Do you feed your kids differently when they are sick? If yes, how?

[momma_unlimited]

My kids have colds right now. Makes me wonder if I should have a list on hand to remind me of good foods to help cleanse and heal. What are your top choices? My older son HATES SOUP, although sometimes that's all I offer because I can't cook different things for everybody and DS2 and I do enjoy it (esp when sick).

[Storm Bride]

As long as they can eat, I tend to feed them pretty the same as always, except that I'm a little more tolerant of pickiness.

I do make them up hot honey lemon drinks if they have sore throats. They both like those. Actually, so does my teenage son.

[samstress]

dd usually doesn't have much of an appetite when she's sick, so i just make sure she gets lots of fluids.

[vulturemom]

I just add extra fluids unless they are throwing up. But, if they don't want to eat I don't push it.

[tanyalynn]

Soup is one of our mainstays when the kids are sick--they prefer chicken noodle, I try to keep homemade chicken stock in the freezer for this, and we use Asian-style rice noodles instead of traditional noodles. If we consumed dairy (and I think we will again, someday) I may cut it out when they're sick depending on how they react to it--I've never tried raw dairy, so I don't know how that'll work if/when.

I tend toward giving less fat when they're sick, seems like they don't digest it well (more for a gastro illness than typical colds). I would tend toward more cooked foods, like soft veggies in soups, and I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not (more cooked, less raw).

Mine like Aviva Romm's spicy lemonade (garlic, lemon juice, and honey in water), especially for sore throats.

I've made potato peel veggie stock a couple times, it's a good source of minerals, just different minerals than the chicken stock. But it tastes fairly potato-y, in an odd way, and I haven't found tasty ways to work that yet.

I tend to push the fermented veggies, kimchee and pickles and the like, especially for gastro illnesses.

[lil_earthmomma]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

I've made potato peel veggie stock a couple times, it's a good source of minerals, just different minerals than the chicken stock. But it tastes fairly potato-y, in an odd way, and I haven't found tasty ways to work that yet.
.

Baked potato soup!!! :

Get stock boiling and add diced up potatoes, bay leaves etc...
Cut bacon up really small and cook. Remove from pan.
Sautee onion and garlic (lots of garlic in our house! Especially when sick!) in bacon grease. Add to stock, reserving grease. Create a roux by adding some butter (if you don`t have enough grease) and flour and whisking till smooth. Add to stock and stir well so no lumps form. Add parmesan cheese, salt, pepper. (I like to add chili flakes too) Remove bay leaves. Serve with chives, grated cheese, sour cream etc. Super yummy.

You can do this without bacon and to thicken it just blend some of the cooked potatoes.

***
As for feeding my family when sick, we do a lot of brothy soups with homemade stock and I grate fresh garlic into the bowls when I serve. My dh especially likes this and claims to feel better almost as soon as he finishes his soup. My ds loves it too.

We like to juice when sick. Beets, parsley, lemon, carrot, ginger and garlic is a great under the weather juice. (and the pulp makes awesome muffins!)

[artemis33]

If DD or any of us are sick I make up a big pot of chicken stock and add a lot of garlic and ginger to the pot. Even if I don't make a soup out of it, I'll have DD sip it from a cup. Usually I do make a chicken veggie soup though and we eat a lot of it for a couple of days.

[UUMom]

Chicken stock/soup. With lots of garlic & lots of parsely, which are both antibacterials and anti virals.

[karne]

I tend to offer tea (uncaf.)-something along the healing line. Chicken broth, sometimes w/noodles and ginger grated in. Mixes of juice and water, or the same frozen into ice pops. Toast w/butter. My grandmother always made a plain custard when someone was ill, or had a nervous stomach (like me on my wedding day!). It's so soothing. I make a custard or grapenut custard and serve it warm.

[oceanbaby]

Soup or broth, steamed veggies, rice, plain pasta, tea with raw honey, no sugar or dairy.

[texmati]

I don't have kids (yet!) but we put a lot more turmeric in 'sick people' food. It's supposed to be anti bacterial, and it really does make me feel better if I have a sore throat.