The Stomach Flu Diet

Posted on 23. Jul, 2009 by admin in Recipes & Nutrition

If you have ever had food poisoning or a stomach bug then you know how much pain you have to endure and the unpleasant side effect known as diarrhea. This can really affect your lifestyle and quickly. If you are into any fitness regiment the stomach flu puts all this fitness activity on hold. I recently came down with a bad stomach bug and usually they go away in a couple days. Unfortunately I am now on day 9 and my doctor said they are lasting up to 3 weeks these days. If you eat the wrong thing you will suffer tremendous pain in you gastrointestinal tract for a few hours as well as succumb to another bout of diarrhea.

Here is the diet that doctors recommend. It is called BRATT. It stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, and tea. It is very bland and virtually a fat free diet. I would recommend that you take a good multivitamin / mineral during these days because your diet will be void of many necessary nutrients. If you don’t have much of an appetite and can drink only liquids you can try boiled starches and cereals (potatoes, noodles, rice, wheat, and oats) with salt are recommended if you have water diarrhea; crackers, bananas, soup, and boiled vegetables may also be eaten.

There can sometimes be temporary lactose intolerance after you have these illnesses. For a couple of weeks following the illness you may have to reduce or avoid lactose containing foods like milk and ice cream or all milk products. You could temporarily replace them with some of the lactose free products on the market.

You also must drink plenty of fluids to replace the rapid loss of liquids from your stool. The best choice is a diluted fruit juice with a few saltine crackers. If your urine is yellow then you need to increase your fluid intake dramatically.

If you want to try an over the counter antidiarrhea medication you can go with either Loperamide (Imodium) or Bismuth (Pepto-Bismol). These can help coat the stomach and reduce some of the pain associated. For more information and up to date medical information written by doctors you can visit UpToDate.Com which is referenced by many doctors and a very valuable resource. There is more in depth information for stomach illnesses and prevention for this.

One final note, make sure to wash your hands a lot as it is the only way to prevent spreading to your family. Eat BRATT and drink lots of fluids and you will be back to normal within a couple weeks! You can get back to a your normal lifestyle and fitness programs.

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