You’ve had a cold for a few days now, and it feels like you’ve got a few more days to go. Your head aches a little, and you’re tired. Your throat is mildly sore and you can’t seem to get enough fluids. But you’re not sick enough to give yourself permission to rest, so you power through the day at half speed.

In order to start the day off right, you make sure to have some hot tea with breakfast and it soothes your sore throat. But a few hours later, there’s an uncomfortable sensation building in your throat that feels vaguely like hunger. So you stop at a convenience store to grab a snack. All they have is candy, chips or nuts, so you treat yourself to some chips and it makes your throat feel better for a little while.

Halfway through the day, you’re feeling low on energy, so you give yourself permission to skip the gym. Even though you’ve decided you’re not sick enough to stay home, you feel the need for an extra boost and treat yourself to some comfort food at lunch; something warm, rich and filling.

These examples show how you might eat more, and be tempted to eat the wrong foods, when you have a cold. A sore throat can be mistaken for hunger. You’re likely to feel thirstier, and thirst is often confused for hunger. Low energy can prompt you to crave more fuel and the need to pamper yourself a little might tempt you to eat richer foods.

A better choice would be to help your body fight the cold by staying home to rest and increasing fluid intake. Eat a normal healthy diet to provide your immune system with the energy it requires, without stressing it with processing unhealthy food. This will also help you to feel better. It is not necessary or helpful to over feed your cold, and it will stress your body further to starve it.