Why is 7up good for you when you're sick??

clusk007

Any time I was sick as a child was always given 7up and told 'that will help you'. My father is sick at the moment (yes I know a tragedy on Father's Day!) and it's the very same thing, taking 7up to ease his stomach.

I heard it was a substitute for drinking sugar mixed with water or the citrus fruits in it are good for healing. Surely taking a a fizzy drink with all that sugar like this can't do any good.

Can anyone explain where this came from? Anyone else use it when they are sick and does it help at all?

akura

It's the same story in my house, if your sick drink 7up

dont know why though

Truman Burbank

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=66248868

CastorTroy

If I remember correctly from when I was a kid, wasn't it supposed to be flat 7Up? I never understood either

py2006

I thought it was lemonade?

reera82

Because Mammy said so.

kfallon

It has to be flat 7Up and you can only eat toast with a scrape of butter on it! If it's an injury rather than illness then Lucozade is your only man :pac:

bdoo

kfallon wrote: »

It has to be flat 7Up and you can only eat toast with a scrape of butter on it! If it's an injury rather than illness then Lucozade is your only man :pac:

Red lemonade warmed in a saucepan did have certain medicinal properties also.

sunflower27

Sugar. I think that is the main reason

kfallon

bdoo wrote: »

Red lemonade warmed in a saucepan did have certain medicinal properties also.

First I've heard of that but next time I'm poorly I'll be on it

CastorTroy

I remember when I was in hospital with pneumonia, my mum brought in the 7Up so it must be medically proven if the hospital allows it.

M cebee

ya flat 7up -think it has some merit
Buying lucozade for the hospital visits seems daft now-was common practice years back
Power of advertising

Shryke

It's a weird Irish thing. It's not good for you either except that it isn't too flavoursome so that when it's flat it's an easy way to get some carbs down.

FacePalmSam

I think flat 7up is good for you in that case because it gets some glucose into you without being to heavy/harmful on your stomach. Easier than forcing food on someone :P

ejmaztec

Doesn't Coca Cola cure everything these days?

Shenshen

Only ever heard about that in Ireland, tbh.
When I was sick as a kid, my granddad would give me warm, flat Coca Cola. The idea was that whatever it was you ate that is upsetting your stomache, the coke will help to digest faster.
Had to be warm and flat, though, because cold and fizzy drinks are bad for your tummy, according to granddad.

CastorTroy

And here I thought Calpol was the cure for all illnesses

jayteecork

Yeah I always noticed old people in hospitals always had a bottle of seven up beside their bed

The strange thing is they're almost ALWAYS the 1.5l bottle. Never a 2 litre or 500ml bottle.

Shryke

jayteecork wrote: »

Yeah I always noticed old people in hospitals always had a bottle of seven up beside their bed

The strange thing is they're almost ALWAYS the 1.5l bottle. Never a 2 litre or 500ml bottle.

Probably what the hospital shop sells.

sunflower27

Shenshen wrote: »

Only ever heard about that in Ireland, tbh.
When I was sick as a kid, my granddad would give me warm, flat Coca Cola. The idea was that whatever it was you ate that is upsetting your stomache, the coke will help to digest faster.
Had to be warm and flat, though, because cold and fizzy drinks are bad for your tummy, according to granddad.

It was the same in Australia. Flat lemonade as the fizz can upset the tummy.

Or flat Lucozade.

I always thought it was to get sugar/water into you and because it's "100% natural" you don't get any nasty chemicals. Had to be flat though. Can't be sprite, that's not got the naturalness!

Bambii_

My nanny still swears by hot 7up with a load of sugar mixed in. Whenever I ask how is it supposed to work, or how is it better than medicine she just tells me to shut up and drink it

kfallon

Natasha_95 wrote: »

My nanny still swears by hot 7up with a load of sugar mixed in. Whenever I ask how is it supposed to work, or how is it better than medicine she just tells me to shut up and drink it

This evening is the first time I've ever heard of anyone heating up minerals when you are sick, first TK red lemonade now 7Up.

And to be fair to your Nan it was probably a lot cheaper than buying medicine

meoklmrk91

Ah yes flat 7up for a dodgy tummy and lucozade for everything else. I fecking hate 7up makes me feel ill so I always refused to drink it, anything lemon makes me feel ill for some reason.

phasers

My Ma told me it was so there was something in you to throw up because dry heaving is really bad for you :pac:

skyflyer

I swear by 7up for an upset stomach. I just can't face much else if I'm sick. I don't understand how it helps, but it does.

starbelgrade

7Up - when it was first brought out - used to contain lithium.

Strange, but true!

mauzo

My mam used to have me shaking the bottle until it went flat, but the time it was flat Id be wrecked and fall asleep!

She must have been too lazy to heat it up!

In fairness Id rather flat 7up than dioralyte anyday...that stuff was awful

Rasheed

syndeyfife wrote: »

My mam used to have me shaking the bottle until it went flat, but the time it was flat Id be wrecked and fall asleep!

She must have been too lazy to heat it up!

In fairness Id rather flat 7up than dioralyte anyday...that stuff was awful

Dioralyte is rotten surely. It is helpful to help push fluids, especially when a person may be dehydrated from vomiting and/or diarrhoea, plain water can be hard to keep drinking. 7up has sugar to keep strength up and because it's clear, won't upset or irritate an already raw stomach. Also I think it's a comfort thing that Mammy used to give so it automatically makes you all better again!

Precious flower

Well I always thought it helped settle your stomach but I think we were mostly given it to keep us hydrated as 7up is easier to get a child to drink than water. We were also given flat 7up as well? Maybe it does settle your stomach a bit and it's something that not harsh on your stomach so you'll keep it down. Maybe? I don't know it always worked anyway!

patwicklow

Bovril and honey mixed with hot water cures any flu i swear by it