Gastroenteritis, which commonly known as stomach flu, is an intestinal infection that can lead into several symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramps. Although the name of the disease is stomach flu is not influenza at all. This disease often called stomach flu since it will bring you some discomforts like seasonal flu does. But, do you know that there are several foods that would be perfect remedies for you stomach flu? Here are some of the foods that you need to consume after you’re having stomach flu.
- Cinnamon
The best foods to eat after having the stomach flu is cinnamon, The first food that you need to consume after you are suffering from stomach flu is cinnamon. The main reason you must consume cinnamon is because this food contains an antiviral properties, which without a doubt will dimished the virus that cause the stomach flu. Beside that, cinnamon also will provide you some relief from the pain that you feel during the stomach flu since it will bring some warm feeling in the body after you consume it.
You can consume cinnamon as a beverage by following these steps:
- First, you need to add a teaspoon of cinnamon powder in a pan, then put 1,5 cups of water on that pan. Brew it for about 5 minutes.
- After the mixture is brewed for 5 minutes, then strain it.
- You can drink it directly afterwards. To add some taste, you could pour honey into the mixture. For the best relief from your stomach flu, you are suggested to consume it two times per day on a regular basis.
- Peppermint
Alongside with cinnamon, peppermint will also beneficial to consume right after you are suffering from stomach flu. Peppermint will be a perfect choice to consume after stomach flu since this herb contains antispasmodic properties, which means that this herb would protect you from the spasm of the stomach after having stomach flu. This peppermint also will be beneficial to protect you from bloating and intestinal cramps.
You can consume peppermint as a tea by following these steps:
- Take a teaspoon of dried peppermint leaves into a pan, then add it with a cup of water.
- Then, boil the peppermint leaves and water mixture. After the mixture is boiled, let it steep for about 10 minutes and strain it.
- You can drink it afterwards. To add some taste, you can also pour honey into your peppermint tea. You should consume this peppermint tea 3 to 4 times per day on a daily routine fore the best relief.
- Chamomile
Same as peppermint, chamomile would also be very beneficial to consume after you are suffering from stomach flu because it has antispasmodic properties in it, which will prevent you from having spasms of the stomach. This antispasmodic properties will protect and relief you from diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. Plus, this chamomile is evidenced to have anti-inflammatory properties as well that would be very beneficial for the health of our body.
Same as peppermint, you can consume this chamomile flower as a tea by following these steps:
- You should take three teaspoons of dried chamomile flowers into a pan, then add a cup of water into the pan.
- Then, boil the mixture of chamomile flowers and water. After the mixture is boiled, let it steep for about 15 minutes and strain it.
- You could drink it afterwards. But, if you want to add some taste, you could pour some honey or lemon juice on your chamomile tea. You’re suggested to drink it twice a day on a daily routine for the best relief against stomach flu.
- Ginger
Ginger will be beneficial to consume after you are having stomach flu because ginger has anti-inflammatory effects and also antiviral properties that will fight against gastroenteritis. The antiviral properties that contained in ginger also can improve the digestive health and protect you from any disease associated with stomach flu such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. But remember, if you have a history of hypertension, you should avoid consuming this ginger.
Same as chamomile and peppermint, you can consume this ginger as a tea by following these steps:
- Slice a teaspoon of ginger, and then put it in a pan. After that, pour 1,5 cups of water into that pan.
- Then, you should boil the mixture of chopped ginger and water. After that mixture is boiled, let it steep for 10 minutes, and strain it afterwards.
- You can drink it directly at least twice per day on a regular basis to get the full advantage of it.
- Ice Cubes
Some studies already proved that eating ice cubes would be very beneficial to reduce the pain caused by stomach flu. There are some benefits that you could directly get after you are chewing ice cubes into the mouth. First, chewing ice cubes will make you become slowly rehydrated. Then, ice cubes are also very good to wash away the nasty taste that might stay in your mouth after severe vomiting and nausea. Also, ice cubes would be beneficial the help numb the gagging reflex so that you can feel more relaxed and relieved than before.
- Yoghurt
Some expert says that dairy products would make some harmful effects if you consume it when you are having stomach flu because dairy products are commonly very hard to digest. Although yoghurt is one of the dairy products, but some health expert strongly suggests that you consume it when you are having stomach flu. Yoghurt is a perfect source of probiotics, which are healthful bacteria in the gut that without a doubt would be very beneficial to bring the digestive system back into balance.
