Children with cough should eat what? Should abstain from chicken shrimp?

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Despite all care efforts, children can get an average of 8 to 10 coughs, colds, or runny noses a year. Although most cases of a child's cough don't require any specific treatment, parents can help keep their children healthy with dietary considerations.

1. What should children be fed when they have a cough?

Coughs and colds are very common adverse health events in young children. Accordingly, keeping young children comfortable and well-nourished during sick days is very important, helping children strengthen their resistance when fighting the virus.
During this period, doctors often recommend that parents give children plenty of rest, limit running activities, play outdoors and need to drink enough water and eat enough. Diluted juices, water, soups and vegetable broths are all great ways to get the fluids your child needs. If your child has a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, follow your pediatrician's recommendations to replace electrolyte fluids with dosed solution sachets. Older children can be given herbal teas with honey and lemon.
However, many parents still worry about what children should be fed when they have a cough next to them like the one above. Here are some tips on what to feed your child when he or she is sick, sneezing, coughing and having a runny nose:

1.1. Let your child eat some fruit

There may be no solid evidence that vitamin C can cure a cold, but the value of this vitamin's antioxidant properties cannot be denied. Good sources of vitamin C include lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and berries in general.
Therefore, to quickly strengthen the child's immune system against infectious agents, parents should give children a variety of soft, succulent fruits. Not only are these packed full of vitamins and minerals to support good health and immunity, but they're also packed with water to help support your child's fluid needs. Frozen sliced ​​fresh fruit is convenient and easy to defrost, ready for kids to enjoy, better stored, and won't spoil as quickly as whole fresh fruit.
Besides, parents can add fresh milk or low-fat yogurt, blend smoothies with fruit cups. This is an ideal way to add energy and nutrients in a delicious way while sick children become picky eaters.

1.2. Let children choose their own favorite foods

The child's appetite will decrease significantly when the child has a cough, fever or runny nose. Therefore, parents can push their children to eat a little more to quickly overcome the illness, but do not overdo it.
When a sick child may lose his appetite or eat less because of a sore throat, parents should give the child small meals based on the child's favorite foods. Frequent small meals in moderate amounts are easier to digest but still help meet essential energy needs.

1.3. Try the chicken soup

Try making your own chicken soup using leftovers from last night's roast chicken. Accordingly, do not worry when the baby has a cough, should you eat chicken when a warm, gentle bowl of chicken soup is a "classic" remedy for cough and cold. Furthermore, the soup bowl will also help provide the child's fluid needs.
For a fuller bowl of chicken soup, add some rice, culture or noodles with cooked, chopped and stewed vegetables. A few tablespoons of oatmeal can also be used to thicken soup while it boils as well as providing needed nutrients.

2. What should a baby with a cough not feed?

Contrary to the foods that should be given to children when they have a cough mentioned above, here are 4 foods parents need to avoid for children to receive:

2.1. Sugary foods

Avoid sugary foods so as not to create favorable conditions for children to be more susceptible to viruses.
Simple sugars are generally not good for children, even when healthy. When too much sugar is consumed, this condition can reduce white blood cells, increasing the risk of developing infections and other related diseases.
Therefore, soft drinks, sugary drinks, candy, chocolate, cold drinks and other processed foods are some of the foods parents should avoid when their child has a cough.

2.2. Milk Products

Dairy products contain animal protein, which can be harmful to children with coughs due to irritation during winter. The child may have increased secretions of mucus, which may lead to airway obstruction, which may worsen the child's condition.
Thus, parents should not give their children dairy products such as cheese and ice cream when they have a cough to avoid mucus production. However, breast milk and infant formula are the exception. If the baby is still exclusively breastfed, increase the amount of milk and the number of feedings per day. In case the child is already on solid food, it is better to give the child additional nutritional substitutes such as porridge, soup or baby powder.

2.3. Foods rich in histamine

Some mothers worry that children with cough should eat shrimp. The answer is to be careful because shrimp contains a lot of histamine. This is a chemical involved in increasing the production and secretion of stomach acid, which easily irritates the airways and causes coughing.
Therefore, a diet rich in histamine during the changing seasons can have a negative effect as this can create mucus on the airways, leading to health problems and can even cause a cough in children. , wheezing, trouble breathing or swallowing food.
Accordingly, avoid using mayonnaise, dried fruit, mushrooms, vinegar, bananas, spinach, soy sauce, pickles, strawberries, papaya, fermented foods, smoked fish, yogurt, eggplant, seafood such as sea fish, shrimp and foods containing artificial preservatives to reduce the amount of histamine entering the body.

2.4. Fried foods and fast foods

Fried foods and fast foods are mainly prepared by frying with fats and oils derived from animal products. This can be a serious problem in children during the winter.
On the other hand, fried or greasy foods also cause saliva and mucus to thicken, which can lead to an uncomfortable feeling in the throat, making it easier for children to cough. However, in general, such foods are very harmful to young children, and should be avoided even if the child is perfectly healthy.
In short, what to eat and what to abstain from a cough baby is a great concern when parents take care of a sick child at home. When parents know the foods to avoid mentioned above, parents will have a way to choose the right food, which will help children eat more, have a good taste, soon overcome the disease, but also help make the child's cough quickly ease. Go. If the child has a persistent cough, parents should take the child to the doctor soon so that the doctor can accurately diagnose the health problem that the baby is having and provide timely and effective treatment.
Parents can take their children to Vinmec International General Hospital, one of the leading hospitals in the country for examination, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the respiratory tract, digestive tract, urinary tract, nutrition. , especially in infants and young children. Vinmec Hospital owns modern equipment, sterile space, minimizing the impact as well as the risk of disease spread. Besides, the dedication from doctors with professional experience with pediatric patients, makes the examination no longer a concern for parents.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Reference articles: eatright.org, babycenter.in, dnaindia.com, medlatec.vn, Thaythuocvietnam.vn, vnexpress.net