Tag: Starve a fever myth

According to medical experts at Cedars-Sinai, the age-old advice to "starve a fever" is a myth. When you are sick, your body needs energy and nutrients to fuel your immune system and fight off infection, so you should eat if you're feeling sick, prioritizing hydration and easy-to-digest, nutrient-dense options.

An age-old adage suggests we should 'feed a cold and starve a fever,' but modern science reveals this advice is only partially correct. The truth is your body needs sufficient energy to fight off any illness, and understanding if and when you should increase calories when sick is key to a speedy recovery.

Centuries-old folk wisdom claims you should "starve a fever," but modern medicine has proven this advice is dangerously misguided. The truth is, your body's metabolic rate increases significantly when you have a fever, meaning it needs more, not less, energy to fight off infection and recover.