10 Foods you should absolutely avoid when you’re sick

Bad to Worse: 10 Foods & drinks to absolutely avoid when you’re sick

MF editorial team

05 Jun 2017

1/10
Beverages that contain theine or caffeine
Yes, this means tea and coffee. Contrary to what one may think, these beverages don’t necessarily boost our body’s energy levels. In fact, they could impact on our body’s ability to perform at its peak. Tea and coffee are both powerful diuretics, which means they can ultimately promote dehydration if you are not careful about maintaining your liquid intake. In addition, they thicken mucus, which could exacerbate a sinus infection. Drinking coffee is also inadvisable in the case of digestive disorders.
2/10
Store-bought orange juice
While oranges are rich in vitamin C, which is very effective when you have a common cold, you will want to avoid mass produced orange juice (yes, the ones with plenty of additives, artificial flavouring, and sugar). Sugar is already plentiful in fresh oranges, so you don’t need an extra dose! Too much sugar in the body can impede on your body’s ability to combat an infection.
3/10
Soft drinks and fizzy soda
The gas in these types of drinks can irritate the throat. In addition, these syrupy drinks are full of sugar, which slows down your body’s ability to heal itself.
4/10
Cream-based soups
Cream of mushroom, cream of chicken… any cream-based soup or cheese-based soup will cause a thick buildup of mucus and can make digestion a lot harder. Choose clear vegetable broths that are rich in minerals, instead of thick and chunky soups.
5/10
Acidic fruits and vegetables
Avoid acidic fruits and vegetables such as grapefruit, kiwi, corn, lentils and olives. They will intensify the inflammation of the throat.
6/10
Alcohol
This one is a no-brainer. Alcohol inhibits the immune system. It promotes dehydration, which causes cramps, muscle aches, and a drop in your concentration. Ensure you steer clear of alcohol until you are 100% better.
7/10
Chips and fatty snacks
Rich in salt and fat, these types of oil-ladden snacks strongly irritate the throat. The salt content, in particular, will make you feel parched and thirsty.
8/10
Cakes and sweets
It’s best to avoid your favourite chocolate chip cookies, flaky croissants, and saccharine macarons for now. All the refined sugar will distract your body from concentrating on fighting the virus.
9/10
Cakes and sweets
Say goodbye to fast foods for now. The heavy fats that things like French fries and deep-fried chicken contain will cause havoc and inflammation on your digestive tract. Like sugar, the body will start to focus on that problem, instead of the infection you have.
10/10
Ice cream
It is often said that cold foods can numb the pain, but ice cream will not soothe your sore throat for long! On the contrary, the high amount of dairy in ice cream will thicken mucus and cause respiratory problems! As a double-edged sword, the rich fat content will not help matters at all.

Beverages that contain theine or caffeine

It’s difficult to avoid our favourite foods when we are sick. However, some of of them are likely to slow down the healing process! Discover what you need to avoid.

We often have misconceptions about the foods we consume when we are suffering from a cold or flu. Certain drinks or foods (think ice cold coffees and deep-fried chicken) can prevent our recovery and slow down our immune defenses by exacerbating inflammation and heightening mucus production. Avoid overly rich foods and pick warm broths and soothing concoctions made with lemon, honey, or ginger. Also, remember that plenty of water is a must!

Curious to know which foods you ought to stay away from when you’re sick? Head up to the gallery and take a few notes down — it’s always useful to know what you should avoid in the event you come down with something.

Mélanie Philippo & Angela Goh

Photos: Getty Images

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