The sight of food is unappetizing when we are sick. There is a reason why the body is giving us this signal. Physiological rest, i.e rest from digestion is one of the most important factors in healing quickly from a sick condition. So, what to eat and what not to eat when you are feeling under the weather?

Do you know why do you lose your appetite when sick? Read the below to know more:

1. When sick, your body needs to focus on removing the toxins/infection that led to you being sick. It needs to focus on healing. This is indicated by tastelessness and lack of appetite.

2. Whenever we eat something, the body prioritizes the digestion function over other functions. So, if you are unwell & you eat the heavy or wrong food, the body’s attention gets diverted to digestion instead of healing.

3. Sickness or dis-ease symptoms are the body’s way of letting you know that something is amiss and it is working hard to bring back its balance. The body marshalls its resources to take care of the toxins. You may experience symptoms like stomach pains, gas, cold/cough, elevated body temperature, tastelessness on the tongue, tiredness, etc. It is the body’s way of communicating with you to take rest i.e rest physically by lying down, rest mentally by sleeping and rest physiologically by resting your digestive organs. Any intake of food during this period may interfere with the toxin elimination as the body prioritizes digestion. We should allow our body to complete this task by no intake of food or eating easy-to-digest foods when hungry, till the symptoms pass.

So, respect nature!! Don’t eat when you are not feeling hungry, especially when sick, it is due loss of appetite when sick. Let the symptoms pass. Don’t worry if a family member is sick & not eating anything. Appetite will return when the body needs fuel. In the meanwhile, if you do want to eat, support your body’s functions by eating the simplest to digest food – fruits.