Diet taboos for children with chickenpox

Foods that are known to cause allergies must not be touched. During the peak period of rash, try to avoid spicy food, high sugar and salt, and known allergenic foods. There is no need to overly restrict food, which will slow down the recovery.

Not long ago, my best friend's 3-year-old baby got chickenpox. She checked against a long list of taboos that she searched online. Even pork and apples were included in the "taboo list." The baby was so hungry that she hugged her legs and cried for cakes. She still refused to give them to her. I happened to bump into him when I came to deliver nursing care products. I was really angry and funny.

In fact, many taboos are really spread out of proportion. For example, spicy and salty foods should be avoided. They are not "taboos" at all. The main reason is that when chickenpox occurs, many children will also develop herpes in their mouths and throats. Eating these will stimulate the pain of the herpes, which will make the baby suffer. Eating too much high-sugar food will not only aggravate the sticky discomfort in the throat, but also affect the repair of the skin barrier, making it more itchy. If possible, avoid it.

When it comes to the most controversial point, it must be the old saying that "eating soy sauce will leave black scars." Western medicine does not agree with this at all - the pigments in soy sauce will be metabolized directly after entering the human body, and will not deposit in damaged areas of the skin. The reason why some people think that scars are left is mostly because the rash was scratched and inflamed at that time, and has nothing to do with the half cent of soy sauce. But if the elderly at home are particularly concerned about it, then there is nothing wrong with using less soy sauce in cooking. There is no need to cause family conflicts over this matter.

There are also traditional "fat foods", such as seafood, mango, pineapple, bamboo shoots, etc., will they aggravate chickenpox? In fact, there is currently no clear clinical research that can directly prove it, but it is still recommended to try to avoid the first 3-5 days of the rash - not because you are afraid of "sending" more chickenpox, but because these foods themselves have a high probability of sensitization. If you eat an allergic rash and mix it with chickenpox, the doctor will not be able to tell whether the condition is aggravated, which will only cause trouble. If the baby has never been allergic to these before, and the rash will disappear soon, it won’t be a big problem if he craves for a few bites.

Don't tell me, I have met many parents who do the opposite, thinking that chickenpox needs to be "cleared" to be cured, so they specially cook coriander water, ginger soup, and brown sugar water for their children to drink. Last year, a grandma did this. Her baby was almost scabbed. After drinking coriander water for two days, he was itchy and scratched all night long. There were more than ten new rashes on his chest. When he came for a follow-up check-up, he was so distressed that he shed tears. In fact, the degree of chickenpox is determined by the virus and immunity. Deliberately eating "divergent" food will only aggravate the dilation of blood vessels in the skin and make it more itchy. It is completely unnecessary.

Many parents tend to go to the other extreme and don't even dare to feed their children eggs, milk, and lean meat. This is really holding them back. Chickenpox itself is a process of fighting between immunity and the virus. Protein is the ammunition. If you take away the ammunition, the virus will of course remain arrogant for longer. As long as the baby is not allergic to these foods before and is cooked soft and bland, he can eat them normally. Many parents also say that fruits should not be eaten when they are cold. If the child has herpes in the mouth and is so painful that he cannot eat, eat some strawberries, bananas, and dragon fruits at room temperature. They are soft and can supplement vitamins. It is much better than forcing the child to drink white porridge. Oh, yes, if your baby has a fever and a sore throat, it’s okay to eat some ice cream or ice jelly. Eating a small amount of something cold can also relieve the sore throat, as long as you don’t eat half a box at a time and make your stomach upset.

In fact, the core of these taboos is one: how to make your baby comfortable. Don’t be bound by the various taboo lists on the Internet. Every baby’s body is different. If you are really unsure whether something can be eaten or not, just take a photo and ask the doctor who treats it, which is more reliable than reading ten parenting posts.