Comfort Foods When Sick – The best recipes and meals to eat – food ideas for when you’re unwell and need comforting.
Comfort Foods When Sick
These comfort foods when sick will work wonders in soothing your body and soul, whether you’re suffering from a scratchy throat, blocked nose, flu or generally unwell and under the weather on a sick day.
The nourishing foods provide nutritional benefits and healing, such as immune boosting and mood lifting, as well as warmth with comforting reassurance, to help you navigate through your period of illness.
These best comfort foods are mostly easy to cook and easy to digest. Remember in addition to the below mentioned foods to stay hydrated and drink plenty of water to help you on your healing path.
Disclaimer – this post has been written for informational purposes, and is not medical advice. Please consult with a health care professional if you have concerns for the health of you or a friend or family member.
Best Comfort Foods When Sick – Chicken Soup
One of my personal favorite comfort foods, chicken soup when sick is scientifically proven to heal and nourish by helping you hydrate, soothing your sore throat and providing potential anti-inflammatory properties.
You can easily make the real thing by boiling up chicken drumsticks or chicken wings, or even leftover bones from a rotisserie chicken to create a quick chicken broth or warm you up on cold days.
You may choose to slowly cook a nourishing chicken broth, or turn to chicken noodle soup as your universal cure for all kinds of ailments.
Broth or Soup
Enjoy a comforting soup hearty meal, especially when it’s made with little love and full of nutrient-dense foods.
Another option for a warming bowl or mug full is your broth or hearty soup of choice, depending on what you have available and your tastes and dietary requirements.
Some of my favorite homemade soups are Irish potato soup, cauliflower soup, root vegetable soup, low carb vegetable soup and broccoli and mushroom soup.
The good news is that you can prepare your hot soup in a slow cooker or instant pot to be able to create a meal with very little effort on your part.
Potato or Sweet Potato
Create a comforting dish that includes nutritious potatoes or sweet potatoes. My go to classic comfort food meals are either sweet potato breakfast hash or sweet potato shepherd’s pie.
Tea
A cup of hot tea is our favorite thing that’s beloved by all of the family members, like a warm hug in a mug.
You may simply prefer black tea or something healing like ginger that’s a natural source of anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, making it an excellent choice for soothing an upset stomach or easing nausea. Slowly sip on ginger tea or ginger ale throughout the day to help stay hydrated and to calm your stomach.
Other teas that provide nourishment are herbal tea varieties like peppermint, chamomile or echinacea, which can help soothe symptoms like congestion, sore throat, and coughing, while also helping keep you hydrated.
Oatmeal – Comfort Foods When Sick
A warming bowl of oatmeal not only provides comfort but is also easy to digest, which is especially essential when you’re unwell.
Oatmeal provides complex carbohydrates for energy as well as soluble fiber to support digestion, making it one of the best foods to prepare. Drizzle a little maple syrup over your bowl full for the ultimate comfort food meal.
Choose from serving an indulgent yet comforting chocolate banana oatmeal, apple and cinnamon oatmeal or a deeply nourishing turmeric oatmeal which is sure to heal with it’s anti-inflammatory properties.
Ice Cream
Cold ice cream may be just what you’re craving to soothe and comfort. Ideally avoid ice creams that are loaded with sugars and artificial ingredients and op for either one made with proper. heavy cream, vanilla and little else or you can easily make a no churn vanilla ice cream yourself.
Coconut Milk
I always keep a couple of cans of creamy coconut milk in my pantry to incorporate in easy, healthy treats like chia pudding with coconut milk or coconut milk chocolate mousse.
Here’s a video with 3 easy 2 ingredient dessert recipes with coconut milk, hit play below or click here to watch on YouTube.
Toast or Crackers
Bland foods like toast or crackers can help to settle stomach upsets by providing essential carbohydrates for energy without foods that may irritate a sensitive system.
It really depends on how you’re feeling about your choice of toppings, you may simply crave a slice of plain toast or a cracker or top yours with butter, cream cheese, avocado or an old favorite like peanut butter and jelly or jam.
Yogurt
Yogurt is loaded with nutritious elements including probiotics which can help to boost your immune system and support gut health through your illness and into help you on your way to recovery.
Ideally opt for a plain or unsweetened yogurt that contains live and active cultures. You can then sweeten or flavor your yogurt, depending on how you’re feeling. You may choose to prepare a yogurt smoothie, strawberry parfait or even a Greek yogurt chocolate pudding.
Bananas
Bananas are easy to eat for those with a sore throat and are gentle on a sensitive stomach, while providing a host of essential nutrients, including potassium, which may be depleted due to being sick.
You can simply snack on a banana or if you’re up to cooking, make 2 ingredient banana pancakes, 3 ingredient banana waffles or gluten free banana bread.
Apples and Applesauce
Like bananas, apples are another fruit that provides essential nutrients, hydration and is gentle on sensitive stomachs.
You can snack on fresh apple, make or buy apple sauce (just be sure it’s unsweetened in order to avoid extra sugars), or make an apple treat like baked apple slices.
Best Comfort Foods When Sick – Honey
Honey is an ancient healing food that not only soothes a sore throat, but also contains a host of antimicrobial properties that may even help to fight an infection.
You can add a little bit of honey to a warming cup of tea, drizzle over oatmeal or fruit or simply consume a little to help relieve pain.
The foods that you choose to consume during recovery from being unwell plays a crucial role in both providing comfort, relieving discomfort in nasal passages and supporting your immune system and digestive system. The blend of essential vitamins and necessary nutrients in chicken soup and the other healing foods mentioned provide the nourishment and comfort to help ease your discomfort and speed up your recovery.
Be sure to listen to your body and have a little patience with yourself, stay hydrated, get adequate rest and seek advice from your chosen healthcare professional if your symptoms persist or worsen.
Wishing you a speedy recovery with plenty of comforting meals.
More Comfort Food Recipes
11 Easy Low Carb Comfort Food Recipes
Disclaimer – this post is meant for informational post only and should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your health professional before making any dietary changes.
Disclosure – this post contains affiliate links.
