“You should "feed a cold, starve a fever."”

The old saying that suggests a different approach to eating based on whether you have a cold or a fever has roots stretching back centuries. This notion gained significant traction from a 1574 dictionary compiled by English lexicographer John Withals, who advised that "fasting is a great remedy of fever." The underlying belief was that illnesses caused by low temperatures, like a cold, needed to be "fueled" with food to generate warmth, while high-temperature fevers needed to be "cooled" by depriving the body of energy, essentially starving the "furnace." Some theories even trace the idea of starving a fever to Hippocrates, who believed fever itself was the disease and could be starved out.

However, modern medical understanding has largely debunked this long-held advice. Scientific evidence shows that your body requires energy and nutrients to power your immune system, regardless of the type of infection it's fighting. When you have a fever, your metabolism actually speeds up, burning more calories as your body works harder to combat the illness. Therefore, starving yourself when feverish can actually hinder your recovery by denying your body the essential fuel it needs. While a small 2002 study in the Netherlands suggested a potential link between calorie intake and certain immune responses, it was too limited to draw broad conclusions and has not been widely replicated.

The enduring popularity of this myth likely stems from its historical origins and the intuitive, though incorrect, logic of the past. Additionally, a loss of appetite is a common symptom when feeling unwell, which might inadvertently reinforce the idea that not eating during a fever is beneficial. The truth is, staying hydrated is paramount for both colds and fevers, and consuming light, nutritious meals provides the necessary energy to support your immune system in fighting off any illness.