Question of the Day: Sunday, November 27

[gilmargl]

Wishing you all a very Happy Sunday - regardless of whether you are celebrating the First of Advent peacefully or whether this is just another manic Sunday!

No candles in my house (firstly for safety reasons but I'm not religious anyway) but I do like this wreath which reminds me of my first Advent in Germany almost 50 years ago when we spent a Sunday afternoon and early evening with friends sitting comfortably in candlelight around such a wreath, reminiscing, eating rather hard spicy cookies and drinking mulled wine.

Photo taken from Myriam's-Photos on Pixabay


...but here's the reality to-day (another picture from Pixabay)! No cookies, no mulled wine, just the flu! Weak legs, sneezing, coughing, sweating and shivering! Why did I put off getting my flu jab back in September? Well, at least it*s not Covid! And no-one needs to insist that I stay at home for a few days - there is no way that I am going out feeling like this!

and as for eating Christmas cookies and drinking mulled wine - no, not to-day, thank you!

Which brings me to one of the old sayings - now medically disproved - but which my mother used to repeat: "Feed a cold and starve a fever!" I find great difficulty eating even when I've got a cold (nothing tastes anyway) and with a slight temperature, I really don't need food and find it difficult to take enough fluids which are far more important than food anyway! But, I have met people who can eat normally regardless of how they are feeling.

How about you? Is a cold or fever a marvellous opportunity to lose weight or have they no effect at all on your appetite?

 

[NY cat man]

In most cases, my appetite stays the same, with the exception of when my sinuses start draining that glop down the back of my throat. At that point, all I want is hot tea with honey and lemon. Besides, I can't afford to lose much weight as it is.

 

[game misconduct]

i have alwalys followed that saying feed a cold starve a fever cause it makes sense to me. feeding a cold provides your body energy to fight the cold while drinking alot of liquids hydrates your body while its running a fever.doing both while sleeping alot has always allowed me to fight off colds fast. but i find avoiding contact with friends and family with elementry aged kids during flu season works best young kids and the schools they attend are just full of germs.

 

[Winchester]

My motto: Feed a cold, feed a fever. Feed everything!

 

[Neko-chan's mama]

My appetite is fine when I have a cold. When I have a fever, it's hard to keep me awake long enough to eat anything. I'll wake up, drink some water, and fall back asleep.

 

[denice]

Flu and colds have never affected by appetite. A fever does increase my thirst which helps with drinking plenty of fluids.

 

[Katie M]

As long as I'm not nauseous, I actually feel hungrier when I'm sick.

 

[Jem]

My appetite is usually pretty good even when I'm sick, unless I've consumed too much snot from the copious amounts from post nasal drip. But I still force myself to eat even if I have stomach upset because the food will often settle my tummy.
Even if I have a bad fever and full blown body aches and sever fatigue, I will again force myself to eat somthing...it might not be a full meal...it might just be a cup of soup...but it's comforting. I also get real tired of the same boring fluids all the time so adding soup into the mix helps keep me hydrated. They say to avoid sugar and caffeine when sick, so that basically leaves me with water and some herbal teas...I like tea and all, I drink it everyday, but I prefer my black teas over herbal.

 

[Jem]

As long as I'm not nauseous, I actually feel hungrier when I'm sick.

That happens to me sometimes too...I tend to crave little snacks more often.

 

[Lari]

Having just had Covid, I didn't want to eat the first couple days but after that the appetite was fine. Unfortunately.

With nausea, I lose weight.

 

[susanm9006]

I always have homemade soups in the freezer and packaged ones in the cupboards for when I don’t feel well. Those are usually the only things I will eat until I recover. The lentil soup I make, with lots of leeks and garlic in it is very spicy and that seems to help clear up my sinuses.

 

[strider rose]

it really depends on my mood at the time ..sometimes i eat when i am sick and other times nope

 

[Margot Lane]

Feed a fever starve a cold. and in between, following your doctor’s advice first of course, fire cider helps to keep the evil meanies away!

 

[gilmargl]

Feed a fever starve a cold. and in between, following your doctor’s advice first of course, fire cider helps to keep the evil meanies away!

Well, that's something I may have to try! I did find this summary:

"Fire cider is a spicy tonic promoted to:

• support immune health
• prevent and treat cold symptoms
• improve many other health issues

However, despite these many claims, limited evidence supports using its ingredients as a natural remedy for your immune system, and more research is needed.

There are no clear benefits or downsides to drinking the tonic. You can enjoy it as a drink or tea, or add it to recipes as a flavor enhancer. By itself, though, its high acidity may irritate your mouth or throat, as well as wear down tooth enamel over time.

If you want to add some spice to your life, there’s likely no harm in giving fire cider a try."

 

[catloverfromwayback]

I can’t remember the last time I had a fever, it’s decades since I had flu. Been a long time since I had a serious cold, too, but as far as I recall colds don’t affect my appetite much. Might decrease it a little, but I attribute that as much to medication as the cold itself.

 

[OopsyDaisy]

I don't really get fevers but my colds always go into my chest. I make lentil soup and I'd rather eat that than anything solid. Soup, hot tea, liquids, rest...and my puffer for the chest. If I take a deongestant, that spoils my appetite and makes my head all fuzzy.

 

[Jcatbird]

I lean more to lots of fluids but try to keep eating even if the appetite is shot. It’s kind of sleep, drink, eat, sleep and repeat except for being up to do all things kitty. Lol

 

[aliceneko]

I normally eat more whenever I have a cold or a fever, lol. The only time I didn't eat much at all was when I had Coronavirus very badly earlier this year.

 

[denice]

Well, that's something I may have to try! I did find this summary:

I hadn't heard of fire cider so I looked it up. I don't think I will be trying that. For me it's one of those things that I wouldn't be able to get down so it wouldn't do me any good.

 

[Margot Lane]

I take it once a month and it is indeed a kick in the pants! For me it does a world of good, and then the tsp of elderberry syrup once a day. I haven’t had a cold in six years! But, I am indeed no physician, so, don’t listen to me w/out consulting your MD for sure.