Reviewed by Dr. Prabhat Arya, MD (Internal Medicine) on 29 September 2026
Diet chart for dengue
In dengue, fluids are the treatment. Enough to drink keeps the blood flowing and protects against the dangerous stage when the fever falls. Food should be normal, light and home-made.
- Drink 2.5 to 3 litres a day (10 to 12 glasses) unless your doctor says otherwise: ORS, coconut water, dal water, soup, lassi, juice.
- For fever and pain take only paracetamol. Never take ibuprofen, diclofenac, nimesulide or aspirin: they can cause bleeding.
- Keep eating: small, soft, home-cooked meals every 2 to 3 hours. There is no special dengue food.
Drink and eat more
- ORS: mixed exactly as written on the packet, in clean water, sipped through the day
- Coconut water, nimbu pani with a pinch of salt and sugar, fresh fruit juice
- Dal water, vegetable soup, rice kanji, chaas, lassi
- Soft food: khichdi, dalia, idli, curd-rice, soft roti with dal
- Fruit: papaya, banana, orange, mosambi, pomegranate, apple
- Protein: dal, curd, paneer, eggs, chicken soup
Eat less
- Tea and coffee: one or two cups a day; they do not count as fluid
- Oily and heavy food: puri, paratha, rich curries
- Spicy and fried food that upsets the stomach
- Plain water alone: also drink ORS, dal water or juice for salts
- Raw salads and cut fruit from outside: eat fresh fruit washed at home
- Sweets and packaged juice in place of real fluids
Avoid
- Stopping or carrying on daily aspirin, clopidogrel or a blood thinner without asking the doctor the same day
- Injections or drips from anyone without a proper test and doctor
- Alcohol
- Cold drinks and energy drinks
- Street food and unclean water
- Waiting for the platelet count alone: watch for the warning signs below
A sample day
Vegetarian first; the swap is for those who eat eggs, fish or chicken.
- On waking
- A glass of ORS or coconut water
- Breakfast
- Dalia or suji upma, or two idlis with a katori of curd. A glass of milk or lassiSwap: One boiled egg with toast
- Mid-morning
- A glass of fresh juice or coconut water. Papaya or banana
- Lunch
- Moong dal khichdi with curd, soft sabzi. A glass of chaasSwap: Chicken stew in place of dal
- Evening
- A bowl of vegetable soup or dal water. A glass of ORSSwap: Clear chicken soup
- Dinner, by 8 pm
- Soft roti or rice with dal and lauki or tori sabziSwap: Egg curry, lightly spiced
- Bedtime
- A glass of milk or ORS. Keep water by the bed
Common myths
- Papaya leaf juice raises platelets.
- Proof is weak. It does not replace fluids or watching for warning signs.
- Goat milk or kiwi raise the platelet count.
- They do not. Platelets recover on their own as dengue passes.
- When the fever goes, dengue is over.
- Day 3 to 7, as fever falls, is the riskiest time. Keep drinking and watching.
- Every dengue patient needs platelets or a drip.
- Most get well at home with fluids. The doctor decides from the signs.
Dr. Arya’s note for you
Go to hospital at once, especially on day 3 to 7 as the fever falls, if there is: belly pain, repeated vomiting or unable to drink, bleeding from gums or nose, black stool or vomit, no urine for 6 hours, breathlessness, restlessness, drowsiness or fainting, cold hands and feet.
This is general advice for adults. With kidney disease or heart failure, follow neither this fluid amount nor your usual limit on your own, and skip coconut water: call Dr. Arya the same day. Pregnant women, children and older people need a doctor to see them. With diabetes, choose ORS, dal water and soup over juice, and check sugar more often.