feed a cold, starve a fever

English

Etymology

An old wives' tale that dates back to 1574 from the original "Fasting is a great remedie of fever."

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.
   • 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, page 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

proverb expressing the belief that eating more cures a cold while eating less cures a fever

• French: nourrir un rhume et affamer une fièvre
• Japanese: 風邪には大食, 熱には絶食 (kaze ni wa taishoku, netsu ni wa zesshoku)