I’m having a problem staying within my carbs when I’m really sick. I have a head cold and stomach flu so I don’t want meat or anything rich!
I ate sugar free jello and chicken soup without noodles and some almond flour crackers which I ate like 40! Serving is 17!
What do you eat while sick that is calming on your stomach? Can someone recommend some almond flour crackers that have less carbs or something bland and healthy that is like a carb but low carb!
I’ve never made crackers so I can’t help you there. But if I was sick, I would have bone broth or homemade chicken “noodle” soup. Sub kale for the noodles.
Lots of broth. I like broth with garlic and coconut milk when I’m sick. I was recently sick and didn’t eat much other than broth, but once I started feeling better I had a smoothie with greek yogurt, collagen protein, berries, coconut milk and raw egg yolk. A few carbs, but not too bad, and easy to digest.
In older cultures, people used to fast when sick. Fasting is basically keto without having to worry about food. All you really need is salt (including potassium and magnesium supplements as needed) and lots of hydration (water). To boost your immune response, vitamin D and C.
When your body tells your that it’s not hungry, it’s actually not accidental. It needs to focus on fighting off the invaders and food is a distraction and saps resources from the main conflict. Rest, fast, hydrate and heal.
If you’re fat adapted (doing keto for a while), this will not be hard. If you’re not, then lots of broth and soup will help.
I was going to suggest fasting too. The last time I was that sick, I didn’t want to eat anything.
If you really want to eat, how would some nuts go down?
I hope you feel better soon.
I believe we should pay attention to our hunger signals even when we are sick. Viruses and bacteria, the antagonists of the flu and colds, respectively, thrive on glucose and if we aren’t hungry, it’s out body telling us not to feed the illness. This is why it might be even more important to keep carbs low.
If you are hungry, I also agree with salted chicken soup and broth for not only getting you some low carb nourishment but to also help with electrolytes and the fact that these foods boost the immune system. Some teas are also great for the immune system.
I believe I am fat adapted but I fast more than I eat in general. I find that food has helped especially soup and sugar free jello and drinking a lot. I had been fasting 20/4 instead of my usual 16/8 and did a 26 hour fast so I think fasting while sick would be a horrible idea since I’m running on empty despite being fat adapted.
Being this sick is pretty frightening so I’m just trying to keep my stomach calm.
Why do you think it’s a horrible idea?
If you have body fat higher than 10% (male) or 15% (female), you can fast for a week at least. If you’re fat adapted, it can be done and running on empty is actually what you want. You may be surprised at how much better you feel fasted.
I realize extended fasting is daunting if you’ve never done it, but as long as you maintain electrolytes you should be fine. I’ve done it multiple times, at least, but you’re the only one who knows your body.
Soup and broth + salts are really solid for making this easier. You can consult your doctor (I’m not a doctor/ just another patient), but western medicine ignores the benefits of fasting and will ridicule the idea.
The same doctors tell us that keto will kill… so take that for what it is worth.
I was recently very sick with strep and found same problems. My go to things like chicken noodle soup and saltines were out! Felt weird but I fasted. I drank sugar free Power Aid drinks, water, and chicken broth for days. I only ate a piece of lunch meat or cheese just enough to take my antibiotics then drank fluids the rest of the time.
P. S. I lost 4 pounds and have kept it off! 1st time ever after being sick I didnt gain it all right back! Hope you feel better!
Because I already fasted 26 hours last week and I did my IF 20/4 all week so I have found that eating one meal a day has helped me especially the chicken broth and all the fluids. The calories (liquid and salts) have relieved my headache and made me feel a little better.
Thank you. Yes sadly I think I’ve been fasting a little excessively lately. I’m trying to be more moderate and maybe go back to 16/8 and do a 24 hour fast once a month. I have got a little carried away in the fasting dept.
I’m sick too; acute upper respiratory infection viral, rarely do I ever get sick, it just got me this time, wish I knew this stuff below before it got me!
Coconut Oil: How to Fight Colds & Flu- Thomas DeLauer
Dr. Mercola: First Thing To Do When a Cold or Flu Strikes: also discusses upper respiratory infections…
Similar to what you are discussing the differences between viruses and bacteria ‘starve a fever, feed a cold:’
I haven’t experienced “excessive” fasting. I think most people underestimate what their bodies can do when freed from the shackles of eating daily. I’ve fasted 12 days in a row and I never felt better. The only reason I stopped was the incessant complaining of my wife who still doesn’t get that we actually don’t need food to live. She is more of a believer now but we have been trained to be eating machines - daily…
Unless I’m lean enough to see every bit of my musculature, I know I can continue fasting. My ancestors survived famines that lasted for months - hence my fat-storage nature that forced me to gain 100 excess pounds.
When I get a cold, my appetite generally goes up, so I just continue eating keto, only more. When I become feverish, however, my appetite drops, and I don’t worry about eating until it returns. (Probably the origin of the old adage: “Feed a cold and starve a fever.”)
A friend of mine who is a nurse-practitioner believes that almost every episode of what people call “stomach flu” is actually food poisoning. (Apparently, true influenza is purely a respiratory infection.) Vomiting means that the body is trying to purge itself of toxins, so eating while nauseated is not really helpful—not for me, anyway! If nausea and vomiting persist for more than two days, a visit to the doctor is called for.
My wife can’t take supplements without something in her stomach… that’s probably why she sees fasting as unsustainable… but broths, soups and creams (heavy cream or coconut cream) should serve as a good medium. Also if you want an exogenous energy source that doesn’t require digestion, MCT oils go straight where you need.
Thank you Paul! I always enjoy your responses. I read this too. I think it was from a piece of grilled chicken wrapped in lettuce from McDonald’s! I’ve decided no more fast food from me. I felt kinda funny for two days with a horrible headache and then it progressed to something too graphic to address! Luckily no vomiting!
I am doing exactly what you said only eating when hungry! I am worried I may have bumped myself out of keto though since I ate a few too many carbs these past two days with my crackers and not having sick food in the house. Tomorrow i will go back to normal and just stick to my 10-20 carbs a day. I guess this also means to prepare better and have stuff on hand. I was just saying the other day I never get sick! Ha! And then this…
Thanks again for the nice reply 
Pre-emptive dosing of a lot of Vitamin D3. Notice I said D3 not D. There is a difference. I started taking 40,000 IUs of D3 back in 2008. After a couple of years I backed that down to 10,000 IU’s a day. As long I dont miss more than a week, I dont get sick, and my allergies (seasonal hay fever) stays mild at its worst.
Do the math. Over ten years. The worst I’ve had is the sniffles. Everyone around me with The Martian Death Flu… me, just fine, delegated bucket runner. No, don’t ask what the buckets are for. I’ve already said too much.