Mumps is rare these days due to the mumps vaccine that was invented many years ago. However, this does not mean that they no longer exist.
If truth be told, it is very possible that you will still have mumps. In fact, you may have it but not realize it due to mild symptoms – sometimes mumps in adults is not accompanied by excessive or noticeable swelling of the salivary glands that can cause puffy cheeks, which is very common in children with mumps.
When you have mumps, you are very likely to feel pain at the back of each of your cheeks. Needless to say, this is something that can make chewing and swallowing difficult.
Aside from the pain where the salivary glands are located, having mumps can make you feel as if you have a common cold or the flu.
The good news is that mumps tends to clear up on its own — health authorities say it’s out of your life in about 10 days. While she’s waiting to leave you, unfortunately, eating, drinking, and talking can be a big deal!
Mumps requires changing your diet for several days until it resolves. This is important to significantly reduce the pain that may occur when chewing and swallowing. Below, you’ll find some simple nutritional tips that can help make living with mumps on a daily basis much easier.
Avoid foods that require a lot of chewing
Both chewing and swallowing can cause pain when you have mumps. This is why keeping one of them to a minimum can help make every meal more enjoyable.
This is exactly why it is highly recommended to choose foods that do not require a lot of chewing – by reducing chewing, eating should not cause you to complain of a lot of pain and discomfort.
The good news is that you can choose from plenty of foods that require minimal chewing. Some very good examples are mashed potatoes, mashed vegetables, chicken soup, oatmeal, and yogurt.
Avoid sour foods
Mumps is viral in nature, which is why it’s important to have a strong immune system – antibiotics that a doctor can prescribe are pretty much useless against mumps.
It may be tempting to eat a lot of citrus fruits because they are full of vitamin C, which helps boost the immune system. Unfortunately, this is something every person with mumps should refrain from doing. This is because citrus fruits can stimulate saliva production, and this can definitely cause pain.
Apart from citrus fruits, other sour or acidic foods like tomatoes, tomato sauce, condiments, and sauces that contain vinegar should also be avoided.
Dodge spicy foods, too
Spicy foods are just like sour or acidic foods because they can make your salivary glands work unusually harder to produce more saliva.
It goes without saying that anything spicy should be eliminated from your diet until the mumps is gone and none of the symptoms remain, including in particular the pain that occurs when chewing and swallowing.
Any bland food is ideal for anyone with mumps.
Refrain from drinking acidic drinks
Sure, it’s easier to swallow than chew when you have mumps, but that doesn’t mean you can drink anything you want.
Avoiding acidic drinks is a good idea. Certainly, too much fruit juice should not be consumed – acidic juices can cause the salivary glands to become overactive which is something that can increase the pain associated with mumps.
Believe it or not, coffee, alcohol, and soft drinks are acidic drinks. Needless to say, it is highly recommended to stay away from it at all costs while you have mumps.
Drink plenty of water daily
Earlier, it was mentioned that eating citrus fruits which are full of immune system boosting Vitamin C is a terrible idea as it can leave you with a great deal of pain.
It’s a good thing you can strengthen your immune system, which is vital to dealing with the mumps virus, simply by staying hydrated – drinking plenty of water can help flush out waste and toxins that can be preventing your immune system from doing so. work optimally.
Consuming about two liters of water per day can also help reduce fever, which is a very common symptom of mumps.
Takeaway
Refrain from assuming that mumps no longer exists because of the presence of the mumps virus. Also, don’t believe that only children can end up with mumps – due to the fact that it’s a contagious viral infection, it’s very possible for an adult like you to catch it too!
You don’t have to worry if you eventually get mumps because it tends to clear up on its own in about 10 days, health authorities assure. To make living with mumps easier, remember to follow the simple nutritional advice above.
WarningBe sure to seek medical help if mumps is accompanied by a fever of 39°C (103°F) or higher, abdominal or testicular pain, confusion, and extreme difficulty eating or drinking.