Foods and Drinks to Soothe Upset Stomach
You’ve cut out the gluten, nixed the dairy, and said no thank you to the side of refried beans with your fajitas and have been feeling fantastic! Then, all of a sudden, it hits you: an awful stomach ache.
What the heck’s going on?
Every once in a while, there still may be the one-off, odd stomach issue. The culprit? Eating something slightly past its best, cooked in a hidden oil in a restaurant, or possible veggie contamination from not having been properly washed.
Whether you’ve eaten a piece of bad fish, or let the leftover chicken sit in the fridge one too many days, food poisoning signs and symptoms can ensue within hours after eating contaminated food, or may begin days or even weeks later and last from a few hours to several days. However, if you have a severe case of food poisoning, get to the hospital quick!
GENERAL SYMPTOMS OF FOOD POISONING
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Watery diarrhea
- Abdominal pain and cramps
- Fever
SEVERE SYMPTOMS OF FOOD POISONING
- Frequent episodes of vomiting and inability to keep liquids down
- Bloody vomit or stools
- Diarrhea for more than three days
- Extreme pain or severe abdominal cramping
- An oral temperature higher than 101.5 F (38.6 C)
- Signs or symptoms of dehydration — excessive thirst, dry mouth, little or no urination, severe weakness, dizziness, or lightheadedness
- Neurological symptoms such as blurry vision, muscle weakness and tingling in the arms1
So, in the case of mild food poisoning, or just an uncomfortable stomach ache, should you just grin and bear it until it passes? Nope. Nature’s remedies to the rescue, yet again!
PALEO-FRIENDLY NATURAL REMEDIES TO SOOTH STOMACH ACHES
- ADD COCONUT
Fresh coconut, if possible. Coconut water not only will help to replace electrolytes lost through diarrhea, it will also help settle your stomach.
- ADD GINGER
Sipping ginger tea or chewing on fresh ginger helps digest heavy foods or hearty meals, and children may chew on ginger to ease a stomachache or to relieve motion sickness.2 Grab a ginger root, scrape off the outside skin with the side of a spoon, chop it and add to some boiling water to make tea.
- ADD OIL OF OREGANO
High in natural anti microbial properties, it will help balance out any of the bad bacteria you may have ingested. There’s some evidence that oil of oregano has anti-fungal or antiviral properties, it’s thought to be helpful for some gastrointestinal issues. One study showed that treatment with oregano oil may help treat parasite infections as well.3
- ADD PROBIOTIC TABLETS
Also excellent at helping rid the gut of unwanted bacteria.
- EAT STEAMED VEGGIES
Focus on steamed vegetables rather than raw for a day or two. If your stomach is actually physically sore, eating steamed veg may feel more soothing than lots of raw, crunchy food.
- KEEP FRUIT IN CHECK
Cut down or omit on fruits. Even though the sugar in fruit is ‘natural’, it’s still sugar and the last thing you want to do is provide food to the bacteria that has inhabited your gut.
- HYDRATE
Chances are, you’ve become a bit dehydrated after being sick and this is an easy fix.
- STICK TO NATURAL
Stay away from mainstream recommendations to drink things like ‘Pedialyte’. The ingredient panel says it all:
Water, Dextrose. Less than 2% of the Following: Citric Acid, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Artificial Flavor, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Zinc Gluconate, and FD&C Red #40.
I’d love to hear why ingesting artificial flavor, sucralose, acesulfame potassium and red#40 are helpful to settle one’s stomach.
- REST
Last but not least, rest is of utmost importance to allow your mind and body time to recuperate!
REFERENCES
[1] “Food Poisoning.” Symptoms. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2015.
[2] “Warm Up to Ginger.” WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 19 June 2015.
[3] “Why Oil Of Oregano Is Your New Best Friend.” The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2015.
