What should children eat for mumps

When a child suffers from mumps, his diet needs to be light, easily digestible and nutritionally balanced, while avoiding spicy and irritating foods. It is recommended to consume more liquid or semi-liquid foods such as rice soup, porridge, vegetable puree, etc. to reduce the burden on the parotid gland, and supplement vitamins to help recovery.

1Recommended food types

Mumps can cause swelling and pain in the parotid glands, and chewing solid food may make the discomfort worse, so it is appropriate to choose light liquid or semi-liquid foods. For example:

Easy-to-digest porridge: such as white rice porridge, oatmeal porridge, millet porridge, etc., not only provide energy but are also easy to swallow.

Vegetable soups and purees: such as carrot puree and spinach puree, when processed into a fine state, are easy to digest and can supplement vitamins.

Fruit puree or fruit and vegetable juice: such as apple puree, banana puree or warm carrot and orange juice, help supplement vitamin C and enhance immunity.

2 Foods to avoid

When you have mumps, certain foods may stimulate the parotid glands and make your condition worse or cause discomfort, including:

Acidic fruits: such as lemons and limes, they stimulate saliva secretion and are not conducive to the reduction of parotid swelling.

Spicy and irritating foods: such as chili peppers, spicy foods, etc., may cause parotitis to worsen.

Greasy and difficult to digest foods: such as fried chicken, barbecue, etc., will put pressure on the digestive system.

3 Nutrition in daily care

During the recovery period of mumps, the child's immunity may be reduced, so it is recommended to add some nutrients to enhance immunity:

Protein sources: Warm egg custard or boiled chicken breast can provide high-quality protein to promote recovery.

Vitamin supplements: such as tomato soup or papaya puree, which are rich in antioxidants, can fight inflammation and speed up recovery.

Drink plenty of water: Drinking warm water, light salt water or warm chrysanthemum tea can not only relieve gland swelling, but also help detoxification.

Children with mumps need careful care, especially in terms of diet, which should be light and easy to digest, avoid unnecessary stimulation, and ensure that the food is nutritionally balanced. With the doctor's treatment, mumps will generally recover gradually in about two weeks, but once symptoms such as persistent fever and severe swelling and pain in the parotid gland appear, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible to prevent complications.