Post Illness Food Issues?

[E-Dubs]

Two weeks ago I contracted COVID for the third time and this lady week since I've been better I've had a frustrating issue with eating. (Yes, I am fully vaxed; no, I do not want to debate that with anyone) I now find all of my go to foods uninteresting or unpleasant. I thought it might be an issue with taste or smell but that does not appear to be the case as nothing smells or tastes different. Even my "dopamine foods" are unappealing. I've resorted to eating cereal or nuts and cheese to quell my stomach but that is obviously not sustainable. I feel ridiculous being a forty four year old woman eating frosted mini wheats for lunch. Has this happened to anyone else or do you have any strategies that you can share? Any ideas would be appreciated.

[STEM_Dad]

Check with your doctor about your concerns. If this is going on for more than a few weeks, you're probably right to be concerned. But keep in mind that many people groups around the world might have access to a lot less food options than we do in western nations, yet they might still be very healthy.

My first time getting sick with COVID was the worst. I had pneumonia. I didn't feel like eating much, and when I did eat I stuck to simple things. Nothing too heavy or rich or spicy or even very sweet.

For some reason, right now I'm thinking of something that my kids' pediatrician said when they each went through a picky-eater phase. At least you're eating something. Don't be too concerned about a temporary change in diet, as long as it's not all candy 😉. (Like I said, is was a pediatrician who said it. )

[Mamamichl in reply to STEM_Dad]

BRat diet for the win (banana, rice, applesauce, toast)

[STEM_Dad in reply to Mamamichl]

That's basically what I was down to, before I realized I was getting sicker and weaker. I was so weak that I couldn't drive and had images in my mind of my kids arriving home to find my lifeless body. So, I called for an ambulance. That first time with COVID almost made me a statistic.

* I tested positive for COVID again, six months later, and it was like a mild cold or allergies then. At that time, I felt like I could eat anything... but I was still suffering from partial loss of smell from the first time.

[Mamamichl]

not necessarily with Covid, but with stress. Are you stresssd about having Covid? When I’m stressed, I don’t binge eat, I binge starve. This is because even looking or smelling food (even ones I crave) twist my stomachs and I either get major cramps or feel like vomiting. When I was homeless this summer with my kids, I lost 60 pounds; About the same amount I gained over pandemic from being stagnant.

[Quincie]

This is fascinating that you're having this reaction - the loss of appetite - but yet the taste & smell of foods is still there.

Definitely discuss with your Dr. However as you know eating the sugary carbs isn't good long term. So let's think about what you can eat to boost your immune system.

During my reading etc of covid during the pandemic I discovered the research of Dr Sabine Hazan a gastroenterologist who studies the microbiome - our gut flora. She discovered that the covid virus depletes the normal healthy gut flora. The microbiome plays a role in our over all immune system so a depleted microbiome is not an ideal state.

It takes time to build our microbiome back up. You can help it by taking a good quality probiotic & including foods that naturally have these bacteria in your diet. These are foods & drinks like miso soup, kim chi, sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, yoghurt. Yogurt is the most familiar food to most ppl so start there. Kombucha is a drink widely available now in grocery stores in different flavors & you might like that too.

You said some foods are uninteresting & some are unpleasant. Can you still push through the uninteresting reaction & eat them anyway? Do you even still get hungry? Have you tried fasting long enough to trigger the hunger pangs & so have a bit of an appetite to eat? There's some hormone connected to appetite & this maybe affected too.

Other foods which a healthful to the body & your gut flora are bone broth. It's pleasant to sip as a hot beverage or you can add a few extra ingredients & have it as soup. I encourage you to regularly consume broth, fresh veg/fruit juices or smoothies, fresh fruit for the antioxidants & easily digested proteins like eggs, chicken, fish - whatever you can tolerate that's real food & fresh. It maybe you find liquids easier - soups, smoothies etc rather than solid foods. Best wishes.

[Pennysmom]

Hi Like everyone is saying please check with your dr. I have heard this can be a Covid side effect. I’ve read a lot on the subject since I lost both my sense of smell and taste in May of ‘22. Neither has yet to return. 😣

[Goodtrouble]

Hi, I also struggled with food after having covid and I noticed that some food and particularly coffee which I absolutely loved does not smell the same. Furthermore on Elvanse my appetite went right down and lost weight I did not needed to loose. What I decided to do instead of focusing on food was to focus on nutrition. On days I do not feel like eating much I make sure to have huel and huel greens or any other type of complete meal, it keeps me going and also feel better at the end of the day.