Ask Lemmy

Chicken soup has a good reputation in this regard.

In my area most people suggest Gatorade or pedialyte (my go to). Going without a meal or a few is okay, but make sure to drink, get electrolytes, and make sure it has sugar in it.

Meal replacement shake (or bar) with calories, vitamins, and minerals. It’s what doctor’s recommended after I hit the pavement.

Hot buttered toast!

Nuts are super nutrient-dense. Just a handful gets you a decent amount of calories & protein. You can crush some up and mix with your oatmeal if they're too much to chew.

Any soup is good imo. Like Cauliflower soup with bacon and garlic bread. Meat/vegetable soup.

As a last resort drinking broth can work.

It’s about getting energy into your body so you can heal

Disclaimer: English is not my first language and I’m too tired and sick to look them all up

Congee / rice porridge. Cook rice way down until it's breaking apart. You can go simple/traditional by cooking it in water with a little ginger, or kick it up a notch by cooking it in chicken broth to add more flavor.

Add some good (low sugar and low added fats) peanut butter or any other nut butter and/or ground nuts to your oats. Makes for a healthy and calorie rich meal that keeps you sated for a while. It’s easy on the stomach, does not cause the blood sugar to rise quickly and you can eat it spoon by spoon over the whole day, if necessary.

Also don’t forget to drink plenty. I find tea and highly diluted apple juice (like 10%) are ideal when I am sick.

Instant ramen and crack an egg into the boiling water right at the end and stir. Gives it some protein and makes it a more substantial meal.

Chicken soup, plain white rice, buttered toast, peanut butter, and crackers are all things I can usually tolerate when I feel that way. Sometimes banana or vanilla yogurt. I hope you feel better soon!

Chicken soup. Easy to make, can add rice and it is super healthy.

Ingredients: One onion, and you don't need to cut it to small pieces. One carrot One or two celery stick Whole raw or roasted chicken.

Through everything on big pot, cover with water, lower the heat when start bubbling.

Let it simmer for 40 to 60 minutes.

Add rice or potatoes or any other vegetables you like.

Can freeze really well for months.

White bread. Bland enough to avoid eating aversions and puts some energy in you. Plus, most people already have some! Not claiming it's healthy, but when I'm sick and the thought of eating makes me want to puke it manages to slip past my radar.

its very easy to dehydrate when youre sick, especially if you have diarrhea. Basically your body trying to flush out whatever is irritating you. Most electrolyte packs from pharmacy have glucose added. Glucose is very easily digested and provides energy source when your DI is not working. Also most doctors recommend to drink coke, since its full of sugar and has acidic pH which is bad for viruses. toasted bread also works, easily digestible and doesnt iritate

Ive had diabetic ketoacidosis a few times. Once it starts coming on you can't eat Anything. For a couple days or more.

Then the treatment is ice chips and IV insulin for a few days.

Coming out of it, your stomach is the size of a walnut and the thought of eating makes you want to make you puke.

My roads back to eating:

Broth from ramen cups. Liquid meal replacements. If you have a soy allergy, take a close look at the ingredients. Miso broth.

Drinkable yogurt.

Bland pasta with just olive oil.

Granola bars.

My experience is that I eventually get hungry again.

Best of luck dealing with your situation.

Edit: per others, chicken soup (I can get the broth down) and Pedialyte or Gatorlyte. Getting dehydrated does not help.

Get better soon!

I’ve struggled with appetite issues for a while now and my go-to whenever I can’t get myself to eat regular food is nutritional drinks like Soylent, Boost etc. Enough calories to replace a meal and you won’t miss out on nutrients.

Name brand ones are unfortunately super expensive so I usually stick to the Kroger Fortify+. I know you said flavor isn’t a priority, but avoid vanilla. It’s wretched. Chocolate is the one that’s most palatable.

Soup, yogurt or blending a bunch of vegetables/fruit into a smoothie. Tastes awful but it's easy to down and will keep you alive.

Make one of those weight gainers shakes, with oatmeal, bananas, nuts, flaxseed, protein powder, berries (also toss in spinach, you can barely taste it). And just down it quickly.

You’ll need a decent blender though.

When nothing at all sounds good but youre in need of protein, try soy milk. It’s cold, smooth and easy to get down.

Chicken noodle soup

Not sure if people will scorch this idea but one thing I love when I'm having trouble is scalloped potatoes cut up real small and you just graze it all day. Ginger ale is a nice companion but try to get as low dugar as you can find and use a metal straw and sip very preciously

I know there's dairy and a bunch of other stuff but it goes down super easy and the trick is to have it in a million pieces so you can really go slow. Hope it helps

Fresh fruit tend to be what I can consume without an appetite or even while nauseous. Melons and berries usually, but sparingly if I haven't had much else of substance.

If you’re able to hold solid foods besides the things like Gatorade/pedialite/ensure fig newtons are pretty calorie dense too.

I was really sick and couldn't eat much of anything for 2 months and lived mostly on the chocolate Soylent. I had issues staying hydrated so I also drank a lot of Liquid IV (Pina colada and watermelon were my favorites).

As I started to tolerate more solid food I ate: canned soup purees like butternut squash/tomato bisque/pea soup, powdered soup mixes from Bob's Red Mill or Knorr, steel cut oatmeal with mushrooms and chicken broth cooked in a pressure cooker, rolled oatmeal with nuts and dried fruit, grits, plain rice crackers, nut thins, fage 5% yogurt, bananas plain or blended up with milk, applesauce, cottage cheese, carrots cooked to mush. Also ate a lot of sweet potatoes and russet potatoes, I cooked a bunch of them whole in the pressure cooker at once and then I'd eat them all week.

Some of my friends recommended Huel or Plenny shakes but I never got around to ordering any.

I'd also avoid anything with too much oil, fat, hot spices, or sugar which can irritate the stomach and limit cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale which can be hard to digest.

Hope you feel better soon.

Toast with cinnamon, sugar and butter on top. Pro tip: put the butter, sugar and cinnamon on before you toast it - then it melts into the bread. This was my go-to growing up for being sick and having trouble eating. Feel better soon!

Hawaiian delight baby food, oyster crackers, broth (better than bouillon and a clove of garlic)

My go to is plain white rice with plain chicken thighs if I can stomach meat if not I'll make it with some chicken broth.

If you're struggling to eat for more than like a week you probably should bite the bullet and see a doctor. A prolonged lack of appetite can be a sign of some pretty serious stuff.