English

Proverb

feed a cold, starve a fever

1. Expressing the common belief that eating more will cure the common cold, and eating less will cure a fever.^[2]

1. • 1887, J. H. Whelan, "The Treatment of Colds," The Practitioner, vol. 38, pg. 180:

     "Feed a cold, starve a fever." There is a deal of wisdom in the first part of this advice. A person with a catarrh should take an abundance of light nutritious food, and some light wine, but avoid spirits, and above all tobacco.

   • 1968, Katinka Loeser, The Archers at Home, publ. Atheneum, New York, pg. 60:

     I have a cold. 'Feed a cold, starve a fever.' You certainly know that.

   • 2009, Shelly Reuben, Tabula Rasa, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN 015101079X, pg. 60:

     They say feed a cold, starve a fever, but they don't tell you what to do when you got both, so I figured scrambled eggs, tea, and toast.

Translations

References

1. ↑ The Harvard Crimson. "Help Me, Harvey!" . Available: . Accessed: September 2, 2009.
2. ↑ What you eat when you’re sick may determine if you’ll get better