Settling a debate.

[Rdavisipad]

So whenever I've gotten a cold/virus, I always took the approach that I should continue to eat as normal (or as close as possible), with the understanding that the body needs the food to recover.
However popular belief is that the reason you never feel hungry during a cold is because the body doesn't want you to eat so that it can focus your energy on recovery.

So which is right?

 

[darrenG10]

I’d try liquid or shakes and keep hydration up until feeling better plenty rest water or lucozade always worked nicely and some soups few days later get in more solid meals

 

[Functional Fitness]

Interesting subject. Great post.

Eating as normal is the answer to this question but loss of appetite during periods of sickness is common so I'm not sure how to debate this topic. I highly doubt that `the body` decides it doesn't want you to eat and take in nutrients when nutrients are the essential elements needed for repair and healing so losing your appetite is really just a hormonal side effect that comes with sickness and an imbalanced influx/release of certain bodily chemicals. There's no logical reason I can think of to suggest that `the body` thinks it's better to starve itself and not eat when your sick as `the body` is only programmed to keep you alive and survive. The biological act of not eating and taking in nutrients would indicate that your body is actually trying to destroy you and that's not theoretically possible.

Homeostasis 101