When you have the flu, your body burns through fluids and energy faster than normal. Every degree of fever increases your energy expenditure by roughly 11%, which means you need more calories and significantly more hydration just to keep up. The right foods and drinks can ease symptoms, prevent dehydration, and give your immune system the fuel it needs. Here’s what to reach for and what to skip.
Fluids Come First
Dehydration is the most immediate risk when you have the flu. Fever pulls water from your body, and if you’re also dealing with vomiting or diarrhea, losses add up quickly. The baseline recommendation for daily fluid intake is about 13 cups (3.1 liters) for men and 9 cups (2.1 liters) for women. When you’re sick, you should add several extra cups on top of that to compensate for what you’re losing.
Water is the obvious choice, but it’s not the only one. Broth-based soups, herbal teas, diluted fruit juices, and oral rehydration solutions all count toward your fluid intake. The key is sipping steadily throughout the day rather than trying to drink large amounts at once, especially if your stomach is uneasy. If plain water feels unappealing, warm liquids like broth or tea with honey can be easier to get down and also help loosen congestion in your nose and throat.
Why Electrolytes Matter
Water alone doesn’t replace everything you lose during a fever. Your body also sheds electrolytes, including sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride, through sweat, vomiting, and diarrhea. An electrolyte imbalance can leave you feeling even more exhausted, dizzy, or weak than the flu itself would.
Oral rehydration solutions, available as packets at most drugstores, are the most efficient way to restore that balance. Sports drinks work in a pinch but tend to contain a lot of added sugar. Coconut water is a decent natural source of potassium. You can also get electrolytes from food: bananas and avocados are rich in potassium, and broth provides sodium. If your symptoms are mild, a combination of these foods and regular water is usually enough.
Chicken Soup Actually Works
Chicken soup’s reputation as a flu remedy isn’t just folklore. A study published in the journal CHEST found that traditional chicken soup significantly slowed the movement of white blood cells called neutrophils in lab tests. Neutrophils are part of your immune response, but their activity also drives the inflammation behind stuffy noses, sore throats, and that general feeling of misery. By mildly dialing down that inflammatory response, chicken soup may ease upper respiratory symptoms.
The effect wasn’t limited to the broth. The researchers tested each ingredient individually and found that the vegetables and the chicken all showed some anti-inflammatory activity on their own. So a homemade soup loaded with carrots, onions, celery, and chicken is ideal, but even a store-bought version offers hydration, sodium, and easily digestible calories when you don’t feel like eating much else.
Best Foods When Your Appetite Is Low
The flu often kills your appetite, but your body is burning extra energy to fight the virus. Eating even small amounts of the right foods helps. Stick with bland, easy-to-digest options that won’t irritate an already sensitive stomach.
You may have heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s fine for a day or two if your stomach is really struggling, but Harvard Health notes there’s no research showing it’s better than a slightly broader diet. A less restrictive approach gives you more of the protein and nutrients your body needs to recover. Good options include:
- Brothy soups and oatmeal for gentle calories and hydration
- Boiled or baked potatoes and sweet potatoes (without skin) for easy-to-absorb carbohydrates
- Cooked carrots, squash, or pumpkin for vitamins without too much fiber
- Skinless chicken or turkey, fish, and eggs for protein once your stomach settles
- Crackers and unsweetened dry cereal when even a full meal feels like too much
The goal is to graduate from the simplest foods toward more nutritious ones as your appetite returns. Even a few bites of egg or chicken give your immune system amino acids it can use to produce antibodies and repair tissue.
Honey for a Persistent Cough
If a cough is keeping you up at night, honey is a surprisingly effective remedy. A half teaspoon to one teaspoon (2.5 to 5 milliliters) can coat and soothe an irritated throat. Stirring it into warm tea or warm water with lemon is the easiest way to take it. One important safety note: never give honey to a child younger than one year old due to the risk of infant botulism.
Ginger for Nausea
Ginger contains natural compounds that influence how your digestive system moves food along, which is why it’s been used for centuries to settle nausea. Clinical studies have tested doses ranging from 250 mg to 2 grams per day, split into three or four servings, and found that 1 gram per day was just as effective as 2 grams. You don’t need capsules to get there. Fresh ginger sliced into hot water makes a simple tea, and even ginger chews or flat ginger ale (let the carbonation dissipate first) can help when your stomach won’t cooperate.
What to Avoid
Some foods and drinks can slow your recovery or make symptoms worse. Coffee is a common pitfall. The caffeine acts as a diuretic, pulling fluid out of your body at a time when you’re already losing too much. If you’re experiencing vomiting or diarrhea, coffee can compound the dehydration problem significantly. Caffeine can also interact with common cold and flu medications like pseudoephedrine, amplifying jittery side effects.
Alcohol is another clear skip. It’s dehydrating, it disrupts sleep quality, and it taxes your liver at a time when your body’s resources are better spent fighting the virus.
Heavy, greasy, or highly spiced foods are harder to digest and more likely to trigger nausea. Sugary foods and drinks deserve caution too. Sustained high blood sugar places extra stress on white blood cells and can make your immune response less effective. A popsicle or some diluted juice is fine for hydration, but loading up on candy, soda, or sugary sports drinks isn’t doing your immune system any favors.
Eating When You Really Can’t Eat
There will be stretches, especially in the first 48 to 72 hours, when eating feels impossible. That’s okay in the short term. Prioritize fluids above everything. Even sipping on broth or an oral rehydration solution gives you some calories, sodium, and water simultaneously. As the fever breaks and your appetite starts creeping back, introduce soft, protein-containing foods before worrying about full meals. Your body has been running a metabolic sprint, and those extra calories from even modest portions of eggs, yogurt, or soup help replenish what was lost.