15 Best Things to Eat When You’re as Sick as a Dog

Posted on June 24, 2010 by admin

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Life isn’t easy when you’re as sick as a dog. Not only do you lack the energy to partake in routine daily activities like work or school, but often times you can’t muster up enough strength to get out of bed. Regardless of your condition, you have to eat – it’s crucial to the healing and coping process. And food can help improve your mood drastically if you find the right dish or treat. Below are a handful of food items that will give your body the energy it needs to defeat whatever is causing it to suffer.

Chicken noodle soup
This is a sick-food staple and an obvious must-have for anyone who’s feeling under the weather. For generations, doctors have encouraged their patients to load up on chicken noodle soup because it contains an amino acid, cysteine, which thins mucus. These days, you just have to open up a can and let the soup cook on the stove for a several minutes, and you’ll be ready for relief.
Skinless chicken breast
In order to gain energy and keep your immune system fighting, it’s important that you load up on protein. Meat and poultry items are rich with the nutrient, and skinless chicken breast in particular is a healthy and easy-to-digest food item that supplies it.
Nuts
Nuts are also rich with protein and easy to eat. You can purchase a can of mixed nuts at your local drug store for a few bucks and munch on them while you lie in bed and watch your favorite daytime soap operas.
Beans
With a can of beans, you’ll get a healthy dosage of vitamin B6, potassium, magnesium, folate and alpha-linolenic acid. It’s best to devour pinto beans, lima beans and kidney beans because they’re considered the healthiest.
Carrots
Carrots contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A; it helps fight off infections by giving your white blood cells a boost. This veggie can be especially useful when you have a sore throat. Boiling carrots in water will make them softer and thus easier to swallow.
Eggs
Who doesn’t like eggs? They’re tasty, easy to prepare and easy on the stomach. They possess varying amounts of Vitamins D, A, K and E as well as iron. A pack of a dozen eggs can last you from the onset of your illness to when you’re back to full-health.
Fish
Fish is packed with minerals like potassium, zinc, iron, magnesium and iodine. It includes vitamins D and B2, along with calcium and phosphorous. So when you’re as sick as a dog but would prefer to eat like a cat, take a couple of minutes to prepare some salmon, catfish or whichever gilled sea creature you prefer – or better yet, buy it after it has already been prepared.
Pasta
Whole wheat pasta specifically is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, B3 and E, and iron, zinc and fiber. You can combine it with a sauce that won’t upset your stomach. If you add garlic, for example, it might help clear your sinuses.
Oatmeal
It takes just a couple of minutes to add water to a bowl of oatmeal and pop it into the microwave, and the end result is that you’ll be ingesting zinc, selenium and beta-glucan. Because oatmeal is soft and easily digestible, it has long been an excellent sick-food.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Peanuts – which are obviously nuts – are filled with protein. And if you combine peanut butter with jelly and whole wheat bread, your sandwich will provide you with vitamin E, copper, calcium, magnesium, fiber, iron, zinc, niacin and calcium.
Dark honey on toast
Dark honey has been known to fight infections and colds, end coughs, clear sinuses and aid digestion. You can make a light meal out of it by spreading it onto some whole wheat toast, but it’s just as tasty when added to water and tea.
Yogurt
The sickly are advised to eat dairy foods when they don’t have stomach aches – dairy isn’t always easy to digest – because some milk-related products provide healthy bacteria that help protect your body. Yogurt specifically is soothing to eat when you have a sore throat and can’t swallow hard foods.
Bananas
A nice and soft banana is a good edible option when your throat is sore. The fruit is a provider of vitamin C and B6, potassium and fiber. Additionally, it can act as a mood enhancer because it contains the amino acid tryptophan, which helps your body produce serotonin – a sedative.
Smoothies
Although it’s technically a drink, a smoothie is made of fruits and vegetables. Just pile your favorites into the blender and you’ll have an easily-edible meal in a cup. Just be sure to cut down on the acidy fruits if you have a stomach ache.
Ice Cream
It’s the comfort food momma used to give you when your throat was sore. Ice Cream’s primary benefit is that it helps improve your mood. Even when you’re down in the dumps, it’s impossible to resist a cold bowl of Rocky Road, Mint Chocolate Chip or Cookies ‘n Cream.