Different causes such as sudden weather changes and infection from exposure lead to someone getting sick.
Anyone around the world can get sick, but each has their own ways of curing themselves and recovering through their favorite comfort food.
Here are some of the foods people eat to recharge themselves back to normal. How about you? What do you often eat when you’re sick?
1. Khichdi – India, and Pakistan
To make khichdi, white rice and lentils are cooked together and often topped with ghee (clarified butter) and also curd. It is simple yet enough to fill one’s tummy.
2. Marmite on Toast – South Africa
It may be odd to see marmite and toast in this list, but the pair is known to be packed with nutrients essential to help the ill gain back his lost strength.
Burnt toast – take note – is believed to work like charcoal in soaking up impurities, and marmite is a good source of vitamins, especially vitamin B.
3. Pastina – Italy
The name “pastina” doesn’t go far away from what the Italians love to eat: pasta, of course.
This sick man’s food is made by cooking small-sized pasta, which comes in different shapes, in a pot of broth.
4. Noodle Soup – China
Nothing beats a good bowl of soup when you’re feeling sickly, and in China, soup is better with noodles in it.
For added nutrients and flavor, a warm bowl can have a poached egg and vegetables in it.
5. Fish Porridge – Singapore
This easy-to-make dish is one of Singapore’s all-time favorites whether one is sick or just feeling hungry. The plain rice porridge is topped with fish slices, seasoned with ginger, soy sauce, and pepper, and simmered until cooked.
It isn’t hard to find fish porridge as you can easily go to the nearest hawker center (open-air food center) for a fix.
6. Rourou – Fiji
Green leafy vegetables are a must-have for people who want to replenish the lost nutrients their body needs.
Taro leaves which are abundant in Fiji, are used and boiled in coconut milk or water to have a warm, healthy soup.
7. Okayu – Japan
Okayu is rice porridge in Japan.
It’s plainly made of rice boiled in water without anything else.
It has been an essential meal even in Japanese hospitals where they serve a bowl to people under-recovery from digestive system-related illnesses.
To add flavor to a bland bowl of okayu, people generally pair it up with pickled plum called umeboshi.
8. Arroz Caldo – Philippines
The Philippine version of chicken soup, the Arroz Caldo, has rice in it instead of noodles.
Besides chicken broth, the soup becomes a bowlful of healthy goodness because of ginger, a known cold and sore throat buster.
9. Bilberry – Finland
Finnish forests are covered mainly through bilberries, and this common berry is a traditional favorite in curing almost all kinds of diseases.
This superfood has properties beneficial for bodies in preventing heart diseases, colon cancer, digestion-related issues, and spiking blood sugar levels.
Just eat it or juice it, and you’re good to go.
10. Cauliflower Soup – Norway
The Norwegian classic, Blomkålsuppe or simply cauliflower soup, is a creamy treat that gives the benefits of cauliflowers loaded with antioxidants that help the body’s ability to detoxify along with Vitamin C, beta-carotene, and fiber for digestive health.
This soup is no doubt one of Norway’s favorite comfort food.
11. Chicken Noodle Soup – USA
Chicken noodle soup is an unbeatable food cooked for the sick in the USA. A hot bowl doesn’t only warm the tummy but also the heart, especially when it’s homemade.
It’s simply egg noodles in a chicken broth mixed with shredded chicken meat and vegetables.
12. Ginger Ale – USA and Canada
From Canada Dry to Vernors, ginger ale has been the top quick fix for different sorts of sickness, and the people hooked with this gingery soda swear that the drink is truly effective in soothing a sore throat or an upset stomach.
13. Borscht – Russia and the Rest of Eastern Europe
Borscht is a tart beet soup you’ll often find in Russia and several East European countries.
The soup is rich in Vitamin C and nutrients like dietary fiber, magnesium, and potassium.
14. Vegemite on Toast – Australia
Another popular concentrated yeast extract spread, the vegemite, is Australia’s answer to minor illnesses like the cold.
15. Menudo – Mexico
Menudo is a traditional Mexican soup (not boyband) made with beef, tripe, and honeycomb in broth with a red chili pepper base. The soup is Mexico’s go-to hearty meal remedy for hangovers.
