15 Common Foods That Can Worsen Your Cold Or Flu

When you’re under the weather, the food you choose matters more than you think. Some comforting treats may actually slow down recovery.

Certain ingredients can trigger inflammation or worsen congestion. Here are 15 common foods to avoid when fighting off a cold or the flu.

1. Ice Cream

Cold and creamy, ice cream can feel soothing but often makes throat inflammation worse. The dairy content may also thicken mucus.

Its sugar content weakens immune response, slowing your recovery just when your body needs strength the most.

Carbonated soft drinks deliver a blast of sugar without any nutrients to support healing. The fizz can irritate a sore throat.

Sodas also dehydrate you, working against your body’s efforts to flush out illness through fluids.

Fried foods are hard to digest and full of oils that fuel inflammation. The crispy coating can also scratch a tender throat.

Grease-heavy meals like this may leave you feeling bloated, sluggish, and even more run down.

Cold cuts are often packed with sodium and preservatives that stress your system. Additives can increase water retention and inflammation.

Nitrates in deli meats may disrupt healthy circulation and slow the immune response.

Sweet pastries are loaded with refined sugar, which can suppress white blood cell activity. The high fat content doesn’t help either.

These treats bring a quick energy spike, but leave your body more vulnerable to prolonged infection afterward.

Cheese contains saturated fats that can increase mucus production. It may leave your nose stuffier than it was before.

Dense and heavy, cheese is harder to digest when your energy is already low.

These salty, greasy favorites are fried in oils that encourage inflammation. They offer little nourishment for your immune system.

Salt can also contribute to dehydration, especially when you already need more fluids to feel better.

Sugary candies feed harmful bacteria in your mouth and gut, both key to immune health. They offer no helpful vitamins or minerals.

Eating candy when sick may delay healing and aggravate cough or throat pain.

Thick and sugary, milkshakes are dairy-rich and cold—two things that worsen congestion and sore throats. They’re also deceptively heavy.

All that sugar can send your immune system into a slump instead of a fight.

Some spice can clear nasal passages, but too much irritates the throat and stomach lining. Capsaicin isn’t always your friend when sick.

Hot sauces may trigger coughing fits and digestive upset, making symptoms harder to manage.

Alcohol dehydrates the body and disrupts sleep cycles. Both are critical for healing quickly and fully.

It also weakens your immune response, giving viruses more time to settle in.

Packed with caffeine and sugar, energy drinks provide temporary energy but tax your system long-term. They also cause sleep disruption.

Your body needs rest, not adrenaline surges, when fighting off illness.

Refined carbs in white bread convert quickly to sugar, feeding inflammation. There’s no fiber or nutrients to support healing.

It spikes blood sugar without offering the slow-burning energy your body needs while sick.

Dark chocolate has antioxidants, but most chocolate bars are high in sugar and milk fat. They do more harm than help.

Caffeine in chocolate may also interfere with much-needed rest and hydration.

Cheesy, salty, and often greasy, pizza combines several inflammatory ingredients. It’s also difficult to digest when your stomach is sensitive.

Tomato sauce’s acidity can worsen a sore throat, while processed toppings pile on even more stress.