What to Eat to Quickly Recover from Illness

Whether you’re recovering from an illness or injury, eating the right food can help you go through the process more easily. Ideally, your meals should include a good quantity of essential vitamins and minerals that’d help you heal and get back to your healthy and agile self.

Such types of food can usually be found in a sick care package, which is one of the best things you can receive during your recovery period, as well as one you can give a loved one if they’re currently in the process of healing. You may visit sites like Proper Good to know some of the best items you can include in the said package.

Here’s a list of the best food items to help you quickly recover from an illness:

Green Vegetables

Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, mustard greens, and romaine lettuce, have components that decrease inflammation, including phytonutrients, calcium, vitamins A, C, E, and K, and fiber.

Common phytonutrients in vegetables are indoles, lignans, lutein, flavonoids, isoflavones, and coumarins, among others. These have antioxidant properties that help prevent cell infection and damage, as well as reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

The vitamin E content of these green leafy vegetables protects the body against cellular damage. It also has a significant impact on immune health. In addition, it functions as a natural killer cell, helping fight infections and diseases.

Soup

Soup has always been a go-to meal for sickness since time immemorial, the most popular being chicken soup. The chicken meat itself contains the amino acid cysteine, which helps break down mucus and protects lung tissues.

Soup, depending on the type and its ingredients, may contain calcium that helps strengthen the bones, which is particularly beneficial if you’re healing from a bone fracture. It can also have significant amounts of potassium, which helps counter the effects of sodium in the body and aid in muscle recovery. It may also contain thiamine, which is believed to hasten recovery. You may consider consuming soup in larger quantities for your body to gain nutrients and strength to fight any disease. Besides, soup is easy to make and isn’t much of a hassle.

Soup is also rich in electrolytes, which are necessary if your body is dehydrated due to vomiting, diarrhea, or fever.

Broth

Like soup, broths are also excellent sources of beneficial fluids, and they come in handy when your body is dehydrated due to vomiting, sweating, or diarrhea.

Drinking something warm after a fever has left you with chills is soothing like no other, and broth is one of your best choices in this regard. In addition, bone broths are rich in amino acids and collagen, which may promote quicker recovery.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are known as healthy carbohydrates. That said, they can provide you with the energy your cells require for faster recovery. They also contain enzymes such as citrate synthase and hexokinase that could help with wound repair, which is beneficial if you’re recovering from a physical injury or surgery.

On the other hand, sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, which is essential in helping the body fight off infections, as well as in keeping the immune system strong.

Fruits

Many fruits are rich in vitamin C, which could reduce the severity of symptoms, such as of common cold, thus, speeding up the recovery period. Fruits such as peppers, broccoli, blackcurrants, strawberries, citrus fruits, and more are good sources of vitamin C. These fruits could hasten wound healing, help protect the cells and keep them healthy, as well as help maintain healthy skin, bones, cartilage, and blood vessels.

Furthermore, fruits are excellent options to consume when sick because studies have shown that extracts high in anthocyanins, which are water-soluble pigments found in some fruits, are known to keep viruses and bacteria away from the cells.

Avocados are considered one of the best heart-healthy foods, thanks to their monosaturated fat content that’s known to lower cholesterol levels, decreasing one’s risk of falling victim to heart disease. Nevertheless, in case of any health problem, avocados are one of your best weapons to feel better quickly.

Conclusion

Apart from consuming the abovementioned food items, which provide your body with all the nutrients it needs to hasten the recovery period, it’s still a must to take a lot of rest and stay hydrated. Additionally, it’s advised to stay away from alcohol and cigarettes when recovering from an illness or injury as these can weaken your immune system, delaying the healing process.

With the help of the nutrient-dense food options listed above, in no time, you’ll surely get back on your feet and enjoy a healthy life. However, it’s still a must to consult your trusted physician so they could take a look at your symptoms and rule out any underlying conditions.