6 Foods And Drinks You Should Avoid When You’re Under The Weather

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When you’re sick, but somehow still have an appetite, you shouldn’t go into your fridge and chow down on just anything. If you want to get better quickly, load up on things like green tea, garlic, broth-based soups, Vitamin C and honey ginger tea. On the other hand, there are a bunch of foods and drinks that’ll slow down your recovery process. When your nose is running, here are 6 foods and drinks to avoid.

1. Crunchy Snacks

Often a runny nose pairs with an itchy throat, and the last thing you want to do when your throat is sore is force down some crunchy and abrasive foods — popcorn, chips, toast — that’ll just make it way more irritated. The more you irritate your throat, the longer it will take to heal. Stick with foods that’ll glide down your throat. If you can’t stay away from garlic bread while you’re sick, at least soften it up in some chicken soup beforehand.

2. Chocolate With Artificial Sweeteners.

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It’s a no-brainer that sugar doesn’t do your immune system any favors, especially when you’re sick. Sugar can suppress the immune system and cause inflammation so certain chocolates with artificial flavors and sweeteners or highly processed foods with added sugar should be avoided when you have a runny nose or a sore throat.

3. MSG

You might not realize that certain foods you’re eating have MSG, but it’s way more common than you’d think. Sometimes people don’t even know when they’re allergic to MSG. There could be MSG in your soy sauce, salad dressings, dipping sauces and certain processed foods in cans like soups. Powdered cheese often has MSG as well. When someone is allergic to MSG it can trigger a histamine response and increased mucus, which isn’t good for someone who is trying to get over a cold.

4. Spicy Food

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Eating foods on the spicy side when you have a runny nose or a sore throat can aggravate your sinuses. Spicy foods, mostly chili peppers and hot sauces, get their heat from capsaicin, which can often lead to irritation in your nasal passages and lead to a potentially runny nose. If you’re spending your day going through multiple boxes of tissues, you won’t want to make it worse with spicy foods.

5. Acidic Juice

Orange juice might seem like the natural choice when you’re sick, but the tart acidity in a glass of OJ can end up hurting your throat. If you have a sore throat, avoid acidic liquids like orange juice, citrus juices, soda or anything that’s naturally acidic in nature until your throat is feeling better.

6. Milk

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When you’re congested you might want to steer clear of milk. When you’re sick, there’s a good about of phlegm and mucus that drips down the back of your throat and drinking a glass of milk or eating that bagel with cream cheese may cause the phlegm to become a little thicker and more irritating than usual. Just to be on the safe side while you’re trying to recover, stick with water and tea.