Sick as a dog!

webuiltthisnicky
webuiltthisnicky Posts: 84 Member
edited November 10 in Health and Weight Loss
So! You're dog sick, you're suffering from cold/flu to the point that you're pretty sure Satan himself vomited right in your face, and you're shivering in your office barely able to see the computer screen through the watery eyes of a diseased donkey. All you want is comfort food - toast, creamy hot chocolate, a spicy curry to clean those sinuses - all bad for you! What do you do to kill those cravings?

I'm asking for a friend, obviously ;)

Replies

  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    Your body needs food to help fight infection. Eat at maintenance for a few days until you feel well again.

    What is unhealthy about toast, hot chocolate and curry? There is no reason these items cannot be part of a healthy diet.
  • meryl135
    meryl135 Posts: 321 Member
    Your poor sniffly friend! :wink:

    I personally love Thai (or Chinese?) Hot and Sour soup when I'm sick, since it's fairly light and clears my congestion brilliantly. Also, lots of tea with lemon and a touch of honey.

    I tend not to worry about calorie intake when I'm sick since I just want to get better and nourish myself with good food. Get well soon.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Chicken soup, really. And stay in bed and drink water and wash my hands a lot.
  • webuiltthisnicky
    webuiltthisnicky Posts: 84 Member
    KarenJanine wrote: »
    What is unhealthy about toast, hot chocolate and curry? There is no reason these items cannot be part of a healthy diet.

    I don't really have room for them in my calorie allowance unless I skip a meal somewhere. The 1200 calorie allowance doesn't really leave much wiggle room, although I'm only starting out so I probably still have a lot of calorie-saving tricks to learn (still discovering low cal alternatives to things etc)
  • Izzwoz
    Izzwoz Posts: 348 Member
    Nothing wrong with any of the foods you listed :-) (well, maybe the hot chocolate with measure, but there are ways) ... curry is so quick and easy to make yourself so it doesn't have to break the calorie bank, chicken noodle soup with ginger and chilli is my favourite comfort food, really filling and veery affordable in terms of calories. Hope you're feeling better soon!
  • Izzwoz
    Izzwoz Posts: 348 Member
    On that note: trying this one tonight: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chana-masala-spinach
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    maintenance and eat as well as you can

    and go home - why spread your germs?
  • webuiltthisnicky
    webuiltthisnicky Posts: 84 Member
    Lots of tasty-sounding suggestions so far - thanks guys!
  • Mistraal1981
    Mistraal1981 Posts: 453 Member
    If you are sick, eat at maintenance. Your poor body is already working hard to fight infection, don't make it try to do that with no food!

    I mean, your friends body ofc.
  • webuiltthisnicky
    webuiltthisnicky Posts: 84 Member
    A lot of folks seem to be advising eating at maintenance. I've already prepped a low-cal dinner and logged it, so I had a bit more of a substantial lunch and I'll pick at some sunflower seeds to make up calories. Thanks for the food suggestions and advice!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    chicken soup

    *nods*
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    My December was full of weight gain. Why? I was sick for the entire month - cold, flu, sinus infection.. and because I turned 30, and, well Christmas happened. lol

    I ate at Maintenance, and sometimes above. I needed to fuel to feel better.

    Take a few days off of your 1200 a day diet (I get cold just thinking about eating that low!), and get better! (and go home, you'll spread it!)
  • webuiltthisnicky
    webuiltthisnicky Posts: 84 Member
    Would love to go home, but I dont see anyone being particularly impressed that I went home over a cold no matter nasty it felt. I'm ridiculous though. I can power through tummy bugs and have gone out to a bar with food poisoning, but a cold will absolutely destroy me lol!
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    Low cal soup for a cold... super fast and easy! Heat up some broth, throw in a handful of spinach, scramble an egg, throw that in there, stir that around, let that form ribbons, and then stir in as much sriracha as you can stand. If you have some time, while the broth is heating, throw in a mashed garlic clove or two and a slice or 3 of ginger then fish those out before adding the spinach and egg. You could even add other veg if you have time.
  • ViolaLeeBlueberry
    ViolaLeeBlueberry Posts: 182 Member
    edited January 2015
    webuiltthisnicky wrote: »
    KarenJanine wrote: »
    What is unhealthy about toast, hot chocolate and curry? There is no reason these items cannot be part of a healthy diet.

    I don't really have room for them in my calorie allowance unless I skip a meal somewhere. The 1200 calorie allowance doesn't really leave much wiggle room, although I'm only starting out so I probably still have a lot of calorie-saving tricks to learn (still discovering low cal alternatives to things etc)

    Just FYI, I eat at 1200 calories, live in South Asia and regularly make "curry" for dinner. If you're making it with cream (or getting takeout), that's a Westernized version :smile: So first of all, don't ever put in cream. (It's hardly even available here. Seriously, I have to make a special search the few times of year I actually use cream.) If you want it creamy, use a few tablespoons of yogurt or coconut milk. (Neither one is high-cal in small amounts. I use whole-fat yogurt; in fact, nothing else is available. But it really doesn't add many calories.)

