Seven Super Foods That Speed Recovery

What to eat when you are sick

When we are sick, the last thing we usually want to do is eat. However, finding foods with healing powers could save you several days in bed and have you back to some version of normal quickly. Here are seven superfoods that can speed your recovery. And a bonus at the end.

Garlic

Garlic helps to boost immunity. Many people swear by garlic’s ability to help maintain good health or quickly get you back to normal. I was sick recently, and a couple days of cooking with extra garlic helped me to feel better.

Onions

Cooked onions are high in antioxidants, vitamins B & C. Onion soup is one of my favorite ways to eat them when I am not feeling well. Onions are also good for your circulation. When you are sick, cooking onions makes them easy to digest. Add cooked onions to fish or baked chicken.

Fish

Fish skin is full of nutrients, like Omega 3 and B vitamins. Simply fry it in the pan or bake it in the oven. I choose cuts with more skin or salmon which is a fish that is easy to prepare.

Broccoli

Broccoli is high in antioxidants, calcium, and vitamins C and K. It is also low in calories, but contains a wealth of nutrients. It also improves digestion and helps to reduce inflammation that commonly occurs when we are sick.

Nuts

Nuts are high in fiber and protein. They also contain high quantities of minerals. Don’t feel like eating a full meal because you’re under the weather? Nuts are a good alternative.

Yogurt

Yogurt contains probiotics that help relieve an upset stomach. It also has vitamins and minerals that rapidly become depleted when your body is fighting illness. Yogurt is also good to mix in smoothies for a power-packed liquid meal that is easier to digest than whole food, especially when you’re not feeling well.

Soup

Warm and soothing. Soup is easy to digest and warms your body from the inside. Choosing a clear soup like broth or onion is easy on the digestive system. Vegetable soups can provide you most of the nutrients your body needs to recover from illness and it is a meal that you can keep on the stove and heat up all day long.

It is easy to go to the drug store or medicine cabinet and look for a remedy when we are not feeling well. But eating our way back to health is gentler on the body and may see our condition change for the better more rapidly and consistently.

One new recipe I learned when I was sick last time was roasted garlic. Not only did it make my house smell great, cleansing the still warm air that comes with trying to stay warm, it was also super easy to prepare side dish. You could eat a head of garlic a couple of times a day if you wish to with no adverse effects. Here is how you make it:

Roasted Garlic

Ingredients

• 1 or more heads of garlic
• Olive oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 170 C (350 F)
• Cut the top off of the head(s) of garlic
• Drizzle olive oil over the garlic, making sure to get some on each clove
• Wrap garlic in aluminum foil
• Cook for 30–45 minutes until garlic is soft

Eat cloves whole, smash and spread on toast or crackers or use in your favorite recipe.

When you are not feeling well you may want to stay home and sleep all day, but is that the best thing to do?