Diet Treatment for Fever

Fever being a natural healing crisis, it should be helped to run its normal course. Any interference with this nature process by administration of drugs will only enable the body to retain the morbid matter, which caused the condition. If dealt with in natural way, the common fever where there are no complications, will subside in two to three days.

Diet for Fever:

To begin with, the patient should be put on a fast on orange juice and water. The procedure is to take the juice of an orange in a glass of warm water every two-hour during the day.


It will provide energy, increases urinal output and promote body resistance against infection thereby hastening recovery. Warm-water enema should be given daily to cleanse the bowels during this period.

After the temperature has come down to normal and the tongue has cleared, the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for further two days.


In this regimen, he should take three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as apple, pear, grapes, orange, pineapple, peach, melon or any other juicy fruit in season. For drinks, unsweetened lemon water or plain water, either hot or cold may be taken. Thereafter, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet, with emphasis on fresh fruits and raw or lightly cooked vegetables.

Home Remedies for Fever: 

Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in the treatment of common fever.


The use of the leaves of holy basil (holi basil) is the most effective of these remedies. A decoction made by about 12 grams of these leaves, boiled with half a liter of water, should be administered with milk, sugar and powdered cardamom (chhoti elaichi). This will bring down the temperature.

A tea made from fenugreek (fenugreek seeds) seeds is equal in value to quinine in reducing fevers. It is particularly valuable as a cleansing and soothing drink. Fenugreek seeds, when moistened with water becomes slightly mucilaginous, and hence the tea made from them has the power to dissolve sticky substance like mucus.

Other Measures for fever: 

Cold compresses may be applied to the head in case the temperature rises above 103°F. If this method does not succeed, cold pack may be applied to the whole body. The procedure is to bring out a sheet or large square piece of linen material in cold water, wrap it twice around the body and legs of the patient and then cover completely with a small blanket or similar warm material. This pack should be applied every three hours during the day while temperature is high and kept on for one hour or so each time. Hot water bottles may be applied to the feet and also against the sides of the body.

TREATMENT CHART FOR FEVER

A - DIET

Fast on fruit juice till fever subsides. Take a glass of fresh fruit juice, diluted with water on 50:50 basis, every two hours. Use warm-water enema daily during the day.

B. An all-fruit diet for further two days, taking three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits at five-hourly intervals.

III. Thereafter, gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet, on the following lines:-

1. Upon arising:

A glass of lukewarm water with half a freshly squeezed lime and a teaspoon of honey.

2. Breakfast:

Fresh fruit, a glass of milk, sweetened with honey and some seeds or nuts.

3. Lunch:

Freshly-prepared steamed or lightly cooked vegetables, whole wheat wheat tortilla and a glass of buttermilk.

4. Mid-afternoon:

A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice.

5. Dinner:

A bowl of raw vegetable salad and sprouted seeds like alfalfa and green gram beans, with limejuice dressing.

Home Remedies:

Decoction of holi basil leaves and fenugreek seeds tea.

AVOID:

Meats, tea, coffee, condiments, pickles refined and processed foods, white flour and sugar and products made from them.

B - OTHER MEASURES

1. Cold compress on the head in case of high fever, failing which, cold pack to the whole body.

Diet for fever

A fever is a medical condition where the internal temperature of the body rises to levels that are above normal. The medical term for fever is pyrexia.  The normal body temperature is about 37°C or 98.6°F so anything above this would be thought of as febrile or feverish. If the body temperature crosses 103 degrees, it can be dangerous and needs immediate medical attention. Fever is an indication of an infection. The body temperature rises when it is fighting infections caused by viruses and bacteria. The infections that could cause fever are pneumonia, chicken pox, flu, and strep throat. Other causes of fever could be cancer diseases or tumors, tissue injuries, certain medicines, being in a hot environment for a long time and rheumatoid arthritis.

There are various symptoms of fever. They depend on the causes of the fever. Feeling cold and shivering are the most common signs. Other symptoms could be burning eyes, loss of appetite, dehydration, weakness, aching muscles and sweating. What you eat and drink when you have a fever is extremely important. At the start of a fever make sure you are on a complete liquid diet consuming only fruit juices and water till the digestive organs are rested. This not only gives energy but also increases the urinal output and helps body resistance which in turn helps in quick recovery. Make sure you drink a lot of water as the body is dehydrated. Warm water enema should be taken daily in order to clean the bowels. Once the temperature falls, a fruit diet should be adopted for at least two days. Subsequently, other foods in small quantities can be consumed at regular intervals of 11/2 to 2 hours. Whatever you eat you need to make sure that they are easily absorbed and digestible. Hot and spicy food, junk food, fried and greasy foods should be completely avoided.