- Toast, White Rice, and Crackers
After you are suffering from stomach flu, you must regain your appetite. But, you surely don’t want to suffer further vomiting or nausea after you eat. Many expert suggests that you must consume bland foods like toast, white rice, or crackers for a while so you will not suffer from further vomiting. Although these kind of foods are relatively lacking of flavor, but they will be beneficial to absorb the acid and other stomach liquids which then will prevent you from suffering further stomach pain.
- Banana
Some studies evidence that banana is a very essential fruit to stop the symptoms of stomach pain, especially diarrhea. Also, banana is very easy to digest and contain a very high amount of potassium, which is a nutrient that often lost when you are suffering from diarrhea or when you are throwing up. In fact, potassium is one of the most needed nutrient if you feel dehydrated when you’re suffering from vomiting or diarrhea. So, eating  a ripe banana is the must thing that you should do after stomach flu.
- Rice Water
Rice water is also believed to be a very potent medication if you want to get rid of the stomach flu out of your body. You could obtain rice water from the water that left over after boiling the rice. Rice water is believed to be a perfect source of electrolytes. In fact, a study published in the Lancet found that rice water is very potent to ease the diarrhea in babies because of the high amounts of electrolytes that contained in it.
You could consume these rice water as a beverage by following these steps:
- Add about a handful of rice in a pan, then fill the pan with the water and cook it until nearly soft to eat.
- After that, you must strain the rice and wait several minutes to let the water to cool down.
- After the water is not too hot, you could drink it straightforward, but to add some taste on the rice water, you can pour some honey.
- Some expert suggest that you must drink rice water every hour in a day for the quick result.
- Blueberries
Alongside with banana, blueberries also proved to be very useful to consume after you’re suffering from stomach flu. Blueberries contain high amounts of fiber and also various antioxidants which is very useful to inhibit the growth of bacteria that can cause diarrhea and vomiting, thus blueberry will protect you from further stomach pain. This fruit will also retain the amount of water in the body which ensure that you are staying hydrated after suffering from stomach flu.
- Applesauce
Some expert says that apple fruit is totally not recommended to consume after you’re having stomach flu. But, applesauce will bring you the total opposite effects compared with the original apple fruit. Applesauce is very beneficial to help you after you’re having a stomach flu because applesauce contains pectin, which is a soluble fiber. This pectin will ensure that you stay hydrated after stomach flu, and also, the applesauce can add bulk to the feses, which will slow diarrhea.
- Butternut Squash
Do you know that butternut squash has a lot of beneficial nutrients? This squash is very essential to consume after you’re having the stomach flu because this squash contains a very high amount of potassium, higher than the original banana. Also, butternut squash will provide you about 437% of Vitamin A on a daily requirement since you need a lot of additions of Vitamin A, which is always gone away from your body when you’re having diarrhea. This butternut squash will also provide you some of other essential nutrients like Vitamin C, thiamine, manganese, magnesium, folate, niacin, thiamine, and panthotenic acid.
- Chicken Soup
Many experts would recommend you to consume the chicken soup after you’re having stomach flu because chicken soup is found out to be a great healing food after you’re having diarrhea. Some scientific evidence shows that chicken soup can improve the way tiny hair-like parts in the passage of your nose, which is very beneficial to protect your body from bacteria or viral infections. Also, the chicken broth that contained in a chicken soup is very essential to replenish the addition of salt in the body, which is an electrolyte to stop vomitting and diarrhea and also ensure that your body stay hydrated.
- Lemon
Lemon could be Foods to Eat After Having the Stomach Flu to redeem this health problems. Lemon is also widely known for its ability to prevent you from having further vomiting and diarrhea after you’re suffering from stomach flu. Lemon can kill pathogens that cause diarrhea. Also, you could use lemon as a tea that definitely would be great to improve the digestive system as well as protect you from further nausea and vomiting.
Here are the few options that you might consider to consume the lemon:
- You could use lemon as a juice by simply put few slices of lemon fruit in to the juicer or blender. Add some water, and then blend the chopped lemon and water mixture, after that you can pour it in a glass and you can drink it directly.
- You could also simply add a teaspoon of squeezed lemon into your mineral water, tea, or juice, or any other beverages.
