feed a cold, starve a fever
proverb Antiquated advice that suggests that someone with a cold should eat, while someone with a fever should fast. Most health experts now agree that "starving" is not the right course for either malady. My grandmother always said "feed a cold, starve a fever," but it's best to stay properly nourished even when you have a high temperature. A: "I'm pretty sure Melanie has a cold, so I'm making her some soup. You know what they say—feed a cold, starve a fever." B: "I don't think that's what a doctor would say." I wasn't trying to do the whole "feed a cold, starve a fever" thing, I just had no appetite—or energy—at all when I was feverish
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Feed a cold and starve a fever.
Prov. You should feed someone who has a cold, and withhold food from someone who has a fever.; (or, interpreted differently) If you feed someone who has a cold, that will ward off a fever. Jill: I don't feel like going out to lunch with you. I have a cold. Jane: All the more reason you should get something to eat. Feed a cold and starve a fever, you know.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.