Healthy Food to Help You Recovering from Illness

We all know that nutrition plays a vital role in our daily life. However, while you’re recovering from illness, the importance of good nutrition from healthy food becomes even more critical as it supports the return of your body to good health.

During recovery, your body requires all essential nutrients to repair and maintain its functions. Therefore, paying extra attention to your daily diet during this period of healing is simply a must.

In this article, Prime Plus would like to focus on the foods containing the nutrients that promote faster recovery.

Get enough protein

Though the amount of protein you need per day varies based on your age, sex, and how active you are, the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for protein is 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men. This reference represents the required amount of protein per day to stay in good health.

During recovery from an illness, you might need a higher amount of protein in your daily diet. Your body needs the extra protein to help build and repair body tissues, fight infection, carry oxygen through your body, and balance your body fluids.

Some of the protein-rich healthy foods you can include in your daily meals include poultry, beans, fish, nuts, eggs, and dairy products. One chicken breast without skin, for instance, covers the amount of protein your body needs for one day. By making sure to include proper portions of high protein foods in your daily diet, you can speed up the recovery of your body cells.

Bounce back with Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a vital nutrient for health. One of its many proven benefits is that it helps to boost your immune system. For adults, the recommended daily amount of vitamin C is 65 to 90 mg a day. However, the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C for breastfeeding women is 120 mg, and smokers need to add 35 mg to the recommended daily amount.

While recovering from an illness, your body certainly needs at least the minimum recommended amount of vitamin C. While you can opt for supplements, experts have shared that you can exceed the Recommended Dietary Allowance of vitamin C by eating two pieces or servings of vitamin C-rich fruits such as citrus fruits, strawberries, or papayas. Other great natural sources of vitamin C include tomatoes, leafy greens, and broccoli.

Add more fiber to your diet

Maintaining a diet high in fiber is one of the best ways to help your digestive health return to normal after suffering from an illness. By consuming more fruits and vegetables during your recovery period, you can maintain a high-fiber diet that keeps your digestive tract healthy. And your digestive health plays a major role in your general health and wellbeing. Thus, consuming enough fiber while your body gets back on track is a non-negotiable item on this list!

Related: Superfoods for an Energized Ramadan

Last but not least, stay hydrated! 

Given that your body highly depends on water to function properly, hydration plays a vital role in your overall good health. Staying hydrated becomes even more vital during recovery, especially if you might have lost fluids throughout the illness.

Dehydration can take a toll on your body even when you are not sick, and your immune system is just fine. Therefore, no matter how challenging it is to drink plenty of fluids while you’re ill, try to at least still aim for the suggested intake of 8 glasses of water per day, or listen to your body and do the best that you can to stay hydrated.

We sincerely do hope that you stay healthy. However, if you do get ill, make sure to stick to a balanced diet and consume the above kinds of foods to support a speedy recovery!