I am super sick right now and haven’t eaten much in a few days. It’s getting to the point where I am gonna need to force myself to eat something to keep my strength up but everything just sounds terrible to me right now. I have been subsisting mostly on small glasses of milk and the occasional packet of instant oatmeal.
Any suggestions on things to eat that go down easy and has nutritional value? Flavor is pretty far down on my list of requirements right now and I’m finding myself exhausted after chewing a few bites. Any serious suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Chicken soup has a good reputation in this regard.
I saw recently that chicken soup actually causes an immune response of some kind that helps make you better.
They used to call it “Jewish penicillin”
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But I don’t wanna eat hair
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In my area most people suggest Gatorade or pedialyte (my go to). Going without a meal or a few is okay, but make sure to drink, get electrolytes, and make sure it has sugar in it.
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Hot buttered toast!
To add to this: cinnamon toast. Butter some bread, smear cinnamon sugar on it and microwave for thirty seconds. With bread goes down easy, and cinnamon toast is definitely the best way I came up with to get some carbs.
Microwave?!
Bruh get a toaster lol
My issue was with my swallowing. So actual toast was too crunchy to reliably get down. When the butter melted in the microwave, it sort of “set” into the bread. So it was super soggy and easily “dissolved” in my throat. So I personally couldn’t really eat “solid” foods. Microwaved cinnamon toast was the best way I found to get carbs.
Edit: could to couldnt
Just toast it less? Even a minute will ehat it enough to melt butter but not very crisp.
Yeah, I tried it toasted. I dealt with this for over two months. I tried just about everything. I know everyone is coming from a good place with these suggestions. I’m trying not to come across unpleasant, but it feels like it has the same energy as asking a depressed person if they’d tried being happy before.
I promise, I tried it. I put effort into putting food into my body that wouldn’t get caught in my throat and make me feel like I was going to choke and die. At one point I had 7 appointments with 6 different doctors in a two and a half week span. I really genuinely put effort into finding something I could eat. Soylent and mashed potatoes and soggy bread got me through it. I got sick of people telling me how much weight I’d lost like I didn’t own a mirror. I got sick of people telling me I’m just not cooking things right.
I went through something I think is similar to op, and I offered my suggestions. I’m not saying this is what op or anyone needs to do.
I’m just saying this is what helped me when I couldn’t eat, give it a shot if you want.
If it’s crispy you’re just toasting it too much, sorry. It’s not toasted, it’s warmed by a toaster,
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One of my favorites when I’m sick!
Also great to spread some jam on there too
Meal replacement shake (or bar) with calories, vitamins, and minerals. It’s what doctor’s recommended after I hit the pavement.
My doctor suggested Soylent and I found some near me. I was thinking this might be an option.
I’ve had illness that broke my swallowing. Soylent is relatively good tasting, has the nutrients you need, and goes down fast and easy. It isn’t pleasant to live on, but I did it for almost two months and it was way better than only eating soggy bread. I definitely recommend Soylent.
Edit: there’s also (I’m sorry I don’t remember the brand) a really good cinnabon breakfast shake that tastes good and helps break up the monotony of a meal replacement shake only diet.
Seconding Soylent. I had some issues keeping food down a couple years ago because of some medication I was taking. Soylent was one of the few things I could “eat”. I still like it and drink the banana pie one for my lunch when I have to go into the office.
Yeah Soylent is still my go to for breakfast since I have a hard time eating in the mornings in general. I definitely am glad I can eat solid foods now, but Soylent is definitely convenient, easy, and nutritional.
I will admit I’ve only ever had the chocolate and vanilla. I’m not a big vanilla guy, so I pretty much “ate” only chocolate Soylent for a couple months lol. I had to “eat” more often since it’s only 320 I think calories per drink, though. I personally had a goal of 5 a day, so it was definitely hard to keep up the pace, and it got expensive for a time there.
