A stomach ache can strike for all kinds of reasons, from contaminated food to chronic disease. It passes, sure, but the pain, headache, diarrhea, vomiting and other classic symptoms of stomach flu ensure a crummy couple of days
It can be tough to know what to put in your body when youβre dealing with an upset stomach, but there are a few surefire foods. Ginger, scientifically, is a good place to start. βGinger and also turmeric, which is a member of the ginger family, seem to be anti-inflammatory,β says Dr. Emeran Mayer, a professor of digestive diseases at UCLA. Both ginger and turmeric are roots, he says, and may have developed special antibacterial properties in order to withstand contamination from microorganisms in soil. Skip the sugary commercial ginger ales, which contain little real ginger, and sip water infused with ginger or turmeric instead, he advises.
You wonβt want to eat in the throes of vomiting, but starting to sip water and other beverages right away is a good idea, says Dr. Joseph Murray, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic. Because youβre getting rid of essential vitamins and nutrients with every trip to the bathroom, itβs important to replenish your bodyβs electrolytesβnamely salt, but also potassium and glucose (sugar), he says. If the word βelectrolytesβ makes you think of Gatorade, youβre not far off. But Gatorade and other sports drinks may not contain enough salt to replenish your depleted stores. βDiluted tomato juice is pretty good, mostly because itβs salty,β Murray says.
Once youβve stopped vomiting and your stomach feels a bit better, you will want to eat. But donβt sit down for a big meal; nibble food throughout the day instead, Murray explains.
Research from Penn State Universityβs Hershey Medical Center recommends what every parent knows as the BRAT foods: bananas, white rice, applesauce and toast. Eating only these four foods may be too restrictive (and could lead to malnourishment, especially among kids). But foods like these are good choices, because the harder your inflamed stomach has to work to digest something, the more likely it is to act up, Murray says. Foods that are easy for the body to break downβsimple, minimally seasoned carbohydrates like saltine crackers, as opposed to hardier fare like whole grains and leafy greensβare less likely to trigger stabs of pain or a dash to the toilet.
There are plenty of foods you should avoid. Pass on dairy foods, because an upset stomach is likely to have problems digesting and absorbing lactose, Murray explains. βEven in the days or weeks after youβve recovered, you may experience a temporary bout of lactose intolerance while your gut recovers,β he says. Also, skip high-fat foods (like nuts, oils and avocado), spicy dishes, alcohol and coffee, which may all aggravate a recovering stomach, says Dr. Joel Mason, a gastroenterologist and professor of medicine and nutrition at Tufts University.
What about probiotics? While Mason and other experts say thereβs promising research on probiotics for relief of gut-related conditions, thereβs still not good evidence to support swallowing probiotic-rich foods to cure a stomach ache. One problem with probiotics is that the micro-organic makeup of your gut is different from everyone elseβs. βThere are also hundreds of probiotic strains, and the effect each has may be determined by your [gutβs] microbiome composition,β UCLAβs Mayer explains. βIn the future, we may be able to map your microbiome simply and inexpensively, and make appropriate probiotic recommendations.β But weβre just not there yet.
Another issue is that nearly all the research linking probiotics to relief of gut-related issues has looked at freeze-dried probiotics in capsules or tablets, Mason says. βEating yogurt or Kefir or other probiotic foods to relieve symptoms may be effective, but that hasnβt yet been shown.β
While probiotic supplements are likely safe for most people, Mason says ingesting probiotics could in some cases be risky. βWhen you consume a probiotic, youβre consuming billions of bacterial or fungal spores,β he explains. In βthe vast majority of instances,β that wonβt hurt you. βBut if you have an impaired immune system, thereβs pretty good documentation that ingesting these organisms can set off very serious infectionsβeven life-threatening infections,β he explains.
If you want to roll the dice with probiotics, youβre best off sticking to those found in traditional food sources like sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha. βEat those three, and youβll get a wide range of probiotics,β Mayer says. There may not be strong evidence yet to show they can relieve an achy stomach, βbut theyβre what I would give to my own family,β he says.
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