Foods For Stomach Flu

What To Eat With Stomach Flu

Stomach flu, or gastroenteritis, is an illness in which a virus attacks your gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, gastroenteritis is also often called the stomach virus or stomach flu (even though it's not a form of influenza). The goal of this article is to provide information on which foods work best for stomach flu sufferers. Always keep in mind, however, your doctor is your best source of information on foods to eat with stomach flu or any illness you may have.

When doctors talk to patients who have gastroenteritis symptoms, they often hear the question, what should you eat with stomach flu? Deciding which foods to eat for stomach flu may help you avoid some of the unpleasant symptoms gastroenteritis causes - namely vomiting and diarrhea. So, foods that are easy to digest are the foods you should eat for stomach flu. Unfortunately, if you have a particularly nasty case of gastroenteritis, there aren't many foods that you'll be able to keep down. But some are more likely than others.

Generally speaking, foods for stomach flu do not include foods that are acidic, spicy or fatty. These are more difficult for your digestive system to process and you should avoid them. Soft, bland foods like applesauce and bananas are best, as are eggs, gelatin, plain noodles, soda crackers and toast. Also avoid fibrous foods like meats, coarse grains, and vegetables. Stay away from dairy products too.

Knowing what to eat with stomach flu is important, but so is knowing what to drink. It's extremely important to drink small amounts of clear liquids, preferably water, frequently, while episodes of vomiting continue. Vomiting and diarrhea deplete your system of liquids and raise the risk of dehydration. Severe dehydration may even require that your fluids be replaced intravenously.

Dehydration is especially dangerous for older people and children. Acute dehydration can even be life-threatening.

Drink only clear liquids to replenish your fluids, and avoid eating solids. Be careful eating or drinking anything if you’ve been vomiting a lot. Stick with small, frequent sips of liquids, but keep in mind that drinking too much too fast may just trigger more vomiting.

Water is usually the safest liquid to drink when you have stomach flu. Weak tea and apple juice are also possibilities. Soft drinks that don’t contain any caffeine may be okay as long as you let the drink go flat (that is, you should let the drink sit for a while to lose it’s carbonation or fizz). Similarly, watch out for acidic drinks like orange juice, and drinks that contain caffeine like coffee. Avoid milk as long as diarrhea persists. Chilling the liquids will probably make it easier for you to keep them down.

The Centers for Disease Control in the U.S. suggests that families with babies and toddlers keep oral rehydration solution (ORS) on hand to use when diarrhea first occurs. In severe case of dehydration from stomach flu, intravenous liquids may be necessary.

You should not take aspirin, ibuprofen, or other NSAIDS when you have stomach flu unless your health care provider says they're okay. Keep in mind that antibiotics have no effect on viruses, so avoid antibiotics unless they are specifically recommended by a doctor. There are a number of non-prescription anti-diarrhea medicines available, and they can be effective. If you decide to go this route, be sure to take the recommended dosage.

In about three days, or when all signs of your stomach flu have passed, you can try to start eating normal foods again. The most effective stomach flu treatment is to rest the stomach and intestines.

The goal of this article has been to provide basic and introductory information about the best foods for stomach flu sufferers. Once again, if you have stomach flu, rely on your doctor's advice first and foremost about which foods are appropriate based on his or her diagnosis of your symptoms.