Comfort Foods to Soothe a Cold or Flu

Let's Dish: What Foods Do You Eat When You're Sick?

October 1, 2009

There's a nasty cold going around the Sugar office, which makes me want to whip up a big vat of chicken noodle soup. Though honestly, chicken soup isn't something I crave when I'm sick — unless I have a stomach flu, in which case, chicken broth is basically all I can eat.

Assuming you can keep food down and you're not nursing a hangover, what comforting foods do you use to defeat a cold or get over an illness?

Source: Flickr User Robert Couse-Baker

31 Comments

shoneyjoe 3 years 33 weeks

whisky.

speck 3 years 33 weeks

if it's not the kind of sickness where everything is shooting out of somewhere.....i like potato soup, gatorade, white tea/w honey,and toast,plain. always works for me. i eat it so slow, i have to microwave it twice. if i'm comming out of the flu "coma" i only eat cooked rice and black tea. so far it's worked....im not a zombie yet!

Soniabonya 3 years 33 weeks

Hot tea with honey and lemon. Mmmm chammomile. And a fresh pot of chicken soup. Even if I'm really ill, I make the effort to make myself the soup because I can't stand store bought. Just made some for my fiancee last night. Also, for stomach problems, Hungarian Unicum. Herbal liquer. Acquired taste, but makes me feel better.

zacatecanita 3 years 33 weeks

Chicken Soup, My mom's soups that are made with light tomato stock and pasta, mashed potatoes, oranges, and of course TEA!!

melissaS 3 years 33 weeks

I always go for soups or porridge, and drink lots and lots of water

mek123 3 years 33 weeks

Chicken soup or grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup or macaroni and cheese. And of course, hot tea with honey and lemon.

mommyof5children 3 years 33 weeks

Homemade chicken soup. I love being over a warm stove and smelling the spices.... sage, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, peas, yummmm. It makes me feel better just making it, and it makes the house smell good for hours. I also like to make ginger snaps with lots of molasses and lots of ginger. When I'm too sick to stand up I drink some throat coat tea (Its awesome!!!!) and drink veggie broth.

Brittneylb 3 years 33 weeks

I just got over the flu with peanut butter and crackers. Peanut butter makes everything better!

reesiecup 3 years 33 weeks

mashed potatoes, chicken and rice soup, ramen

fashionplate525 3 years 33 weeks

I crave carbs and/or starchy fruits & veggies when I am sick-bread and butter,rice, bananas, baked potatoes, crackers, etc. And randomly, last time I had a cold, I wanted cheese! haha

chiefdishwasher 3 years 33 weeks

No bacon..........chicken noodle soup for me!

Wild Magelet 3 years 33 weeks

My mum's chicken vegetable soup, toast with vegemite, or an egg mashed together with a buttered and cubed piece of sandwich bread. It sounds a bit gross, but I loved it when I was little.

GlowingMoon 3 years 33 weeks

Chicken noodle soup, milk, and plenty of sleep. I practically hibernate. :)

limelindsey 3 years 33 weeks

If I'm getting a cold, I go straight for the jalapenos....I'll hit my favorite mexican place and get nachos, extra jalapenos. This will also cause me to drink a lot of water (never hurts). I also will drink lots of Stash lemon blossom tea with honey, and every once in a while, I'll have a McD's cheeseburger. That's from my childhood - Mom would always let us have whatever we wanted to eat when we were sick and that was almost always what would make me feel better!

3 years 33 weeks

Spicy food, hot tea with honey, orange juice, cinnamon toast...and I love to have someone pick up a big bowl of chicken soup with matzo balls and a bagel for me at the local deli.

3 years 33 weeks

Spicy Tomyum soup is traditional in our house when someone is ill. It does a great job of clearing the sinuses, loosening up lungs, and killing any lingering bugs in the throat (unscientifically proven on numerous occasions *grin*).

starofsorrow 3 years 33 weeks

I tend to go straight for hot tea with honey. Sometimes Chai, sometimes green, either of those two. Most of the time, when i get sick, I tend to want something that will soothe my throat, so yeah. If I'm sick to the point of throwing up, it's bland food all the way. Toast, maybe tomato soup if I'm okay, but most of the time, it's broth-based soups like chicken noodle and such. With a little bit of coke to help quell my stomach (dunno why, but it works for me! Mom always gave me a bit of coke to sip when I had upset stomach growing up).

POPSUGAR Sex & Culture 3 years 33 weeks

I have this soup I make that my friends call Soup of Hate. (I guess they like bland soup?) Basically, it's a packet of miso with hot water, Sirracha hot sauce, minced ginger and garlic (good antivirals), soy sauce and a half a squeeze of lemon. I call it Soup of Love. :)

RoaringSilence 3 years 33 weeks

I drink tea and eat fresh fruit and vegetables.. those aren't really comfort foods, but I know they are helping to make me feel better... that's a comfort in itself.

3 years 33 weeks

Lots and lots of tea with honey; lately I'm obsessed with "Stash" brand's Green Tea Chai Spice teabags. It's so good, and I swear it's helped me fight off whatever's been going around at least twice. I drink about a pot a day...the chai spices make drinking green tea really easy. And it's cheap - like 3 bucks for 20 bags. I rave to everyone about this stuff...it even makes my skin look better, it seems. :) Lots of good antioxidants. Okay, now I'm starting to sound like I work for them hehe. But it's seriously that good! Otherwise, broth-based soups (creamy ones make me more congested). I also love spicy chicken curry or butter chicken if I just have a cold and my stomach isn't inherently upset. Somehow, I've found that the spice medley in Indian food gets me feeling better faster. It's also deeeelicious, which never hurts.

lydialee_home 3 years 33 weeks

Congee

mamasitamalita 3 years 33 weeks

oooh yeah fuzzles, popsicles when my throat hurts!

fuzzles 3 years 33 weeks

Chicken noodle soup and saltines with butter and grape jelly. Lots of iced tea with lemon and popsicles, too! No bacon, though.

Spectra 3 years 33 weeks

I haven't been actually sick since about 2000, but when I feel a little bit stuffy or like I have a little bit of a cold, I eat lots of fruits and veggies for the antioxidants and I also like hot herbal tea and soup.

SarahPW 3 years 33 weeks

vegan ramen...perfect for when you are queezy...

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31 Comments

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