Following foods should be included in the diet for fever:

Fruits and Vegetables – A lot of green leafy vegetables like spinach, cabbage, lettuce, fenugreek etc should be consumed along with fresh fruits like pears, apples, grapes, oranges peach, pineapple, melon or any other juicy seasonal fruit.
Cereals – Whole wheat cereals should be well cooked and steamed. Cereals could also be used with milk.
Eggs – You can eat up to 4 to 6 fresh eggs every day. They could be eaten raw or boiled and could also be used with fruit juice or milk.
Sugar – The best type of sugar you can use is milk sugar as it is not as sweet as normal sugar. You can use 6 to 8 ounces of milk sugar daily.
Clear soups – These include beef tea, beef juice and broths which could be made of chicken as well as mutton after making sure that the fat is removed completely.
Milk – You can consume 11/2 to 2 quarts of milk in a day. Variations can be used like diluting it with water or adding cream, tea, cocoa, coffee cooked cereal, eggs or malted milk. 

Fever in children 

Fever indicates a defensive reaction from the body’s immune system against a viral or bacterial infection. The normal temperature of a person’s body may vary during different parts of the day, reaching the highest around the evening. If a person’s body temperature is above 99 or 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit, then it is possible that the person has a fever. It should, however, be understood that heavy physical activity or exercise, high temperature or humidity in the atmosphere, and wearing a lot of warm clothing can all cause the body temperature to rise temporarily.

A fever generally indicates that there is a battle going on in the body between its defense mechanism and the invading virus or bacteria. Efforts should be aimed at reducing the fever and not at eliminating it, because the fever serves as a marker for the presence of an infection. Fever treatment for both adults and children should include adequate rest and a simple diet that restores strength to the body without too much strain on the digestive system. 

Not every fever is life threatening. Fevers associated with colds, flu, or bacterial or viral gastroenteritis may subside in a day or two, after running their course. When someone at home has a fever, it is best to make the person drink lots of fluids and rest as much as possible to allow the body to heal itself. Infants may have low grade fever after immunization shots or if they are teething. Children who have fever need the same care as adults do; they should drink lots of fluid and take rest. If children with fever are interested in playing, have a normal skin color, and eat and drink normally, then there is no cause for worry. They may be quite alert and appear normal when the fever is down, and all they need is a simple diet and adequate rest to ensure that the fever does not recur. Wrapping sick children in thick blankets and woolen clothes is not a good idea as it keeps the body temperature high. A light blanket is often enough to ward off the chills.

The old adage about stuffing a cold and starving a fever is just that, an old adage. There is no scientific evidence for this statement. People with fever should eat simple food that is easy to digest and include lots of soups and juices in their diet to help the body remain hydrated. This will allow the digestive tract to rest and recover from any infection in the digestive system.  Fast food, fried or greasy foods, and hot and spicy dishes should be avoided as being part of your fever food. Soups, stews, broth, and soft boiled eggs are suitable in a fever diet. Juicy fruits and lightly steamed vegetables contain the vitamins and minerals that can give a boost to the body’s immune system.
Ask anyone who has cared for sick people at home for fever recipes and they will affirm that chicken noodle soup is the all time favorite comfort food that patients ask for. Hearty and healthy, chicken noodle soups are nutritionally well balanced. The combination of vegetables, chicken, and herbs with the noodles, leaves a feeling of being comfortably full after one tucks into a steaming bowl.

Sick people often lack the energy to sit up and eat their meals. Apart from giving them plenty of water and nourishing juices and soups, it may be a good idea to give them several small meals instead of two or three large meals. Combining pasta with vegetable or meat protein creates a healthy soup that can be filling, yet light. Oatmeal is another convenient food that is ideal for a fever diet. It provides the fiber and protein required and lends itself to be combined with several fruit flavors or even with milk and chocolate to tempt the palate of the sick. In eastern countries, when on a fever diet, cooked rice is added to chicken or fish stock and vegetables with a few strands of ginger for flavor. Since ginger is said to be good for stomach flu, it makes sense to add it as a flavoring agent.

When fever is accompanied by vomiting or diarrhea, it is all the more vital to ensure that the person is not dehydrated. Constant vomiting means loss of fluid and it also means that the oral intake of fluids is not retained by the body. Oral rehydration solutions may help restore the lost fluid in such cases. Soft drinks and soda pops should be avoided. Soups and freshly squeezed juices with warm water should be given, particularly if the person has diarrhea. Care should be taken about food hygiene in such cases as they are susceptible to food borne infections because of their weakened digestive systems. When people are sick and are running a fever, it is important that they get wholesome nutritious food that is easy to digest so that they can bolster their immune system and work towards a speedy recovery.  

Fever Treatment