I Tried Eating Eggs While Sick… Here’s What I Learned

Last winter, I was knocked down by a stubborn fever and cough for almost a week. My appetite was gone, but my grandmother kept insisting I eat boiled eggs. “It will make you stronger,” she said. A cousin, on the other hand, swore eggs would “make the fever worse.” I was stuck in the middle — hungry, tired, and confused.

That little household debate sent me down a rabbit hole. I wanted to know: are eggs actually good for you during fever and cough, or is it just an old belief?

Turns out, eggs are packed with protein, vitamin D, selenium, zinc, and vitamin A — nutrients your body uses for immune repair. According to a detailed breakdown from AskDocDoc, they can help meet the higher energy needs when you’re sick. You can read the full article here:
https://askdocdoc.com/articles/810-are-eggs-good-for-fever-and-cough-a-comprehensive-guide

So why do some people still avoid them? In many households, there’s a belief that eggs “generate heat” and could worsen symptoms. But I came across a tweet from doctors saying that’s not how it works:
https://twitter.com/AskDoctors24/status/1954867969437171719

Another thing I often heard was that eggs make you more phlegmy during a cough. But there’s no solid evidence for this — unless you’re personally sensitive to them. In fact, some comfort foods, like the egg drop soup I saw on Pinterest, are recommended during illness:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/928445279437062687

If you do eat eggs while sick, the advice is simple: stick to boiled or poached, keep it to one or two a day, and avoid them if they make you nauseous. I liked the simple boiled-egg prep I saw in this Instagram reel:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DNNo5BssBbE/

Some nutrition experts remind us to listen to our bodies first. I found a Facebook post about common fever myths that made me rethink a lot of “passed down” advice:
https://www.facebook.com/122099392514743210/posts/122136618836743210

On Threads, I read a discussion about mixing traditional remedies with modern nutrition for faster recovery — eggs were part of that mix:
https://www.threads.com/@askdocdoc/post/DNNo5N3NAGO

And a post on LinkedIn wrapped it up nicely: for most people, eggs can be a gentle, nutrient-rich support food during fever, as long as you tolerate them well:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/askdocdoc_eggs-are-nutrient-rich-but-during-fever-activity-7360633719893708802-3wk0?

After reading all this and trying it myself, I found that eggs actually made me feel stronger. They didn’t worsen my fever or cough. Paired with soups, fruits, and warm teas, they became part of my go-to sick-day menu.