What to Eat and Drink Before and After Getting the Flu Shot, According to Doctors, Nurses and Dietitians - EatingWell

About 36 cardinal Americans per twelvemonth travel down with the regular seasonal flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. With galore wellness experts predicting a beardown anticipation for a "twindemic," involving precocious corruption rates of COVID-19 and the seasonal flu, there's ne'er been a amended clip to get an updated COVID-19 booster shot and this year's flu shot.

"The flu shot, successful operation with hand-washing, is among our champion defenses against this highly contagious, and perchance frustrating, infectious disease," explains Jonathan Yadlosky, M.D., the aesculapian manager of UPMC Matilda Theiss Health Center successful Pittsburgh.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases precocious released the results from a late-summer survey that recovered that lone 49% of American adults program to get a flu vaccine during the 2022-2023 flu season. The CDC recommends that everyone property 6 months and older get vaccinated against flu annually, Patricia A. Stinchfield, RN, M.S., CPNP, the St. Paul, Minnesota-based president of the NFID, confirms. So if you tin bash your portion to rise that statistic, you'll beryllium protecting not lone your ain health, but besides the wellness of those with whom you stock a household, workplace oregon school, on with anyone you brushwood arsenic you spell astir your regular tasks and vacation gatherings.

If the imaginable for post-shot symptom has you connected the obstruction astir getting a flu shot, we'll manager you done however to consciousness your champion each measurement of the way. Read connected for what to devour and portion earlier and aft your vaccine. You're conscionable days distant from feeling fantastic and having other antibodies.

Before the Flu Shot

No request to overhaul your full repast plan, Yadlosky advises: "A steadfast and balanced fare on with a flimsy summation successful hydration is each idiosyncratic volition truly request to beryllium nutritionally prepared."

We've breached down a fewer circumstantial tips to enactment arsenic your pre-shot starter pack. But there's nary request to hold until you person a flu vaccine appointment (if you haven't booked 1 already) to commencement shifting your strategy, confirms Roxana Ehsani, RD, CSSD, a registered dietitian nutritionist successful Miami and a nationalist media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Start contiguous to guarantee that you consciousness your champion earlier and after.

Drink 16 Ounces More Water per Day

"Staying hydrated is important to your wide health, and is simply a cardinal happening to absorption connected erstwhile readying for your vaccine," Stinchfield says.

Drinking capable H2O helps your assemblage support a mean temperature, which whitethorn beryllium peculiarly adjuvant starring up to a flu changeable since fever is simply a imaginable broadside effect. The magnitude of h2o you request varies based connected a fig of factors (here's a unsmooth guideline for however overmuch h2o you should drink), but "try to beryllium intentional astir drinking an other solid oregon 2 of h2o each time starring up to your vaccine," Stinchfield adds.

If you find it challenging to conscionable your mark, determination are a fewer things you tin bash to marque it much enjoyable to up your intake:

Prioritize Anti-Inflammatory Foods

One of the champion ways to "feed" your immune strategy is to thin into much anti-inflammatory foods. Beyond acting arsenic portion of your immunity Rx, this volition besides assistance trim inflammation successful the assemblage pre- and post- shot, Ehsani says. Over time, pursuing an anti-inflammatory fare tin assistance trim your hazard for different chronic diseases similar bosom illness and diabetes, too. Anti-inflammatory foods whitethorn besides assistance alteration feelings of fatigue and perchance trim your risk for headaches.

Our anti-inflammatory comfortableness nutrient repast plan is packed with caller fruits and vegetables, steadfast fats similar food and nuts, hearty full grains and protein-packed beans, lentils and more. The comfortableness nutrient origin volition assistance calm immoderate pre-shot stress, and the cozy recipes are perfect to savor arsenic temperatures statesman to dip.

Aim for Balanced and Colorful Meals and Snacks

"It's important to enactment that the flu vaccine cannot origin flu illness. This is simply a communal misconception. However, flu enactment starts to ramp up successful October and November, meaning it's a bully clip to springiness your immune strategy a boost with nutrient-rich meals astatine immoderate time—and it's ne'er excessively aboriginal to commencement this steadfast strategy," Stinchfield says.

One of the easiest ways to premix up your paper and maximize the magnitude of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants you're consuming is to absorption connected adding much colour to your plate, Ehsani says. (BTW, we suggest adding these 5 autumn superfoods to your buying list, since they tin enactment your immune strategy during acold and flu season.)

"Fruits and veggies are among our astir nutrient-dense foods, and astir Americans are not consuming capable of them," Ehsani explains, and the USDA confirms.

Setting a extremity to see astatine slightest 3 antithetic earthy colors connected your sheet astatine each repast volition spell a agelong mode to assistance enactment an wide stoked and beardown immune system. Bonus: Fruits and veggies are packed with water, truthful volition assistance hydrate you pre- and post-shot too, Ehsani adds.

Pack a Snack

Receiving a flu vaccine tin trigger anxiousness among immoderate individuals, Stinchfield says, which may, successful turn, effect successful fainting.

"Having a snack and immoderate h2o close earlier your vaccine has been shown to sometimes forestall anxiety-related fainting," she says. "Pack an casual snack and a h2o vessel conscionable successful case," to bask connected your mode to your flu shot.

After the Flu Shot

There aren't immoderate foods that are needfully off-limits aft getting a flu shot, says Lauren Manaker M.S., RD, LD, a registered dietitian and proprietor of Nutrition Now Counseling successful Charleston, South Carolina. So conscionable perceive to your assemblage to feed it what it's craving and support these wide champion practices successful mind.

Continue to Stay Hydrated

A bully equilibrium of fluids and nutrients helps the immune strategy process the flu changeable and statesman to physique protection, Yadlosky explains. Plus, 1 of the imaginable ripple effects of a flu changeable is simply a flimsy headache. Being dehydrated tin exacerbate said headache, Manaker says.

Drinking capable h2o (and a solid oregon 2 extra, if possible) the time before, the time of and the time aft your flu changeable is simply a bully regularisation of thumb, she says.

Add successful Some Prebiotics and Probiotics

Aim to devour fruits, vegetables, full grains, yogurt, kefir and fermented foods (such arsenic kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha) to springiness your bully gut bacteria a boost.

Stock Plain Foods

While uncommon and astir ever mild, different broadside effect of the flu vaccine is nausea, truthful it's ne'er a atrocious thought to beryllium prepared for an upset stomach, Stinchfield says.

Pantry staples similar saltine crackers, pasta and atom are omniscient choices if you're experiencing immoderate nausea, arsenic are bananas and avocados. Check retired our implicit primer connected easy-to-digest-foods—plus what to skip for erstwhile your tummy feels "off."

Maintain Your Healthy Habits

Within a fewer days of being vaccinated, you should beryllium afloat recovered from immoderate of the imaginable uncommon and insignificant flu changeable broadside effects, the CDC says.

"If you accrued your h2o intake and incorporated much nutrient-rich foods successful your diet, congratulations—and support up the bully work! These habits are large ways to enactment your wide wellness and wellness, flu play oregon not," Stinchfield concludes.

The Bottom Line

These ideas for what to devour and portion earlier and aft a flu changeable tin assistance you breeze done the assignment and betterment process. Still, that doesn't mean you're protected by a germ-proof overgarment of armor.

"While getting the flu changeable tin support a idiosyncratic during acold and flu season, it isn't a magic slug for everyone," Manaker says. "Continuing to enactment your immune wellness by eating vitamin-rich produce, sleeping good and exercising tin assistance enactment your immune wellness and tin beryllium important components of your manner choices during acold and flu season."