- You can also simply take 2 or 3 teaspoons before you eat since it would be very beneficial to prevent stomach flu.
- Plantains
Plantain is also a very essential food to prevent you from further diarrhea and vomiting after the stomach flu. In fact, although plantains are quite similar with bananas, but these plantains contain higher nutritional package compared with bananas. They contain more Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium, manganese, and magnesium. But, please do notice that you’re not suggested to eat it raw. You need to cook it beforehand.
- Kefir
Same as yoghurt, kefir is one of the exception of dairy products. While some expert says that you’re not recommended to consume dairy products because these beverages are really hard to digest, but yoghurt and kefir are the exception. Just like yoghurt, kefir contains a lot of probiotics, a healthful bacteria that really beneficial for the gut which is very essential to bring back the health of your digestive system after having the stomach flu.
- Garlic
Garlic is also commonly known for its benefits to protect you from further nausea and diarrhea after you’re having stomach flu. Garlic is proven to be very good against further stomach problems because of its antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, thus garlic is very essential to kill all of the germs that can cause stomach flu. Also, some expert says that it will soothe the stomach lining and bowels to relieve nausea and cramps.
You could consume it in several ways, these are some tips to consume garlic that you need to see:
- Slice few cloves of garlic, and then mix it with some honey to add taste, and eat this mixture at least once per day on a daily routine.
- Or you just can simply put the garlic into the ingredients of your meal when you’re cooking.
- Salt
Salt is commonly known as the perfect source of sodium. Sodium is an electrolyte that commonly gone away when you’re having stomach flu. So, the salt is a perfect solution to rebuild the sodium and mineral losses right after you’re having stomach flu. Also, sodium is an electrolyte which will keep your body stay hydrated throughout the day. You could add some salt in the foods or beverages that you want to consume.
Foods to Avoid After Stomach Flu
After you know all of the list of food that you need to consume after you’re having stomach flu, then you must also know what kind of foods that you need to avoid, since these foods will make the symptoms of stomach flu getting worse. Here are those foods that you need to avoid.
- Dairy products. You should avoid dairy products after you’re having a stomach flu because as already mentioned above, these products are really hard to digest into your body.
- Yes, fiber is very beneficial for your digestive system. In fact, you’re still strongly suggested to consume foods that contain a lot of fibers, as long as you take it into moderate amounts. If you overeat it, your stomach flu will be getting worse than before.
- You need to strongly avoid alcohol when you’re having stomach flu since alcohol is a diuretic that can cause your symptoms getting worse than before. Also, alcohol can make you become dehydrated, something that you certainly don’t need after you’re throwing up.
- Same as alcohol, you need to consume any foods that contain caffeine like coffee, or maybe chocolate when you’re having stomach flu. The foods that contain caffeine will make you become more dehydrated than before, which is not a condition that you want since you need to stay hydrated after the stomach flu.
- Spicy Foods. You definitely need to stay away from these kinds of food during the stomach flu since spicy food will bring some discomfort in your stomach, thus it will make your stomach flu become worse than before.
Several Tips for Treating Stomach Flu
Now you already know everything about foods that you need to consume and the foods that you need to avoid. But, in addition to that, you also need to know everything about what you can do whenever you’re suffering from stomach flu. So, here are some tips for you on how treating stomach flu, so that you can get a speedy recovery from it.
- You need to rest as much as possible so that your body can fully contibute its energy to fight against the viruses that can cause stomach flu.
- You need to make sure that your body stays hydrated throughout the day, since the most common cause of stomach flu is dehydration. So, you need to ensure that you’re consuming at least 3 liters of water per day if you’re men, and at least 2,2 liters of water per day if you’re women.
- You need to wash every fruit and vegetable before you cook them or eat them directly so that the potentially harmful bacteria that contained in fruits and vegetables will stay away from your body,
- Always sanitize your hand and keep the hygiene of it by washing it constantly, especially after you’re cooking or using restroom.
- Don’t share your personal hygiene items like toothpaste or towel to the other people.
So, now you already everything that you need to know about the foods that you need to consume and the foods you need to avoid after having stomach flu and also, you already know several tips about what you need to do to treat stomach flu. The most important point during the stomach flu is stay hydrated, because dehydration is a common cause of stomach flu. By consuming the foods that you need to consume and follows the steps that already mentioned above, you will be less likely to suffer from stomach flu. Stay healthy.