What Not to Eat If You're Getting a Cold

Megan O. Steintrager

That scratch in your throat, that hint of the sniffles, that worn-down feeling, that chilling memory of the stranger who sneezed in your face. Dang it, you feel like you’re getting a cold. My blog from last year on Five Surprising Immunity Boosting Foods for Cold and Flu Season has suggestions on what to eat when you’re under the weather, and this week I’m sharing advice on what not to eat if you feel like you’re getting a cold. To learn what to steer clear of, I checked in with Rebecca Katz, chef and coauthor of The Longevity Kitchen: Satisfying, Big-Flavor Recipes Featuring the Top 16 Age-Busting Power Foods. Katz calls herself a ”culinary translator” who helps people incorporate more nutritious, disease-fighting, and vitality-boosting ingredients into their diets. In other words, her focus is usually on what you should be eating, but she didn’t mind dishing on a few things to avoid the next time you feel that terrible tingle of an oncoming cold.

Dairy Products: You’ve probably heard that it’s best to ditch milk when you feel like you’re getting a cold, and Katz says it’s valid advice, calling dairy products an obvious thing to avoid because they’re mucus producing. (If you don’t feel sick yet, you might want to consider a glass of organic milk, which might help boost immunity.)

Sugary Foods: Katz warns to steer clear of foods that contain a lot of added sugar, and also suggests cutting down on natural sugars by choosing whole fruit instead of fruit juice. That’s because sugary foods are “pro-inflammatory and tend to zap our immune system,” which of course is “the very thing that needs to be built up.” Beware of processed foods, especially, since these are often very high in sugar and other ingredients that can cause inflammation. In addition, Katz says it’s important to keep blood sugars regulated since they have a tendency to rise in people who are pre-diabetic or diabetic during a cold or flu.

Alcohol, Fried, and Ultra-Fatty Foods: Katz groups booze and fried and fatty foods together “since they can be pro-inflammatory and make your digestion and liver work harder than it wants to.”

As for what to add to your menu when you feel as if you’re coming down with a cold, Katz recommends lean protein (in chicken soup, for example), to help fortify your white blood cells and boost immunity. And, she says that “warming foods and spices that are anti-inflammatory should be top of the list.” But her ultimate “culinary RX” is her Magic Mineral Broth, which she and her neighbors take turns making: “Someone always has it in their freezer for cold and flu emergencies.”

See more from Epicurious:
Foods That Are Keeping You Up at Night 
Quick and Easy Dinners
5 Foods That WON’T Kill You
15 Surprising Foods to Keep in Your Freezer