This is easier said than done: it can be challenging to pick foods that have the nutrients needed to recover from the flu. If you’re curious about where to start, here are some suggestions that may help.

Rice dishes

If someone with the flu is suffering from a bad stomach, it may be beneficial to eat bland foods since they’re easier to digest. Rice is excellent for this since it’s rich in starch and contains less fiber, helping promote better digestion.

It’s not a hard food to cook, either. This article from We Know Rice explains that you can conveniently prepare it with a rice cooker, making it easier for those who are sick or caring for someone who is. The Aroma MI Cool Touch Mini Rice Cooker is particularly useful since it has a one-touch operation feature that lets you cook various meals with the push of a button. If you want to add flavor, you can use broth or soup to make porridge or congee, which is tastier but still easy to digest.

Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C

You’re probably familiar with people consuming vitamin C when they contract the flu. That’s because the flu often disrupts the body’s normal immune response to bacterial infection. Medical News Today explains here that vitamin C boosts the immune system, making it a necessary nutrient to consume when sick.

Some great sources of vitamin C include fruits like kiwi, strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, and tomatoes, as well as green peas, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables. If you or the person you’re caring for is too tired to eat, you can blend some vitamin C-rich foods up and make a smoothie. Otherwise, you can whip up many tasty yet nourishing salads that you can top off with vitamin-C-rich citrus dressings.

Greek yogurt

Greek yogurt is excellent for those with the flu for several reasons. It’s rich in probiotics, making it ideal for boosting immunity and addressing gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting. Compared to regular yogurt, it has less lactose, helping the body digest it more easily. It’s also twice as rich in protein, which our post explains delivers amino acids to repair the muscles and organs. Beyond this, protein is essential for building antibodies that combat infections like the flu.

Top Greek yogurt with vitamin C-rich fruits or honey, a great remedy for sore throat. This lets you or your patient consume a light meal packed with the necessary nutrients to relieve flu symptoms.

Oatmeal

Another bland and easily digestible food is oatmeal. It contains immunity-boosting vitamins like protein, copper, iron, zinc, and selenium, but you should ensure you’re using varieties that don’t contain added sugar or flavoring.

Like Greek yogurt, you can load your oatmeal with powerhouse foods full of nutrients. You can add fruits rich in vitamin C or bananas, which contain more vitamins like potassium. If you want to boost your protein intake, you can also add cottage cheese or almond butter. These ingredients can also add flavor without being too hard on the stomach.

Getting the flu is never pleasant. Fortunately, you can promote quicker recovery with healthy and enjoyable meals made from these four foods.

Exclusively written for https://lifestyle.org/ by Ameila Conner

The post 4 Best Foods To Eat When You Have The Flu appeared first on Lifestyle.

Having a serious illness like cancer, heart disease, or ALS can be very lonely, and no one should try to bear it alone. First, it isn’t practical to hide something that serious from friends and family without them noticing that something is troubling you. Second, acting like everything is okay when it’s not, requires energy you need for treatment and recovery.

However, sharing a difficult diagnosis with
loved ones makes it more real, which can be a huge challenge when still coming
to terms with the diagnosis yourself.

Get the Right
Diagnosis 

Misdiagnosis happens, so make sure you get a
second opinion. Until then, keep the news within your inner circle. You might
consider sparing the kids until you get confirmation. 

Tell Your Nearest and
Dearest First

Once you have the right diagnosis, talk to your
closest family members and friends. Leave your neighbors, childhood friends,
and coworkers out of it for now. 

It’s best to do it in person, if possible. If
you’re not feeling up to the task, ask your spouse, sibling, or any other close
family member to share the news on your behalf; follow up personally when
ready. 

Ask them to keep the news confidential, at least
for now. You don’t want to be ‘outed’ in a heartfelt social media post before
you talk to the people outside your inner circle. 

Tell the Kids

The desire to shield your kids from the news is
natural. However, the kids probably already know something is wrong. Decide how
much to tell them depending on their ages and emotional maturity. 

Tell Friends and
Acquaintances

Not everyone deserves to know about your
illness. You don’t need to and probably shouldn’t post about it on social
media. Proceed with caution and use your judgment. 

If you’re not ready for the world to know about
your health condition, only tell friends and acquaintances who’ve proven their
ability to keep secrets in the past.

Tell Your Coworkers

There’s a reason why your coworkers should be
among the last people to learn about your diagnosis. Although you should be
protected under the Americans With Disabilities Act, unethical employers and
coworkers could find a way to make you regret sharing your health condition
with them.

First, do some research. Find out how similar situations were handled in the past, and talk to a lawyer if needed. Second, depending on company policy, talk to your boss or HR department; it’s not good for them to hear it from your coworkers. Lastly, talk to a few trusted coworkers who will support you on this journey. 

Sharing a difficult diagnosis with your loved ones gives them the chance to support you in your treatment and recovery. Use the above guidelines to help decide when, who, and how to share your important health issues.

The post How to Disclose a Difficult Diagnosis to Your Loved Ones appeared first on Lifestyle.

Here’s why you felt weak and crummy after that cold, flu, or stomach bug. It’s because your body worked extra hard to fight off the illness.

It’s the job of your white blood cells to regenerate and repair the daily wear and tear of the muscles.  But when you’re sick or get an infection, they deviate from their regular job and work extra hard to fight off the virus or bacteria.  Meanwhile, the muscles become weakened because they’ve missed their regular repairs. 

Additionally, nasty bugs come with symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, runny nose, fever and more. Vomiting and diarrhea can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, which continue wreaking havoc in your body after the illness has passed. Similarly, coughing can lead to pain in the rib cage and other areas, and fever can lead to general weakness.

Viral
infections are dangerous because they can cause post-viral fatigue syndrome.
Besides making you feel chronically weak and tired, this syndrome can cause
depression for weeks or months long after the viral infection has run its
course.

While
these symptoms tend to resolve on their own with time, there are things you can
do to get your energy back faster.

Drink, drink, drink! 

Water is
a hero when it comes to flushing bad stuff from your body, allowing your cells to
refocus on doing their regular jobs instead of working overtime to fight off
unwanted organisms.

Plus,
water keeps your lymph fluid circulating properly, which helps in the
distribution of white blood cells throughout your body to keep any leftover viruses
or bacteria from re-infecting you before you’re 100% better again.

Eat Right

If you’ve just fought off an illness, it’s probably not a good idea to go out and order a steak and a loaded baked potato for your first meal!  Eat foods that are easy to digest and aren’t hard on your stomach. 

The “BRAT” diet, which includes bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast – or foods that are more bland, higher in nutrients, and easier on the belly – is perfect when recovering.  Avoid processed, spicy, and sugary foods because they can make your body go into overdrive trying to digest them, which tires you out even more.

Get physical! 

An active
lifestyle repairs your body and replaces your energy faster than a sedentary
lifestyle.  Don’t push yourself too
hard. Ease back into it and exercise just enough to remind your body how to
produce energy!

Swallow your Pride

Sure, you’re the independent type. Even still, accept a helping hand when recovering, if offered. Allow friends and family to help out a little bit until you’re back on your feet.

Ultimately,
you’re the only one who knows your limits. So be kind and gentle to your body
until you’ve fully recovered.

The post Get Your Energy Back After Being Ill appeared first on Lifestyle.