10 Myths About the Common Cold and Flu

Fact or Myth? "Feed a cold, starve a fever." Or "Starve a cold, feed a fever."

Answer: Myth

Regardless of which version you've heard, you won't be hearing either from your doctor.

"That's a very common old wives tale to say feed a cold and starve a fever. Unfortunately you really shouldn't do the extreme of either when you're treating a cold or the flu," said Bernstein.

Forcing yourself to eat won't accomplish much, she said.

"Oftentimes when we get a cold or the flu, we lose our appetites, and that's very, very common. It's not important to force feed yourself in order to keep up with the cold."

Instead, you should focus on drinking enough.

"It's very important to stay hydrated when you have upper respiratory infection or a cold, and especially the flu, as well, because when you sweat a lot you're going to lose a lot of moisture," said Bernstein.

"If you can eat that's wonderful because good nutrition will definitely help you get better faster as well. But at least stay hydrated."

Eating can help, but not when it's forced.

"It's important to drink lots of fluids and try to eat as much as possible and keep good nutrition when you are ill. However, it's absolutely not important to starve yourself or to overeat in order to treat either of these conditions," said Bernstein.