 [ Symptoms ] my sister is sick and in bed 95 of the time how many calories does her body need to maintain  my sister has illnesses that keep her in bed almost all the time how many calories should she take in for her organs to function she does not eat very often [ Disease ] no you can drink milk and eat cottage cheese it will have no effect on your cough or your prognosis many people believe that milk products cause phlegm it does not