What do you do when you’re sick and don’t want to eat?

J_Zardo

I am so sick right now and I know I need to eat at least some food but I am not hungry at all. Do you guys still try to consume food when this happens to you or do you just wait until you are hungry and pick up where you left off before getting sick?

janejellyroll

If I'm ill and not hungry, I don't eat. I figure my body knows best at that point.

(Note: obviously this wouldn't apply for prolonged illness or if my doctor told me that I needed to eat, just talking about regular brief illness in an otherwise healthy person).

urloved33

drink drink drink

J_Zardo

That makes sense. It’s just been told to me ever since I was a kid that you have to eat when you’re sick, even if you don’t want to, to keep your strength up. So I always think I have to even when it’s the last thing I want to do.

RadishEater

I eat calorie dense food, pasta with feta cheese sprinkled on top or chef boyardee pizza mix. Really not the healthiest but it is the only time I'm good just eat a slice and being like that's enough.

J_Zardo

urloved33 wrote: »

drink drink drink

I’m drinking water like crazy. That’s about the only think I’m having. I think I’ve eaten maybe 300 calories all day.

cwolfman13

When I'm sick, I eat, but I don't eat a lot. Usually broths or brothy soups and plain toast.

toxikon

Try drinking some broth to get some sodium at least. You could try some saltine crackers too, or other bland foods. Feel better soon!

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

I don't eat if I'm sick and don't have an appetite.

It saves the calories for when I feel better and I'm ravenous.

CarvedTones

Like others have said - hydrate. The old standby is saltines, which I can usually stomach. Melba toast is also usually pretty easy to stomach. But I rarely stay sick long, so i usually don't have long to just wait it out.

seltzermint555

I swear by PowerAde Zero in those situations and then when I do finally get hungry I "allow" myself to eat whatever I am craving like a beef burrito or creamy gravy on biscuits or whatever. Usually it's something out of the ordinary like that, once my appetite returns.

Hope you feel better soon!!

Go_Deskercise

Drink fluids, wait for appetite to inevitably return.

Additionally: If you're not eating anything during the day... now is the perfect time for a guilt free milkshake that you can drink without going over your calories for the day

DawnEmbers

Most of the time if not feeling well I try to get at least 1000 calories but on the occasion don’t make it. Like a day of going over, I also know a day or two that is low won’t do much in the grand scheme of things. Long as it is not a long term thing I don’t worry much over it.

MzManiak

Soup, crackers, water, tea... depends on the type of illness, but if I'm not feeling hungry, I'll still try to nibble.

olyamhc

I drink as much tea and water as I can and also have soups or smoothies (easy to fit energy and nutrient dense foods into these).

Lounmoun

It depends. I was naseated this morning and the thought of food was gross to me but I was also going to be walking to an appointment and back so not eating while doing that seemed a poor idea. I ate a little bit. If I had been home in bed I probably wouldn't have bothered to eat.

sardelsa

I don't force it. If I do I feel more sick and it usually won't stay with me anyways. This is usually if I have a stomach bug or flu..lasts only a few days then I start to eat a bit again. But I always hydrate best I can.. lots of tea, juice, water, etc

apullum

You do the best you can. I try to make myself eat something and I'm okay with whatever that "something" is. If I have the flu and the only thing that sounds appetizing is cookies, I eat cookies. (This was the case when I was sick a few years ago and ate nothing but gingersnaps for a day or two.) Your usual diet can wait until you're feeling better.

Cbean08

I tend to just skip it. When I'm sick, I'm usually sleeping a lot anyways, so not much time to eat even if I wanted to.