Proven ways to fight fever with food

Fever is not a disease in itself, but rather a symptom of some underlying problem, most commonly an infection. It is one of the body's ways of fighting disease but don't believe the old wives' tale of starve a fever. You need calories and here are some pointers on what to take in during a bout with fever.

Drink lots of fluids. Sweating, the body's response to high temperature, results in the loss of fluid, which is worsened if there is diarrhea or vomiting. So it is important to drink at least eight glasses of fluid daily to prevent dehydration. If a feverish person does not feel thirsty, it may be easier to sip a bit of fruit juice diluted with an equal volume of water every few minutes rather than to drink a whole glass at once. Or the person, especially if a child, can be given a frozen fruit juice bar to suck on.

Feverish infants can get dehydrated very quickly, because they have a large body surface in proportion to their fluid volume. When babies have high temperatures, parents should give frequent bottles of plain water or a commercial infant rehydration product. You can easily make your own rehydrating solution by dissolving 300 millilitres (1¼ cups) of dry, precooked baby rice cereal in 500 millilitres (two cups) of water with 16 millilitres (1¼ tablespoons) of salt. The mixture should be thick, but still pourable and drinkable.

There is no medical basis for the saying "feed a cold and starve a fever." If anything, you need more calories than normal if you have a raised temperature because your metabolic rate rises as the fever rises. So if you feel like eating, eat. If diarrhea is also a problem, try the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast). When diarrhea is a problem, solid foods should be avoided until the bowels stabilize. Then, small servings of bland foods, such as ripe bananas, applesauce, white toast dipped in chicken or beef broth, chicken-rice soup, rice cereals, boiled or poached eggs can be eaten.

Fevers can be a symptom of many things but to bring that temperature down make sure you keep hydrated and take in more calories than normal.