Choosing fruits depends on specific circumstances. Below, we detail which fruits are suitable when experiencing a cold or fever.
Increase fruit intake during colds and fevers
Many people with colds or fevers avoid fruit, believing it's cold and raw food that could worsen symptoms. This is a misconception. Colds and fevers deplete the body's vitamins and minerals (making supplementation even more crucial than for healthy individuals). Since vegetables and fruits are primary sources of water-soluble vitamins and minerals, increased fruit consumption actually accelerates recovery.
Which fruits to eat when sick? The choice depends on your specific condition.
For wind-heat colds characterized by high fever, mild chills, thick yellow nasal discharge,thick yellow phlegm, sore throat, dark yellow urine, and constipation, you can eat more cooling fruits like snow pears, bananas, watermelon, loquats, and kiwis to help clear heat and reduce inflammation.
For wind-cold colds with pronounced chills, stiff shoulders/neck discomfort, body aches, or even diarrhea and cold extremities indicating yang deficiency, consume warm or neutral fruits like grapes, apples, peaches, or apricots.
What fruits should you eat when you have a cold or fever? Here are a few recommendations:
1. Watermelon
Watermelon is cold in nature and sweet in taste. It clears heat, relieves summer heat, calms irritability, quenches thirst, and promotes urination. It's one of the most commonly consumed fruits in summer. When a cold worsens, symptoms like high fever, thirst, sore throat, and dark yellow urine may appear. Eating some watermelon can help alleviate these symptoms and aid recovery.
After high fever and profuse sweating, neglecting food and drink can easily cause electrolyte imbalance. It's best to start with watermelon or fresh watermelon juice, which can help reduce fever, replenish fluids, and reduce swelling. During hot summers, boiling watermelon rind into porridge or simmering winter melon with coix seeds for children with fever can relieve summer heat, generate fluids, and promote diuresis.
2. Pears
Pears are cool in nature and sweet in taste, promoting fluid production and clearing heat to resolve phlegm. They effectively alleviate symptoms of wind-heat colds, fever with dry mouth, and coughing with phlegm. Rich in sugars and various vitamins, pears are easily absorbed by the body, stimulate appetite, and protect liver function.
For wind-heat colds, take one fresh pear, wash it thoroughly, cut it into chunks with the skin on, add rock sugar, and stew it in water for oral consumption. This yields excellent results. While pears inherently clear heat, relieve coughs, and dissolve phlegm, their inherently cooling nature makes them ineffective—and potentially aggravating—for coughs initially caused by wind-cold.However, simmering pears transforms their nature into a milder quality, making them an effective cough remedy.
3. Water Chestnuts
Water chestnuts are a cold-natured food with properties that clear heat, reduce inflammation, promote urination, relieve constipation, cool the blood, and detoxify. They both clear heat and generate fluids while providing nutrition, making them particularly suitable for patients in the early stages of fever.Nutritionally, water chestnuts are rich in carbohydrates yet relatively low in calories. They contain abundant phosphorus and the antibacterial compound "water chestnutin," which not only supports bone and tooth development but also promotes the metabolism of sugars, fats, and proteins in the body. Additionally, they inhibit bacteria such as E. coli.
While raw water chestnuts offer a crisp, refreshing taste, they are best enjoyed thoroughly washed and cooked. Boiling enhances their sweetness and texture. For fever relief, combining water chestnuts with juices from pears, lotus roots, or reed roots yields optimal results. However, this remains a supplementary dietary approach. Persistent high fever or worsening symptoms necessitate prompt medical attention.