Feed a cold?

[Camille Lore]

I'm into day 7 of a virus- sore throat, stuffy nose, slight fever in the evening. I have not been working out during this... I normally eat approx. 2100 cals/day paleo/zoneish. I think I am retaining about 3 lbs of water from this (inflammation?)
My question is- in addition to vitamin C, fish oil, green tea, water and zinc, is there anything nutritionally I can do to help my body recover? Should I eat at the same levels I do when working out? More protein? Less carbs?
Thanks in advance. I'm really tired of being sick. I had something similar for a week, it went away and appears to be back....

[Mike ODonnell]

I take the extreme route.....usually kills the flu in 24-48hours.....Apple Cider Vinegar/cayanne pepper/water all day long....plenty of water.....eat light.....sleep......sweat a ton (stay warm, sauna, exercise in lots of clothes)....I say kill it off then sweat it out.

If it came back sounds like you did something to drop your immune system......as you don't catch a cold, you just let a virus take over.....usual suspects are not eating enough or too much chronic exercise.

[Camille Lore]

Ooh- that sounds interesting. How much ACV?
I'm afraid that I went on a very stressful mountain bike ride and overdid it. I was riding with some high level cross country racers and tried to keep up.
I may not have been eating enough as well for my activity level, but it's all a darn guessing game for me at this point.
Btw, I'm 37F/5'4"/141ish if that helps any. I do CF, mountain bike sporadically, and do gymnastics and martial arts once a week.

[Steven Low]

I always take contrast showers. Seems to kill them for me....

I don't know if you wanna try this though. Supposed to spike core temperature to simulate a fever.


Stay away from exercise for a bit after you get better so your immune system has time to recover. Exercise, especially intense stuff, tends to depress it because immune functions are divereged to healing muscles instead of fighting off pathogens.

[Camille Lore]

Hi Steven! Thanks... I do remember reading this on the CF board from you. I haven't gotten brave enough to try it yet-I tend to be cold easily. But, if this drags on much longer, I will give it a shot.

[Garrett Smith]

Eat less. Keep what you do eat to mainly veggies. No grains, dairy, sugar.

I've found fasting when I start to feel a cold coming on shortens the duration drastically. I've also found that eating too much before I've fully recovered completely changes the way I feel for the worse.

Oh yeah, rest. Get off the computer, stay home from work... :-)

[Camille Lore]

Thanks a lot, Dr. G. Signing off now!

[Mike ODonnell]

Originally Posted by Camille Lore

Ooh- that sounds interesting. How much ACV?
I'm afraid that I went on a very stressful mountain bike ride and overdid it. I was riding with some high level cross country racers and tried to keep up.
I may not have been eating enough as well for my activity level, but it's all a darn guessing game for me at this point.

No guessing needed....that crushed your immune system and then the bug took over.

ACV is like 1-2 tablespoons per 16oz of water......room temp water, not cold.

[Steven Low]

Originally Posted by Garrett Smith

Eat less. Keep what you do eat to mainly veggies. No grains, dairy, sugar.

I've found fasting when I start to feel a cold coming on shortens the duration drastically. I've also found that eating too much before I've fully recovered completely changes the way I feel for the worse.

Oh yeah, rest. Get off the computer, stay home from work... :-)

Agreed.

If it's bacterial... those buggers need nutrients to grow. Easiest form of nutrients for them to absorb = carbohydrates. Keep the amount in your system low makes it harder for them to proliferate.

[Camille Lore]

Thanks again. That's the first I heard of ACV for a virus-started it yesterday. I actually do feel a bit better today.
I think I need to re-evaluate my food intake. I increased it a few months ago, but maybe more is in order.
Appreciate the help!