When your appetite is missing, it can be hard to even look at some of your favorite foods. Even though you may not feel like eating or drinking due to illness or injury, you will need to eat something and keep it down in order to recover.
Let’s talk about what to do if you are struggling with appetite problems and what to eat to nourish and restore your body.
What Can Cause Loss of Appetite?
There are a number of things that can cause loss of appetite, but most of the reasons can be boiled down to illness, chronic medical conditions, certain medications, and even psychological issues.
Illness
If you are battling an illness such as the flu or cold, you may experience a loss of appetite. When you are battling a respiratory infection, your sinuses can become congested, which will hamper your ability to smell. Our sense of smell works with our taste buds to allow us to fully savor our food and when one is hindered, food just simply does not taste as good.
When we are sick, our bodies concentrate a major portion of our energy to fight off infections and recover which takes energy away from your digestion. This is how our body concentrates its effort to get you back on your feet. Thankfully, when the illness subsides, you can expect your appetite to return.
Related: Malnutrition in the Elderly: What You Need to Know
Chronic Medical Conditions
There are a few chronic medical conditions that can cause you to lose your appetite. Certain medical conditions such as Crohn’s disease, diabetes, chronic liver disease, and cancer can significantly affect an individual’s hunger since these conditions can weaken your immune system, cause gastrointestinal issues, and cause a sense of malaise.
Medications
Many prescriptions and over-the-counter medications can cause digestive issues which can kill your appetite. If you are taking a course of antibiotics, you can find yourself struggling with eating due to how they affect your gut flora. This is why it is important to take a probiotic along with your course of antibiotics.
Pain medications such as opiates can also cause significant issues with eating and digestion. Opioids can cause your digestive system to slow down due to reduced mobility, and can also cause nausea, making it extremely difficult to eat.
Psychological Issues
There are a number of psychological issues that can affect your appetite. If you are going through periods of extreme anxiety, the stress of the moment can affect your hunger and digestion.
This can be due to our body’s flight-or-flight response which can set our body into emergency mode, where it focuses all its energy on immediate life-saving measures. That means that digestion takes a back seat while you get yourself out of the perceived danger, so eating may be the last thing on your mind.
Related: Swallowing Struggles: Understanding Oropharyngeal Dysphagia
What Do I Eat?
When you are struggling with your appetite, it is important that you make good choices about what you eat. You will want to eat small servings of nutritionally dense foods that will be well tolerated by your stomach. Here are some of the best foods to eat when you have no appetite.
Thrive Ice Cream
If you are dealing with a sore throat, or just having trouble getting food down and keeping it down, Thrive Ice Cream is the best thing to eat. It comes packed with 24 vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, and 9 grams of protein inside of a 6-ounce serving.
The key to eating without an appetite is to consume as much high-value nutrition as possible and that is exactly what Thrive Ice Cream is designed to do: provides a ton of nutrients in a small and easy-to-eat package. The combination of Prebiotic Fiber and Probiotics have been shown to improve digestive health and increase appetite.
Thrive Ice cream is also lactose-reduced, which can make it easier on some stomachs, and is suitable for kosher, diabetic, and gluten-free diets. The key to eating without an appetite is to consume as much high-value nutrition as possible.
Are you looking for an amazing-tasting, nutrient-rich, easy-to-eat ice cream that you will look forward to, try Thrive Ice Cream.
Liquids
If eating something solid seems like an impossible task at the moment, you can always reach for something to sip on that can deliver some nutrients. Although you should be constantly drinking water to stay hydrated, start incorporating bone broth, coconut water, or sugar-free apple juice to get some extra nutrients in.
Smoothies
Smoothies are both simple to make and are an easy way to take in a large number of nutrients in a small serving size. If you add a good amount of vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and a protein source such as peanut butter, you can turn a smoothie into a meal replacement.
Related: How Probiotic-Enhanced Ice Cream Can Overcome Health Challenges
Thrive Gelato
If you want most of the benefits of Thrive Ice Cream, but in a smaller serving size, Thrive Gelato is what you are looking for. Thrive Gelato contains 9 grams of protein, 24 vitamins and minerals, and 260 calories per four-ounce serving. The best part about Thrive Gelato is that it tastes amazing and comes in three amazing flavors: butter pecan, chocolate, and vanilla.
If you have any questions about how Thrive Ice Cream or Thrive Gelato can help you fulfill your nutritional needs, we would love to hear from you. Contact us here.
Final Thoughts
When you do not have an appetite, eating can seem like a chore. Making the right choice about what to eat is especially important when you are recovering from illness or injury, which are common reasons for loss of appetite.
Thrive Ice Cream or Thrive Gelato are the best choices to reach for when you need to eat but have no appetite since they have the nutrition needed to keep you feeling at your best in a small serving size.