1. Symptoms of the flu
The flu is a common disease caused by the Influenza virus. This virus can spread through droplets when a sick person coughs, sneezes or talks. Healthy people who inhale directly or touch their hands or feet on a surface infected with the virus and then put their hands on their eyes, nose or mouth can cause the virus to enter the body and lead to illness. Depending on the physical condition, the symptoms of the disease will be different for each person.
Some common symptoms of the flu include headache, fever (from 37.8 to 40 degrees Celsius, most fevers last less than a week, usually lasting about 3-4 days, children have higher fevers than adults), chills, sweating, dry cough, muscle aches, fatigue.
2. What should not be eaten when having the flu?
- Do not eat too many protein-rich foods
Protein intake is an important way for the body, but the amount of protein intake only needs to be moderate.
Eating too much protein-rich foods such as meat, shrimp, eggs, fish, etc. will cause the body to have excess energy, affecting the ability to reduce fever.
- Foods high in fat, processed foods
Processed foods, fried foods have low nutritional value due to the processing and preservation process. Foods high in fat put a lot of burden on the body in digestion. Therefore, when you have the flu, you should stay away from this type of food.
- Salty foods
People with the flu should limit eating foods high in salt. Consuming a lot of salt will reduce the amount of lysozyme in saliva, thereby affecting the throat.
- Alcoholic beverages, carbonated soft drinks, stimulants
Alcoholic beverages, carbonated soft drinks, stimulants are the types of drinks that you should avoid when you have the flu. These types of drinks will dehydrate the body, reduce immunity, and make the patient recover slowly.
Coffee, cigarettes and products containing stimulants are also things to avoid when having the flu because they can make coughs and sore throats worse.
- Milk and dairy products
When having the flu, patients should limit their consumption of milk and dairy products because they can increase mucus production in the lungs, making coughing worse.