Best Foods to Eat When Sick

Recovering from illness quickly is very important to most people. Aside from not wanting to suffer from the symptoms of illness, it is very difficult for people to miss work or to put other important activities on hold until they are better. Thankfully, there are many foods that can help ensure recovery from common illnesses like colds, infections, and the flu. Here's a list of the best foods to eat when you're sick:

Carrots

Carrots can help your body fight off illnesses thanks to the beta carotene it contains. It provides your body with more infection fighting cells that will help you get better in no time. While a crunchy carrot may not sound appetizing if you have symptoms like a sore throat, it can still provide you with plenty of nutrients when served in a soup.

Salmon

Salmon is a great source of many nutrients, but it contains two things in particular that can really help to boost your immune system: omega-3 fatty acids and selenium. The omega-3 increases activities of white blood cells in your body, while the selenium protects those cells from free-radical damage, making them a perfect combination.

Collard Greens

Collard greens are a good source of vitamin E, which stimulates the production of cells that will hunt for an eliminate germs from your body. Collard greens are also a good source of antioxidants like vitamin C and even contain some omega-3 fatty acids.

Oranges

Not only are oranges a great way to get the powerful antioxidant vitamin c, they can also help to detoxify your body. Citrus fruits have been shown to have natural detoxification abilities. Oranges also contain fiber, vitamin B1, folate, vitamin A, calcium and potassium.

Blueberries

Blueberries are an antioxidant powerhouse. Studies have shown that they're among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity. From vitamin C and E to polyphenols and flavonoids, blueberries give you an incredible amount of antioxidants in each serving.

Summer Squash

Summer Squash is a good source of zinc, which increases the number of infection fighting t-cells your body produces. It also helps the white bloods cells in your body to fight off illness more effectively. If summer squash isn't in season, other good sources of zinc are pumpkin seeds and spinach.

Yogurt

A yogurt high in probiotics is a great way to fight off illnesses as well as boost your resistance to them in the future. A yogurt full of healthy bacteria will boost your immune system so that you can recover as quickly as possible. To see more foods with probiotics, click here.

Green Tea

Soothing green tea is high in polyphenols, which are a powerful antioxidant that can help your body to better fight off illnesses. Green tea also has vitamins A, C, and E and can be very soothing to drink when a runny nose or a sore throat is among your symptoms.

Tomatoes

The lycopene in tomatoes fights off disease by eliminating free radicals from your body, making sure that your body can produce all of the white blood cells it needs. Tomatoes also contain vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin K. Try eating them in a nice hot soup.