A few years ago, I had weight loss surgery that required a high-protein (90g a day) diet.
Oddly, before the surgery, if I was sick, all I wanted was simple carbs: toast with jam or jelly, no butter; graham crackers; saltine crackers; on and on. Post-WLS, it seems like my body knows it needs the protein. When I’m sick (as I am now, kidney infection plus getting a cold), I want protein all the way. A whole can of tuna, mixed with mayo and sweet pickle relish, heaped on saltine crackers, and nibbled at all afternoon? Score! Graham crackers (honey grahams, not cinnamon) heaped with creamy peanut butter? Score!
And lots and lots to drink! I alternate between water, hot tea, and semi-flat Diet Coke. BUT if the hot drink is hot, it has to be HOT. Once it cools down to room temp (like if I doze off while I’m drinking it), it’s no good. And the cold stuff has to be COLD. If the ice all melts while I doze off, I have to get someone to bring me more ice!
When 10YO mudgirl is sick, she wants chicken broth, Italian ice, ginger ale, and maybe Jell-O.
I’ve been sick a lot these past few months and it’s always about fatty and super spicy foods. Korean BBQ with some tofu hot pot always hit the spot during those times. I would horde the kimchi and just eat it as an afternoon snack.
If you’re sick, you’re likely to be dehydrated. Link to why the list with the salt and the sweet drinks is the right thing. I would hate to be in a position where my fear of salt (no doubt you have reasons, not dismissing genuine medical issues that I can’t know about) didn’t even allow me to rehydrate myself when I was ill.
I was “lucky” enough to get a bout of stomach trouble when I was in France last year. (I assume it was my stomach reacting to unfamiliar everything because I had the same thing in Austria two years before.) What a terrible thing it was, an excuse to eat nothing but baguettes. Unfortunately, cheese was off the table for a week.
Also, is it horrible that I’m kind of wishing I could get a cold so that I’d have an excuse to eat salty food and drink ginger ale, as well as stay in bed watching movies?
This. My last cold I was putting thick slices of red onion on sourdough bread with mozzarella underneath the broiler, making open face sandwiches. It was all I wanted to eat.
Tea. Sometimes ginger ale, though otherwise I don’t like sodas. Creamy tomato soup with oyster crackers. Grilled cheese sandwich with tomato slices.
If I really want a treat, I get the Mish Mash Soup from The Bagel down the street. Homemade chicken broth in one container, noodles, rice, matzo and kreplach in the other container, meant to be combined at home and enjoyed. Lasts about 3 days and I never crave it unless I’m sick.
In my drinking days, a Subway sub with the works and lots of hot peppers - or anything hot and spicy - seemed to soothe the hangover… When I was miserable with the flu, or a bad cold, couldn’t smell anything, not very hungry, I drank lots of liquids. Orange juice, tea, water. And a can of Campbell’s Alphabet Soup. It tasted (even though I couldn’t taste anything) absolutely foul, as did everything, but it looked good.
Unless I’m REALLY ill, in which case it’s egg drop soup.
And I pour sriracha in it until it’s red.
I like making my own soup, but when I’m sick, the appliance I’m standing over isn’t likely to be the stove.
Man, that’s great news, because when I’m sick I’m all about salty snacks and fruit juice. My sick comfort food is goldfish crackers. They’re good enough on their own but I start craving them like mad when I’m sick.
