned yellow peaches do not use preservatives, which has nothing to do with preservatives themselves, but because canned foods do not really need preservatives.

4. There is no medicine for sore throat. What can I eat to relieve it?

If there is no medication, or if medication cannot relieve the pain in the throat, we can also use some non-drug methods to relieve pain:

1. Eat something cold or warm is fine!

That’s right, ice can help relieve a sore throat!

Very cold foods such as ice cream, ice cubes, frozen yogurt, etc. can "numb" our throat for a short time and temporarily reduce or relieve swallowing pain.

You can try sucking on ice cubes in your mouth to avoid biting them down, which may help them last longer.

Some people may not like or are not used to eating cold things, so warm liquids (such as warm water, tea, chicken soup, etc.) may also relieve sore throats.

But be careful, warm does not mean hot! Too hot food or water may burn our throat and even aggravate the pain.

2. Eat some candy, mint flavor is better

Sucking on candy is also thought to provide some relief from a sore throat.

There are many throat lozenges designed specifically for relieving sore throats, and mint is a common ingredient.

The menthol in mint is equivalent to a local anesthetic, which makes our throat feel cool and makes people forget the pain in the throat temporarily.

The principle of mint pain relief is actually similar to that of eating ice pain relief. Many people like to eat mint candy and then take a sip of cold drink, and they will feel very "refreshed" in the throat (of course, not everyone likes this feeling).

3. Rinse your mouth with salt water

Many medical institutions and clinical guidelines recommend gargling with salt water to relieve throat pain.

Salt water for gargling can be made by adding 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt to about 240 ml of water.

Because children who are too young may not be able to master the method of gargling, this method is recommended for children aged 6 or above.

4. Drink plenty of water

Organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom recommend that patients with sore throats drink plenty of water.

Drinking plenty of water is also very important for recovery from illness.

You can choose to drink water at the temperature you like, room temperature, cold water or warm water are all fine, but as mentioned earlier, be careful to avoid drinking liquids that are too hot.

Source: Chongqing Tianji Network Co., Ltd.

This article is compiled from Popular Science China, Tencent Medical Dictionary, Guangzhou Popular Science

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