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flu and low appetite

L'engle

moogle
Messages
3,197
Location
Canada
Hi,

I've had the flu for about ten days now. It is slowly getting better and I'm not too concerned overall. But I've noticed that compared to other flus I've had this one left me with a low appetite that has lasted for over a week. It wasn't stomach flu nor have I had much stomach upset. Just the eating is exhausting so I end up having less food than I normally would. Still probably a good meal everyday but not 3 square meals.

I've been trying to make sure I still get adequate protein and some vegetables and am mostly just having very low carbs. I can't really estimate how many calories I eat in a day but it is certainly low right now. I just want things like yogurt and fruit but since I am prone to high calcium and also don't do well with much sugar I haven't been able to eat these very much.

Also my normal diet is to eat bland food as it is less complicated in terms of figuring out side effects and normally this is ok but right now eating bland food, especially carbs is just like not something I want to do. Also cooking seems even less exciting than usual and I am not the most enthusiastic chef to begin with.

Anything really easy you can eat with low appetite?
 

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,859
Would rice pudding substitute at all for yogurt? It's pretty delicious with stevia and raisins, and easy if you've got a pot that won't stick...or someone willing to stir occasionally. Would salt stimulate your appetite? Potato chips or french fries would add calories and flavor. Fat in your meat and on your vegetables might also be stimulating.

If you like mushrooms, cut up a ton and stick them in a frying pan with butter or oil. If you use spices at all, I like to add any combination of sage, summer savory, thyme, plus salt and pepper. If you keep the heat low and the fats high, you shouldn't have to watch for sticking. If you're looking for calories, mushrooms lose water and absorb as much fat as you give them. You also get the umami flavor, which might get your tastebuds interested. I let all the water evaporate and then cook them to whatever texture I want.

Finally, when I'm exhausted, grazing works better than a meal, as long as I'm in a head-space where I'll go into the kitchen often.
 

SDSue

Southeast
Messages
1,066
Sorry you've been sick, @L'engle . When I'm having bad PEM, I drink Muscle Milk to get some protein in me. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing. It stays down when little else will.

I normally pay attention to labels and eat pretty simple, whole, unprocessed foods, but I ignore the label on this one lol. I think I'd have ended up in a nursing home during my bed bound days if I didn't have an easy form of calories, proteins, and vitamins.

I hope you get back to baseline soon!
 

L'engle

moogle
Messages
3,197
Location
Canada
I found a paleo energy bar that wasn't bad and also went for a restaurant meal. The local sushi restaurant makes a teriyaki rice bowl that is good and filling and tastes better than if I tried to make the same thing at home. Cooking when I am subpar is a guaranteed way to make something inedible, lol. I feel better having had some food. I think the worst is over.
 
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Messages
28
I eat marmite on toast and drink sweet milky tea when I get ill (lose appetite or recovering from nausea). It's a really nice combo and the marmite is really good for you (it's rich in B vitamins). I live in NZ so have the NZ version of marmite, don't know what the British version is like, though from wiki it sounds like it tastes pretty strong (so I suggest you get hold of the NZ marmite :hug:).
 
Messages
28
It also has a ton of free glutamic acid (MSG/E621). A lot of people react pretty badly to that.
Ah okay. I've never experimented with allergy foods so had no idea. Doesn't seem to hurt me at all, for me it's a recovery food as I posted.

Isn't rice pudding then bad for people too? Or milk? Or even toast?
 
Messages
15,786
Ah okay. I've never experimented with allergy foods so had no idea. Doesn't seem to hurt me at all, for me it's a recovery food as I posted.

Isn't rice pudding then bad for people too? Or milk?
It's not an allergy. Free glutamate is an excitotoxin which some people are very sensitive to and others are not. It gives me a migraine about 23 hours after taking it, though supplementing folate seems to help me in avoiding the reaction.

I'm not sure what the relation to pudding or milk would be.