You've certainly heard the saying "feed a cold, starve a fever" several times while treating a cold or the flu. In reality, you shouldn't starve either a cold or a fever; rather, you should nourish them both.

Your immune system is battling an infection when you have a cold or a fever, so cutting back on food during the first stages of an illness can be harmful. The body needs a lot of energy to produce and put together the many immune cells required to attack the threat. This energy is provided by calories and a healthy diet.

This is particularly true for those with weaker immune systems, like young children, the elderly, people with chronic illnesses like diabetes or cancer, or those with autoimmune diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, who may experience more severe colds and infections if they consume insufficient amounts of high-quality nutrients.

Fact check of the proverb:

When you're ill, losing your appetite is not unusual. While going without food occasionally seems to help, it might also make you feel weaker. So, is it advisable to starve with a fever?

Not in the opinion of Cedars-medical Sinai's professionals, who dismiss it as fiction. Whether you have the flu or the cold, eating and drinking adequate fluids are crucial since your immune system requires both to function. According to Harvard Medical School, it is not necessary to eat more or less than normal if you have the flu or a cold. Both groups emphasise the value of fluids.

Viral infection often causes colds and the flu, although there are other causes of fever, such as:

a) Bacterial contamination

b) Inflammatory diseases

c) Adverse reactions to certain drugs and vaccinations

d) Heatstroke or dehydration

Which leads to the following query: Does it matter what the fever is caused by? Are there some fevers that call for starvation?

According to a 2002 study, fasting may boost the immune system's ability to fight bacterial infections while consuming nutrient-rich broth may help fight viral infections. It's important to note that the research was limited and consisted of just six healthy, young men. Researchers discovered that fasting is effective in preventing viral but not bacterial infections in a 2016 study. However, mice, not humans, were used in this investigation.

Simply put, there hasn't been enough human "feed a cold, starve a fever" studies to know for sure. The fact that a fever can have so many different origins just makes things more difficult.

Therefore, it is usually ideal to eat whenever your stomach is ready to do so and to limit your intake of food when it isn't. In any case, it's critical to consume enough liquids to keep hydrated.

Foods to eat:

1. Beta-carotene: The following are some examples of foods high in beta-carotene and other carotenoids: apricots, beef liver, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, maize, guava, kale, mango, mustard and collard greens, nectarines, peaches, pink grapefruit, pumpkin, squash (yellow and winter), sweet potato, tangerines, tomatoes, and watermelon.
2. Vitamin C: Broccoli, cantaloupe, cauliflower, kale, kiwi, orange juice, papaya, red, green, or yellow pepper, sweet potato, strawberries, and tomatoes are foods high in vitamin C.
3. Vitamin E: Almonds, maize oil, cod liver oil, hazelnuts, lobster, peanut butter, safflower oil, salmon steak, and sunflower seeds are among the foods high in vitamin E.
4. Bioflavonoids: Bioflavonoid-rich foods may also aid in maintaining your health. According to research, these important nutrients promote immune system activation. Citrus fruit pulp and the white core that runs through the middle of green peppers, lemons, limes, oranges, cherries, and grapes are all sources of bioflavonoids. Red and yellow onions, broccoli, citrus fruits, and large amounts of broccoli all contain quercetin, a bioflavonoid.