Get Plenty of Calories During Flu Season

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition suggests that you may want to rethink restricting your calorie intake during flu season. Calorie restriction makes it more difficult for the body to fight off the flu virus. Calorie restriction is defined as the reduction in calorie intake to 40 percent of a normal diet, while maintaining adequate vitamins and minerals.

When the body is exposed to a strain of the flu that it has not previously come in contact with, it must rely on immune system cells to combat the virus. This means that the body needs an adequate amount of calories to make more immune cells. Those who are on calorically restricted diets in this instance, will not have enough reserves to fight the infection and recovery will take longer.

Learn more about this study, see:

• Feed A Cold, Feed A Fever (Science Daily)