Nutrition during a Mild Illness

‘Tis the season to be…sick in bed. With colder weather comes the inevitable cold and flu season.  Whether you’re sick yourself or dealing with sick kids, proper nutrition can be helpful to recover faster and maintain your child’s hydration. But what foods can help during an illness?

Hydration is key!

During an illness, appetite may not be the same, but we do want to still make sure hydration is maintained. This is especially important when symptoms of an illness might lead to more fluid losses like diarrhea, vomiting, or fever. Fluids in any form can be helpful, however, clear fluids may be better tolerated like diluted fruit juice, Pedialyte, water, or broth. If your child is older, fruit popsicles, freezies, or ice chips can also be helpful and soothing. Food has fluid in it as well. Things like pouches, fruits/vegetables, soups, and yogurt all has additional fluid in it that can help maintain hydration.

It is important to note that fruit juices can sometimes exacerbate symptoms of diarrhea due to the high fructose content. To reduce the amount of sugar you can try making your own fruit infused water (see below for a tried and true family favourite!).

What to offer?

There is no one food that will cure an illness, however, proper nutrition can be helpful to recover faster. In addition to replenishing fluid loss, foods feed energy to the immune system so it can heal our bodies. Adequate food consumption is critical to meet the increased demands of the immune system. To maintain energy needs, try consuming energy-dense foods full of nutrients, like dairy, eggs, fish, meat or foods high in healthy fats avocado, nuts, seeds, nut butter. 

Many vitamins and minerals also contribute to the immune function. Vitamins A, E, and C and zinc, copper, and selenium have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants mitigate damage from certain reactive molecules. These reactive molecules are formed from several things, but one process is metabolism – which is increased during illness. So, we must consume antioxidants during illness to protect the body from damage! Below is a list of foods rich in each nutrient. 

Vitamin A: peppers, carrots, fish, fortified milk  

Vitamin C: citrus, broccoli, strawberries, avocado   

Vitamin E: oils, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts  

Zinc: fish, poultry, meat, dairy, legumes

Copper:  legumes, nuts, whole grains

Selenium:  sunflower seeds, pork, dairy

Low appetite…

If your illness comes with symptoms of low appetite, stick to foods that are comforting and tolerated. Fresh foods like fruits and vegetables can be helpful to maintain hydration and tend to be well-tolerated. Smoothies or soups can be helpful as you can sip on these foods slowly and require less chewing.

While the “best” meals to offer are nutrient-dense, balanced meals, if your child is like mine and just wants Goldfish, that is fine too. During an illness I continue to offer a combination of nutrient-dense and comforting foods for my child to choose from and continue to offer these foods in a low-pressure environment during mealtimes. It is totally normal for your child to resort to comfort foods when not feeling well and we don’t want to force them to eat something when they are unwell. Continue to encourage hydration in a variety of forms and trust that your child will go back to eating their typical foods when feeling well.

Do you have concerns about your child’s growth or nutrition? Schedule a FREE 15-minute discovery call with our dietitian to see how we can help!