Should I Force Myself to Eat if I Have a Fever?

December 30, 2025 •

4 min read

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the old adage "feed a cold, starve a fever" is mostly false, and forcing yourself to eat when you have a fever can actually hinder your recovery. A fever, a natural immune response to infection, often suppresses appetite to allow the body to conserve energy for fighting off the illness.

Quick Summary

This article explains why forcing yourself to eat during a fever is not recommended and can be counterproductive. It emphasizes the critical importance of staying hydrated to prevent dehydration and support the immune system. The text also covers the best types of easy-to-digest foods and drinks to consume if you do feel hungry, providing a safe and effective approach to managing your diet while sick.

Key Points

Prioritize Hydration: Staying hydrated with water, broth, or electrolyte drinks is far more important and urgent than eating during a fever due to increased fluid loss through sweating and rapid breathing.
Trust Your Appetite (or Lack Thereof): Your body naturally suppresses appetite when sick to conserve energy for fighting infection. Don't force yourself to eat, as this can cause discomfort like nausea or bloating.
Choose Easily Digestible Foods: If you feel hungry, opt for simple, bland, and nutritious options like clear broths, toast, or soft fruits to provide energy without burdening your digestive system.
Avoid Inflammatory and Heavy Foods: Steer clear of greasy, sugary, and processed foods, which can increase inflammation, worsen dehydration, and slow down your recovery.
Reintroduce Food Gradually: As your fever breaks and appetite returns, start with small, simple meals and slowly build back to your normal diet, always listening to your body's signals.
Consult a Doctor for Severe Symptoms: For a high or persistent fever, or accompanying severe symptoms like extreme weakness, seek professional medical attention.

Hydration is More Important Than Calories

While it is crucial to provide your body with nutrients to support your immune system, during a fever, the body's primary need is hydration, not forced caloric intake. A fever elevates your body's temperature and increases fluid loss through sweating and rapid breathing. Dehydration can be dangerous, worsen your symptoms, and increase your body temperature. Instead of focusing on eating, prioritize drinking plenty of fluids like water, electrolyte drinks, broth, or herbal tea.

Why Your Appetite Disappears

When you're sick, your body shifts its energy resources to fight the infection. The immune system releases chemicals called cytokines, which can influence the brain to suppress appetite. This loss of appetite is a natural mechanism to reduce the energy expenditure on digestion and focus it on recovery. Your body is capable of utilizing its existing energy reserves for a short period, so going without solid food for a day or two is not typically harmful for adults. Pushing yourself to eat heavy or complex meals when your digestive system is sluggish can lead to nausea, bloating, or vomiting.

What to Eat and Drink if You Feel Up to It

If your appetite does return, or if you feel weak and think you need some sustenance, focus on easily digestible, nutrient-rich options. The goal is to provide fuel without straining your body. Warm fluids, in particular, can be soothing and help with congestion.

Best Foods for a Fever

Clear Broths and Soups: Chicken or vegetable broth provides essential fluids, electrolytes, and nutrients. The steam can also help clear congestion.
Light, Starchy Foods: Toast, crackers, or plain rice are gentle on the stomach and provide carbohydrates for energy.
Soft Fruits: Bananas, applesauce, and melons offer vitamins, antioxidants, and water content. You can blend them into a smoothie for easier consumption.
Steamed Vegetables: Lightly cooked carrots or spinach are easier to digest than raw vegetables and are packed with vitamins.

Foods to Avoid During a Fever

Greasy and Fried Foods: These are hard to digest and can upset your stomach.
Sugary Snacks and Drinks: Excessive sugar can cause inflammation and offers no nutritional value for recovery.
Dairy (if prone to mucus): For some, dairy can increase mucus production, which is best avoided during respiratory illness.
Alcohol and Caffeine: Both can dehydrate you and should be avoided.

Eating vs. Hydrating: A Comparison

It's important to understand the different roles of eating and hydrating during an illness. Below is a comparison to help you prioritize your body's needs when you have a fever.


Feature	Hydration	Eating (when hungry)
Primary Role	Prevents dehydration, regulates body temperature, aids immune cell transport, thins mucus	Provides calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals to support recovery and energy levels
Effect During Fever	Essential and urgent, as fever increases fluid loss; avoids dangerous complications	Less important for a day or two; forcing food can cause discomfort or nausea
Best Choices	Water, electrolyte drinks, warm broth, herbal teas, fruit juice	Bland, easy-to-digest options like broth, toast, bananas, rice, and cooked vegetables
Worst Choices	Caffeinated or alcoholic beverages, sugary sodas	Greasy, fried, and heavily processed or spicy foods
Appetite	Can be maintained even with low thirst, but critical to monitor intake	Often naturally suppressed; forcing it is counterproductive

The Recovery Process and Reintroducing Food

As your fever subsides and your appetite naturally returns, you can gradually reintroduce more solid foods into your diet. Start with small portions and simple meals, and as you feel stronger, you can move back to your regular eating habits. Listening to your body is the most important part of recovery. If a certain food doesn't feel right, don't push it. Your body is directing its resources toward getting you well, so support it by providing what it needs—chiefly, hydration and rest—rather than forcing it to perform an unnecessary digestive task.

In conclusion, forcing yourself to eat when you have a fever and no appetite is generally unnecessary and can sometimes be detrimental. The far more critical task is staying consistently hydrated to replenish fluids lost through sweating. Forgoing solid food for a short period allows your body to conserve energy for its immune response. When you do feel hungry, choose light, nutritious, and easily digestible options like soups, broths, and simple starches to aid recovery without causing discomfort.

If you have a high or persistent fever, or are very weak, it is always best to consult a healthcare provider for personalized medical advice.

DispatchHealth provides in-home medical care and offers helpful resources on managing symptoms like fever.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, the phrase is a myth. For both a cold and a fever, staying hydrated is the most crucial factor. You should listen to your body's appetite rather than forcing yourself to eat when you don't feel like it.

Loss of appetite during a fever is a natural immune response. Your body releases chemicals that tell your brain to suppress hunger, conserving energy that can be better used to fight the infection instead of for digestion.

Forcing yourself to eat can cause nausea, stomach upset, or vomiting. Your digestive system is also working less efficiently, so heavy foods are harder to process and can redirect energy away from your immune system.

Focus on clear fluids like water, herbal teas, clear broths, and electrolyte-replenishing drinks. These help combat dehydration caused by sweating and increased metabolic rate.

When you have some appetite, choose easily digestible foods such as chicken soup, toast, plain rice, oatmeal, or soft fruits like bananas and applesauce.

Not necessarily. If you feel hungry and can tolerate it, eating is fine. The key is to avoid forcing it and to stick to light, nutritious foods that are gentle on your system. Hydration is always the top priority.

Your appetite will likely return as your fever breaks and you start to recover. It's a sign that your body is regaining its strength. Gradually reintroduce normal foods as you feel ready, but don't rush it.