    Also, there's no need to put in a lot of oil. I usually use about 2 tablespoons for 3 people per dinner. Not sure what else could be making it hard to fit in ... although it's true that bottled curry mixes and other commercial Indian foods, like achars (chutneys/pickles), are very high in oil. So it CAN be high-cal, but homemade Indian/South Asian food definitely doesn't have to be. (The rice amounts or roti/naan etc is another issue. I'm talking about the basic veggies or meat.)

    Anyhow ... I'm also dealing with a nasty cold right now (although I wouldn't say "sick as a dog," who is the only one in the house who is healthy at the moment :smile: ) ... Today I made an omelette for breakfast (protein!); had a lot of bowls of chicken soup with loads of garlic (as well as turmeric and ajwain, which is what's traditionally done here when you're sick; I make a soup base and keep adding to it all day, basically, so there's always some soup on the stove); and then made a high-protein pork stew for dinner (saucy, so lots of liquid, plus the protein). Like others said, the idea is to give the immune system some fuel to work with! And liquid. Lots of it.

    But if you're sick, gosh, go home! If the folks at work aren't impressed by your cold now, they'll be impressed when they catch it. Feel better!
  • jpaulie
    jpaulie Posts: 917 Member
    I eat at maintenance when I am sick.

    But also when you are sick make sure you are getting enough water you seem to come up a bit short there :)
  • kirstycecilia
    kirstycecilia Posts: 30 Member
    I would say eat a bit of what you fancy but don't go mad! Do consider taking some time off work though- I didn't and felt worse and worse. My doctor sent me to hospital when I finally took a day off on Monday and was struggling to breathe and they've diagnosed me with pneumonia. If I had taken the time off when I needed it I probably would have only needed a day or two- now I'll need at least a week! Your health is important- give your body a chance to recover and get better soon.
  • pants77
    pants77 Posts: 185 Member
    Bodies need calories to fight illness. You should eat AT LEAST at maintenance until you're feeling better. Speaking from experience, when I am sick I feel better faster when I eat more and I stay sick longer if I try to stay at a deficit.

    It's like sending soldiers to battle without giving them bullets - how is your body supposed to win?
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    webuiltthisnicky wrote: »
    So! You're dog sick, you're suffering from cold/flu to the point that you're pretty sure Satan himself vomited right in your face, and you're shivering in your office barely able to see the computer screen through the watery eyes of a diseased donkey. All you want is comfort food - toast, creamy hot chocolate, a spicy curry to clean those sinuses - all bad for you! What do you do to kill those cravings?

    I'm asking for a friend, obviously ;)

    Why are they bad for you?
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    When your sick and you want to eat Eat! And yeah chicken soup with lots of pepper helps for me a lot.
    But it is years and years ago i really had a cold lol

    wish you a speedy recovery
  • webuiltthisnicky
    webuiltthisnicky Posts: 84 Member
    edited January 2015
    ViolaLeeBlueberry wrote: »
    webuiltthisnicky wrote: »
    KarenJanine wrote: »
    What is unhealthy about toast, hot chocolate and curry? There is no reason these items cannot be part of a healthy diet.

    I don't really have room for them in my calorie allowance unless I skip a meal somewhere. The 1200 calorie allowance doesn't really leave much wiggle room, although I'm only starting out so I probably still have a lot of calorie-saving tricks to learn (still discovering low cal alternatives to things etc)

    Just FYI, I eat at 1200 calories, live in South Asia and regularly make "curry" for dinner. If you're making it with cream (or getting takeout), that's a Westernized version :smile: So first of all, don't ever put in cream. (It's hardly even available here. Seriously, I have to make a special search the few times of year I actually use cream.) If you want it creamy, use a few tablespoons of yogurt or coconut milk. (Neither one is high-cal in small amounts. I use whole-fat yogurt; in fact, nothing else is available. But it really doesn't add many calories.)

    Also, there's no need to put in a lot of oil. I usually use about 2 tablespoons for 3 people per dinner. Not sure what else could be making it hard to fit in ... although it's true that bottled curry mixes and other commercial Indian foods, like achars (chutneys/pickles), are very high in oil. So it CAN be high-cal, but homemade Indian/South Asian food definitely doesn't have to be. (The rice amounts or roti/naan etc is another issue. I'm talking about the basic veggies or meat.)

    Anyhow ... I'm also dealing with a nasty cold right now (although I wouldn't say "sick as a dog," who is the only one in the house who is healthy at the moment :smile: ) ... Today I made an omelette for breakfast (protein!); had a lot of bowls of chicken soup with loads of garlic (as well as turmeric and ajwain, which is what's traditionally done here when you're sick; I make a soup base and keep adding to it all day, basically, so there's always some soup on the stove); and then made a high-protein pork stew for dinner (saucy, so lots of liquid, plus the protein). Like others said, the idea is to give the immune system some fuel to work with! And liquid. Lots of it.

    But if you're sick, gosh, go home! If the folks at work aren't impressed by your cold now, they'll be impressed when they catch it. Feel better!

    Oh my God these sounds great. I'm learning to cook at the moment so I'm taking note of all the tips I'm getting lol! Thanks!
    jpaulie wrote: »
    I eat at maintenance when I am sick.

    But also when you are sick make sure you are getting enough water you seem to come up a bit short there :)


    Guilty! I'm really forgetful about water. I think I'm going to have to set a reminder on my phone to go to the water cooler.
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