Best foods to eat when you’re sick

I have been sick for the past few days. What started with headaches and a general feeling of fatigue at the start of last week, turned into a full blown throat infection this past weekend. By now it is certainly on its way out, but since I was feeling a little rough I thought what better time then to make blog post about my favorite foods to eat when I’m sick. I’m talking every day colds, flues and related symptoms. Here’s what I like to have.

Yoghurt or porridge with oats/ muesli & banana

My first priority when I’m sick is quick and easy meals that are nutritious and healthy. I try to focus even more than usual on getting enough fruit and veg into my system. Of course I also use some home remedies that I pick up from the drugstore, but that is not what this post is about.

My first option is a good breakfast option: yoghurt with muesli or porridge with oats, some honey and banana is one of my favorite breakfasts to have year round. Depending on how poorly I feel, I simply have this a little later in the day, or leave out the muesli/ oats to make it a little lighter to digest. I find it easy to process, yet it gives me a lot of nutrients that will keep me going throughout the day.

Vegetable soup

Broccoli-lentil soup

By far my favorite meal when I am sick is soup. My favorites are vegetable or chicken soup and a broccoli-lentil soup that is a bit more filling. I will go for store bought if need be, but I usually have a batch lying around my freezer, so I can have some whenever I want. I prefer homemade anyway as I feel it is far more nutritious than the stuff from a can. You can click the links to go to the recipes if you’d like.

Sandwich

One thing I struggle with when I am sick is to make sure I eat enough fibers. If you’re living mostly off liquids for a few days that isn’t too good for your system. So having some sort of sandwich, maybe not every day, but at some point, is a good thing to do as it will give your stomach something to do. I love this corn bread as it is one of the very few breads that my body can deal with even on a good day, so I like have a slice or two when I am sick.

Smoothie

Another go to for me are smoothies, but I like these best when I am sick. Especially if you have a sore throat and you use frozen fruits, you will surely create a very soothing drink which is jam-packed with the nutrients you so badly need. Lately I have been having two favorite smoothies, which I will have to show you some time. But both are dairy free and are based around 1 type of veggie, with 1 type of fruit added for the taste. Simple, yet so so easy.

Tea

Tea is another usual favorite of mine, but whenever I get sick I drink so much of it. One thing you have to watch out for when you are sick with and everyday flu is that you stay hydrated. Tea and water are your two best candidates for doing that. On top of that, tea with honey can be very soothing for your throat. What’s more, depending on the type of honey you use, you can even help your cough and general cold heal a bit quicker (thyme honey is a great candidate for helping you out if you feel congested and are coughing up a storm).

Pukka Lemon Ginger & Manuka Honey tea

When it comes to tea, I would like to highlight this particular tea by Pukka. You can make this brew yourself with fresh lemons, ginger and a bit of honey of course, but this has all that in one tea bag! Since I have been battling a throat infection for the past few days, I found this to be of great help. The lemon soothes the infection, the ginger warms up your throat and the honey soothes it. It’s a three in one, that I simply love for taking care of sore throats which I deal with almost every time I get sick. Also works great if you lose your voice!

What foods do you eat when you’re sick?