Best Food to Eat with Covid

We’ve been getting a lot of queries about food and the new coronavirus here at Eating Well. What constitutes a safe environment? What isn’t there? What is the best way to store your groceries? One issue that may be on people’s thoughts as they prepare to shelter in place is: What should you eat if you get COVID-19?

To be clear, there is no such thing as a miracle diet. We have some information regarding meals and drinks that may help to shorten the duration of flu and cold symptoms, but we don’t know much about COVID-19 (understandably, as the virus is so new). Here’s some general advice on how to feed yourself or a sick loved one, including what to eat and drink, what to avoid, and how to plan ahead of time.

Your diet will be unique to you:

Everything we’ve learned so far about this virus implies that symptoms vary a lot from one person to the next. According to the CDC, the most common symptoms are fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. Some people may experience muscle discomfort, fatigue, headaches, sore throats, and gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea.

It’s critical to stay hydrated:

If you are sick, you should drink plenty of water, especially if you have a fever and are sweating a lot of water, or if you have diarrhea. Make an effort to stay hydrated.

Tea with honey is soothing, and the honey may also assist to soothe a cough. You usually don’t require specific electrolyte drinks, although they may be beneficial if you’re having difficulties eating or experiencing diarrhea or vomiting. That includes coconut water, maple water, sports drinks, and Pedialyte.

Calories are important, but nutrition is also important:

You may have heard the phrase “starve a fever, feed a cold,” but there is no scientific evidence to support this. To fight an illness, your body needs calories for energy.

I don’t advocate starting a new supplement regimen right now, especially without seeing your doctor or a nutritionist first, because many of these nutrients are simple to obtain through a diversified diet and, in big doses, might have unpleasant side effects.

Foods to avoid (since you won’t want them anyhow):

If you have a sore throat, crackers (and other crunchy, hard meals), spicy foods, and anything particularly acidic (lemon, vinegar) may irritate your throat. However, depending on your symptoms, you may be able to handle certain items.

Is there anything you can do ahead of time to make things easier?

You might want to keep some snacks and over-the-counter medication available just in case you get sick. Soup and casseroles freeze quite well. Purchase shelf-stable or freezer-friendly goods such as crackers, bread, and frozen fruit. Because this illness affects everyone differently, it’s difficult to forecast what you’ll want to eat.

The best thing you can do to avoid getting sick is to continue to follow the CDC’s and your local public health department’s recommendations, which include limiting close contact with people outside your household, wearing a mask if you must go out, washing your hands frequently, and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces around your home.