Acute Gastroenteritis: Navigating Dietary Choices For A Speedy Recovery

Acute gastroenteritis, also known as the stomach flu, is a viral infection that causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps. To manage the symptoms and promote recovery, it is recommended to follow a bland diet that includes small, frequent amounts of easy-to-digest foods, such as plain toast, crackers, rice, bananas, applesauce, clear broths, lean proteins, and starchy foods.

Bland diet

Acute gastroenteritis, commonly known as the stomach flu, is a viral infection that causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps. It is important to stay hydrated to restore your body's fluids and electrolytes and prevent dehydration.

A bland diet may help relieve symptoms and promote recovery by giving your digestive system a rest. The foods you eat should be easier to break down and digest, and fewer bowel movements. The foods in a bland diet are easily digestible, soft, low in fibre, cooked, and not spicy. This could include a wide variety of food, including pudding, cream of wheat, eggs, tofu, lean protein, and low-fat dairy products.

Until you can tolerate your usual diet, bland options like soups, refined grains, and plain potatoes are safer choices. Eggs and unsweetened applesauce may also be easier to digest.

When you feel better, you can return to your regular, well-balanced diet.

Rest

Acute gastroenteritis, or the stomach flu, is a viral infection that causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps. It is important to get plenty of rest and stay hydrated to restore your body's fluids and electrolytes and prevent dehydration.

When you feel better, you can return to your regular, well-balanced diet. However, ease back into eating and gradually begin to eat bland, easy-to-digest foods, such as soda crackers, toast, gelatin, bananas, rice, and chicken.

A bland diet is a good option because it gives your digestive system a rest and the foods are easier to break down and digest. The food of a bland diet will also make it so that you have fewer bowel movements. The foods in a bland diet are easily digestible, soft, low in fibre, cooked, and not spicy. This could include a wide variety of food, including pudding, cream of wheat, eggs, tofu, lean protein, and low-fat dairy products.

Until you can tolerate your usual diet, bland options like soups, refined grains, and plain potatoes are safer choices. Eggs and unsweetened applesauce may also be easier to digest.

Allowing your body to rest, staying hydrated, and trying some foods on this list may help you recover more quickly.

Hydration

Acute gastroenteritis, also known as the stomach flu, is a viral infection that causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps. Staying hydrated can help restore your body's fluids and electrolytes and prevent dehydration.

If you are dehydrated, you may experience dizziness and lightheadedness. If any of these signs and symptoms occur and you can’t drink enough fluids, seek medical attention.

When you have acute gastroenteritis, it is important to ease back into eating and gradually begin to eat bland, easy-to-digest foods. This could include a wide variety of food, including pudding, cream of wheat, eggs, tofu, lean protein, and low-fat dairy products.

A bland diet gives your digestive system a rest because the foods you'd eat are easier to break down and digest. The food of a bland diet will also make it so that you have fewer bowel movements.

The foods in a bland diet are easily digestible, soft, low in fibre, cooked, and not spicy.

Gradual reintroduction of food

Acute gastroenteritis, also known as the stomach flu, is a viral infection that causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. It is important to stay hydrated to restore your body's fluids and electrolytes and prevent dehydration.

When you have acute gastroenteritis, it is recommended to follow a bland diet to relieve symptoms and promote recovery. This diet includes small, frequent amounts of easy-to-digest foods, such as plain toast, crackers, rice, bananas, applesauce, clear broths, lean proteins, and starchy foods.

Once you feel better, you can return to your regular, well-balanced diet. However, it is important to ease back into eating and gradually begin to eat bland, easy-to-digest foods to avoid further irritation of the stomach and intestines.

The BRAT diet is a less restrictive version of a bland diet and includes foods that are easily digestible, soft, low in fiber, cooked, and not spicy. This could include a wide variety of food, including pudding, cream of wheat, eggs, tofu, lean protein, and low-fat dairy products.

It is important to note that research shows that restrictive diets don't really help in the treatment of viral gastroenteritis, so a BRAT diet might not be the best type of diet to follow. Instead, a bland diet is recommended to give your digestive system a rest and allow your body to recover more quickly.

Avoid spicy foods

Acute gastroenteritis, or the stomach flu, is a viral infection that causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps. It is caused by swallowing certain viruses, which travel through your system and inflame the linings of your stomach and intestines. This inflammation can increase the speed with which food moves through your digestive tract, resulting in fatigue, cramps, nausea and vomiting.

When you have acute gastroenteritis, it is important to rest and stay hydrated to restore your body's fluids and electrolytes and prevent dehydration. You may also choose to follow a bland diet, which may help relieve symptoms and promote recovery. A bland diet would include small, frequent amounts of easy-to-digest foods, such as plain toast, crackers, rice, bananas, applesauce, clear broths, lean proteins, and starchy foods.

To avoid spicy foods, you should eat bland, easy-to-digest foods that are easier to break down and digest. The food of a bland diet will also make it so that you have fewer bowel movements. The foods in a bland diet are easily digestible, soft, low in fibre, cooked, and not spicy. This could include a wide variety of food, including pudding, cream of wheat, eggs, tofu, lean protein, and low-fat dairy products.

It is important to ease back into eating and gradually begin to eat bland, easy-to-digest foods when you have acute gastroenteritis. You should also eat these meals and any snacks slowly and avoid lying down soon after eating or eating within three hours before going to bed. Once you feel better, you can return to your regular, well-balanced diet.

Frequently asked questions