What to Do When You Have Food Poisoning
Food poisoning occurs when we eat food that has been contaminated by a harmful bacteria or parasite. This is more likely to occur after eating meat products, eggs or dairy products that contain harmful bacteria, such as E. Coli. If you suffer from food poisoning, you are likely to experience at least one of the following symptoms: nausea, stomach upset, stomach pain, diarrhea, chills, vomiting and fever.
Anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea drugs are virtually useless against food poisoning as it is essentially a bacterial infection. Read on to find out what to do when you have food poisoning. In most cases, food poisoning will go away on its own in one or a few days. But if it goes on longer than 3 days, don't forget that the most important thing is that you seek help from a doctor who will examine your situation.
You'll need:
- Water
- Toast
- Vegetable broth or chicken
- Supplements probiotics or yoghurts with lactobacillus acidophilus Bifidus live cultures.
Steps to follow:
Stay hydrated. The effects food poisoning dehydrate you and you make you feel worse. Drink water and other liquids, but avoid caffeine, since it acts as a diuretic and will make you urinate more often. Drink only clear liquids, such as chicken or vegetable broth, the clearer the liquid is, the more water it contains. The aim is to replace the fluids that you have lost through diarrhea or vomiting.
Eat. You probably do not want to, because you don't feel well, but you should eat to keep your energy up. Eat dry foods such as toast or cookies. The more bland the food, the more likely it is that you will be able to digest it. Do not eat fruit or spicy foods that will be difficult to digest while you are ill.
Take some probiotic supplements or eat yogurt with live cultures. Probiotics are live micro-organisms which are beneficial to the body and can help prevent or treat the symptoms caused by harmful bacteria, including the type that cause this intoxication. Another great thing is its ability to stimulate your immune system and prevent infections. They can be found in the form of pills or capsules, but they are also in yogurts containing live crops.
Brands of yogurt containing live cultures are usually specified on the labels and frozen yogurt stores tend to show this information in their signs. Try to stay away from the kind of yogurt that contains a large quantity of sugar, as this can irritate your stomach even more.
You must be patient. It may take a few days for your body to clear the toxins from the food poisoning from your body. Rest as much as possible and don't do any vigorous exercise until you are well again.
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.
If you want to read similar articles to What to Do When You Have Food Poisoning, we recommend you visit our Diseases & secondary effects category.
Tips
- Give oral electrolytes to a child or a baby who is suffering from the symptoms of food poisoning. They can be found in the majority of pharmacies.
- Seek medical attention if either of the following conditions apply to you.
- 1. Symptoms last more than five or six days or appear to be getting worse.
- 2. You have blood or mucus in your faeces. You could have intestinal bleeding. It could clear up on its own, but it is better to consult a doctor.
- 3. Your stools are black and tar-like. This means that you are seriously dehydrated.
- 4. You have a fever that has lasted more than three days.
- You can also opt for the safe side and seek medical attention immediately if your child or baby has contracted food poisoning. Children and the elderly, whose immune systems are weaker in general, are more prone to develop muscle paralysis or anaemia as a result of serious cases of food poisoning
