Foods to Avoid Having Gastroenteritis

Foods to Avoid Having Gastroenteritis

Overview

Your gastrointestinal health often can affect your ability to enjoy the day. When your stomach is upset, you have diarrhea or are vomiting, you often cannot do anything else except take care of yourself, instead of going to work, focusing on your family or relaxing with a good book. When you suffer from gastroenteritis, your stomach will accept some foods, but others should be avoided until the symptoms have passed.

The Basics

Gastroenteritis is the medical term used to describe an irritation or inflammation of the stomach and intestines. You might experience this condition after an infection from bacteria, virus or parasites in spoiled or undercooked foods, or unclean water. You might also be prone to irritation from certain foods. Gastroenteritis is the second most common illness in the U.S. Symptoms: include diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, headache, fever and chills, depending on the source of the inflammation.

Early Steps

Initially, when you first develop symptoms, you should avoid all foods and allow your stomach to settle. However, you should continue to drink fluids if you can. If you are unable to drink without vomiting, suck on ice chips or take small sips of water to reduce your risk of dehydration. You might find that 7-Up, Sprite or similar lemon-lime sodas, or clear broth are the easiest edibles to keep down, but you should avoid any caffeinated drinks, sport drinks or drinks that have red food coloring. Drinks with red food coloring might be confused with blood if you vomit.

Recovery

As you begin to recover and find that you might be able to eat more substantial foods, you should avoid foods high in fat or have caffeine, dairy products, nicotine, alcohol or heavily seasoned foods, which can irritate an already inflamed stomach lining. Ease back into normal eating with foods that are bland and easy to digest, such as soda crackers, bananas, rice, toast and chicken. McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois recommends that you also avoid acidic foods such as citrus fruits and tomatoes because they can irritate the stomach and intestines. And because you can develop a short-term lactose intolerance after an episode with gastroenteritis, you should also limit your dairy intake, including milk, cheese and ice cream, for one to two weeks.

Warnings

Although most people recover without any treatment, some serious side effects and warning signs indicate you should seek medical care. The most common problem is dehydration, which occurs when you do not drink enough fluids to make up for those lost through diarrhea or vomiting. This is most common in babies and the elderly, or people who have a weakened immune system. Signs of dehydration include dry or sticky mouth, sleepiness, decreased urine output, headache, dizziness, sunken eyes, skin that doesn't "bounce back" when pinched, rapid heart rate, low blood pressure and no tears when crying, according to MayoClinic.com. Dehydration can be a medical emergency, and medical care should be sought for children and the elderly when they develop signs of severe dehydration because they can experience heart arrhythmias that can lead to death.

 source : livestronge.com