Eating contaminated foods often causes food poisoning which can be parasitic, bacterial or viral. More often than not, it happens due to improper handling and cooking of food. Depending on the root cause, food poisoning cases can be mild to severe. Recovery comes within a few days and eating certain kinds of food helps in this process. There are a few areas that need more attention though.
So, what to eat after food poisoning? and when suffering from food poisoning?
Dehydration
One common symptom of food poisoning no matter its cause is dehydration. This is usually the result of losing bodily fluids due to diarrhea. Obviously, you want to replace all the lost fluids to avoid dehydration altogether.
Anything that induces vomiting or diarrhea should be avoided as well. In extreme cases of vomiting, dehydration may be avoided by sucking on ice chips. Drink plenty of clear beverages such as water or electrolyte drinks. Drinks with caffeine only upset your stomach and are a big no-no. Dairy products also make your diarrhea worse.
Vomiting
It is very important to stop vomiting to prepare your stomach to digest much needed nutrients. Start things off with ginger ale or lemon-lime soda for a bit of glucose without worrying about stomach irritations. Sip this drink slowly even if you are really thirsty.
This allows enough time for the drink to settle in your stomach. If you do not vomit for the next 30 to 60 minutes, you can start eating foods that are mild and starchy. Eat saltines very slowly and allow enough time for them to settle in your stomach. If there is still no vomiting, you can try going on a BRAT diet.
BRAT Diet? What to eat after vomiting?
The BRAT Diet
The BRAT Diet involves eating bananas, apple sauce, rice and toast. These foods cause only minor irritations to the stomach and actually helps stop diarrhea, so are therefore a great thing to eat after diarrhea or vomiting.
This diet helps your stomach calm down after being tender a few days after the outbreak of diarrhea or loose stools. It also helps in avoiding foods that upsets your stomach more such as sugar and fats.
Other foods included in the BRAT diet are yogurt and tea. All these foods can be digested easily with yogurt adding intestinal flora which may have been lost due to sickness. Still, do not forget to drink plenty of fluids to keep hydrated.
Normal Diet
After recovering from sickness, you can now return to your normal diet. Keep in mind that your stomach may take a few more days to get adjusted with normal foods. With this in mind, it is still a good idea to avoid foods that upset your stomach. This includes spicy, acidic and fatty foods. Mild soups, lightly buttered toast, plain proteins in eggs and skinless chicken breast and crackers should still be part of your diet. Only after this mild diet can you return to your normal eating habits.
Food Safety
When you think about it, food poisoning can be avoided altogether. All it takes is the proper knowledge to do this. Prepare and store foods properly to avoid contamination and observe proper hygiene.
This is what to eat after food poisoning.
Remember to take things slowly. When eating during or after food poisoning, it is important to build up slowly to avoid further irritation within your stomach and further food poisoning symptoms.
Just copied this from an interesting website xx
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