Your head hurts, your eyes are weeping, and your nose is plugged. You might or might not feel hungry. However, there are many suggestions for what to eat and what not to eat when you're hungry, and dairy products in particular are frequently advised against.

Some people believe that milk, cheese, and ice cream should all be avoided. This is explained by the unpleasant fact that dairy products will cause more mucus to be produced. But is this the case?

Although mucus generally makes us cringe, it has a crucial function in our physiology. In numerous areas of the body, such as the stomach, esophagus, lungs, and windpipe, mucus membranes shield tissues from irritation or harm. We, therefore, do require it, but naturally, no one wants to consume excessive amounts, particularly if they are already making more as a result of their cold.

Many of us spent our sick days as children living in constant fear that consuming milk would cause us to produce horrible phlegm. As a result, we learned as children not to drink milk while we are contagious.

Additionally, milk consumption was discouraged for kids with cystic fibrosis and asthma since, according to popular opinion, it can exacerbate respiratory disorders.

But according to a fresh scholarly analysis of the milk-cold-phlegm relationship, which was published in this month's issue of the BMJ journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, the milk-mucus connection is merely fiction.

Even if a child has asthma, cystic fibrosis, or another respiratory ailment, drinking milk will not cause them to cough up more phlegm while they have a cold. Even better, the analysis notes, milk consumption is advised for the majority of kids because it is a wholesome source of protein and vitamins.

Adult participants in a study done for the US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health did not produce any more mucus after consuming milk. After giving the rhinovirus-2 to 60 participants, records of their daily respiratory symptoms and consumption of milk and dairy products were preserved for ten days. The individuals drank 0–11 glasses of milk each day, and several of them admitted on a questionnaire that they cut back on milk because they thought it increased phlegm production. The researchers concluded that there was no conclusive link between milk consumption and an increase in nasal discharge or congestion symptoms. People who cut back on milk because they thought it made mucus complained more of coughing and congestion. Other important research has demonstrated that milk consumption does not increase phlegm production but may cause phlegm to become thicker and to adhere to the surface, irritating the throat. Another study that disproves this suggestion was published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition and found that milk consumption was not linked to increased nasal secretions, coughing symptoms, or congestion in those who had been inoculated with the common cold virus. The research team did note a small number of instances where individuals with a cow's milk allergy displayed asthma-like symptoms.

Conclusion

Even though you may not feel like eating, a glass of chilled milk or a few bites of frozen yogurt may help you feel better while also giving you some calories and nutrients. A fruit and yogurt smoothie rich in zinc, calcium, probiotics, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber is another option.