The cinnamon one is Huel, which also has a better nutritional profile than Soylent
Awesom! Thank you. I didn’t realize it had a better nutritional profile. I wonder what the calories are like. I will have to look into it again for my breakfasts.
I wonder if something like this would be good for me when I’ve no appetite when my IBD flares up.
A few drops of real vanilla extract can make Soylent a bit more palatable if you have a problem with the taste. I haven’t had it for a few years though. I spent a year and a bit mostly just having Soylent and Pho but now I’m back to cooking meals and eating keto.
I think Soylent tastes pretty good honestly. It’s just not great to be the only thing you love off off. It gets a bit monotonous after a couple weeks.
I did like it but found I would add chocolate powder or maple syrup once a day to break the monotony. I was having it for 3 of 4 meals a day.
If you suffer from allergic or any kind of reactions to MSG, watch for those in the ingredients. I’m not sure about soylent, but pediasure and boost definitely have it in it.
I think the US hospital sent me home with boxes of brand names : boost and ensure. 100% nutrients type drink.
Nuts are super nutrient-dense. Just a handful gets you a decent amount of calories & protein. You can crush some up and mix with your oatmeal if they’re too much to chew.
I like this idea!
Nuts and seeds.
With women who have already had breast cancer, taking 12mg of lignin (found in flak and some other seeds) every day correlated with an 80% reduction in death after 5 years.
Beans are good also. As well as Greens, Onions, Mushrooms, & Berries.
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Nuts have a lot of calories in a small package, and as a migraneuse I can also verify that nuts and dried cherries are one of the least offensive things to deal with if you end up puking. If you have miso, miso soup is easy and gentle and tasty.
But mostly make sure you are drinking water with electrolytes. Your body can survive well without food calories for quite some time, and lack of appetite when sick may be a signal to fast and rest. Dehydration is much more likely and much more damaging.
Congee / rice porridge. Cook rice way down until it’s breaking apart. You can go simple/traditional by cooking it in water with a little ginger, or kick it up a notch by cooking it in chicken broth to add more flavor.
This sounds simple and right up my alley!
Oh yeah, rice with a little broth was a lifesaver the last time I was super sick. Drinking broth alone wasn’t cutting it, but the rice was still gentle enough that it didn’t make me want to die when I ate it.
Any soup is good imo. Like Cauliflower soup with bacon and garlic bread. Meat/vegetable soup.
As a last resort drinking broth can work.
It’s about getting energy into your body so you can heal
Disclaimer: English is not my first language and I’m too tired and sick to look them all up
Cauliflower isn’t good, tho.
Get better soon!
Thank you :)
Chicken noodle soup
Instant ramen and crack an egg into the boiling water right at the end and stir. Gives it some protein and makes it a more substantial meal.
Soup broth.
Chicken soup. Easy to make, can add rice and it is super healthy.
Ingredients: One onion, and you don’t need to cut it to small pieces. One carrot One or two celery stick Whole raw or roasted chicken.
Through everything on big pot, cover with water, lower the heat when start bubbling.
Let it simmer for 40 to 60 minutes.
Add rice or potatoes or any other vegetables you like.
Can freeze really well for months.
Get some liquid IV powder. It is full of electrolytes and minerals and easy on your stomach. The last time I was in your shoes I did it for two days straight and it kept me going even at work. With that or get some Pedialyte, is not as good in my opinion, but will do similar things for you.
When I have issues eating I go for non-offensive foods that are easy to swallow such as a can of white beans in tomato sauce, plain full fat Greek yoghurt, oatmeal made with milk and not water, lentil soup. I sometimes make 1000 kcalorie smoothies with half an avocado, 2 tbsp peanut butter, cup of 10% fat yogurt, a banana, 1/2 cup oatmeal and enough orange juice to make it liquid. Will not win any taste awards but does contain a bunch of good stuff.
I’ve done the smoothie before as well, not the same recipe but high calorie smoothies none the less.