The Stomach Flu Diet

If you have ever had food poisoning or a stomach bug then you understand how much pain you may have to endure and the horrible side effect known as diarrhea. This can really affect your life and I mean immediately. If you are into any fitness regiment the stomach flu puts all this fitness activity on hold. I just came down with a horrific stomach bug and usually they are gone in a couple days.

Sadly, 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 experience tremendous pain in your gastrointestinal tract for a few hours as well as surrender to one more session 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 advise that you take a high-quality multivitamin / mineral throughout the time of your illness because your diet will be void of many necessary nutrients. If you do not 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. Also recommended for water diarrhea; crackers, bananas, soup, and boiled vegetables may also be eaten.

Occasionally there can be a short-term lactose intolerance after you have these illnesses. For a couple of weeks after the illness you should lessen or avoid lactose containing foods like milk and ice cream, basically all milk products. You could momentarily replace them with some of the lactose free products on the market.

You also should drink plenty of fluids to restore the rapid loss of liquids caused by the diarrhea. The best choice is a watered down fruit juice with a a small number of saltine crackers. If your urine is yellow then you must boost your fluid drinking dramatically.

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

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

Easy Healthy Breakfast