MORE: The 9 Foods Most Likely To Make You Sick Even non-life-threatening cases of food poisoning can make you feel miserable, resulting in dizziness, queasiness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, headache, and fever. (Here’s 4 signs you have food poisoning.) Toxic bacteria get into food in a variety of ways, generally as a result of inadequate cooking or processing. In any case, once inside you, these bad bugs attack your intestines. For a day or so, you feel wretched as your body battles back. Here’s expert-recommended food poisoning treatment ideas to help your body return to normal.
Fill Up On Fluids
The bacteria irritate your intestinal tract and trigger a great deal of fluid loss from diarrhea, vomiting, or both. Drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration. Water is best, followed by other clear liquids such as apple juice, broth, or bouillon. Soft drinks are okay, too, if you drink them flat, says Gale Maleskey, MS, RD. Otherwise, the carbonation can further irritate your stomach. Defizzed cola and ginger ale will also settle your stomach—just choose the flavor you prefer. Get the bubbles out of soft drinks quickly by pouring the soda back and forth between two glasses, she suggests. MORE: Food Poisoning Remedies
Sip A Little, Slowly
Trying to gulp down too much at once may trigger more vomiting, says Maleskey.
Replenish Electrolytes
Vomiting and diarrhea can flush out important electrolytes—potassium, sodium, and glucose. Experts suggest that you replace them by sipping commercially prepared electrolyte products such as Gatorade. Or try this rehydration recipe: Mix a cup of fruit juice (for potassium) with 1/2 teaspoon of honey or corn syrup (for glucose) and a pinch of table salt (for sodium).
Don’t Interfere With Progress.
Your body is trying to flush the toxic organism out, explains Daniel C. Rodrigue, MD. In some cases, taking antidiarrheal products (such as Imodium, Kaopectate, and Lomotil) may interfere with your body’s ability to fight the infection. So stay away from them and let nature take its course. If you feel it’s necessary to take something to treat your food poisoning, consult your doctor first.
Reintroduce Bland Foods
Usually within a few hours to a day after the diarrhea and vomiting have subsided, you’ll be ready for some “real” food. But go easy. Your stomach is weak and irritated. Experts suggest starting with easily digestible foods. Try cereal, pudding, saltines, or broth. Avoid high-fiber, spicy, acidic, greasy, sugary, or dairy foods that could further irritate the stomach. Do this for a day or two. After that, your stomach will be ready to get back to its routine.
Mind Your Peas And Corn
They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and this may never be truer than when you are dealing with the aftermath of eating spoiled food. To keep yourself and your family safe from food poisoning, remember that produce is much more likely to cause trouble than poultry or beef, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Be sure to rinse all fruits and vegetables (peelable or not): Bacteria on the surface can be transported inside by a knife when slicing or chopping. And never wash produce until just before you plan to eat it. Damp veggies will harbor mold and other microbes that can make you sick. MORE: 7 Ways Your Refrigerator Is Making You Sick
Avoid Fruit Garnishes
Love lemon? You may want to pass on the puckery citrus slices the next time you’re dining or drinking out. According to a recent study, nearly 70% of restaurant lemon wedges harbor nasty germs from saliva, skin, and—yuck—feces. The bacteria may have originated from dirty hands, indiscreet coughs and sneezes, or contaminated cutting boards and knives. Instead of ordering your beverage with a fruity twist, skip it or keep individual packets of lemon juice in your purse. MORE: 8 Things Food Safety Experts Never Eat
When To Call A Doctor About Food Poisoning
With a normal case of food poisoning, the symptoms—cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and dizziness—disappear in a day or two. Call a doctor immediately if your symptoms are also accompanied by:
Difficulty swallowing, speaking, or breathingchanges in visionmuscle weakness or paralysis, particularly if this occurs after eating mushrooms, canned food, or shellfish Fever higher than 100°F Severe vomiting—you can’t hold down even any liquids Severe diarrhea for more than a day or twoPersistent, localized abdominal pain Dehydration Bloody diarrhea
MORE: 6 Weird Foods That Can Make You Seriously Sick
Prevent Food Poisoning
You can’t always blame the diner across town for your stomach troubles. The truth is, says Rodrigue, many cases of food poisoning probably come from carelessness in your own home. Despite a 25% drop in the number of Escherichia coli infections and a 41% drop in shigella infections on account of improved government food-safety programs, food-borne illnesses demand consistent vigilance. Follow these common sense rules to significantly decrease your chances of poisoning yourself. Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after preparing food to avoid passing on bacteria such as staphylococcus. This is especially important before and after handling raw meat and eggs. If you have an infection or a cut on your hands, wear plastic or rubber gloves. Be sure to wash your gloved hands just as often as you would wash your bare hands. Heat or chill raw food. Bacteria can’t multiply above 150°F or below 40°F. Don’t leave food at room temperature for more than 2 hours, and avoid eating anything that you suspect may have been unrefrigerated for that long. Bacteria thrive in warm protein food made with meat or eggs, and in cream-filled pastries, dips, potato salad, and so forth. Raw food can harbor bacteria. Don’t eat raw protein food like fish, fowl, meat, or eggs. Avoid sushi, oysters on the half shell, Caesar salad prepared with raw eggs, and unpasteurized eggnog. Don’t use eggs if they have hairline cracks—harmful salmonella bacteria may have already set up shop. Don’t sample raw cookie dough that you’ve made with eggs. (Commercially prepared cookie dough is not a food hazard.) Don’t buy cooked seafood, such as shrimp, if it’s displayed in the same case as raw fish. Buy fresh seafood only from reputable dealers who keep the products properly refrigerated or on ice and at a constant temperature. If you are a recreational fisher and you eat your catch, follow state and local government announcements about fishing areas and frequency of consumption. Use a meat thermometer. Cook meat until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 160°F and the pink disappears, chicken with a bone until the thermometer registers 170°F and there are no red joints, chicken without a bone until the thermometer registers 160°F, turkey breast until thermometer registers 170°F, other turkey (ground or whole) until thermometer registers 165°F, and fish until it flakes easily. Complete cooking is the only way to ensure that all potentially harmful bacteria have been killed. Don’t taste-test foods before they’re cooked, especially pork, fish, and eggs. Don’t let raw meat juice drip onto other food. It can taint otherwise harmless food. Use a separate chopping board and utensils when handling raw meat, and sanitize them with hot, soapy water and a bleach solution after use to prevent cross-contamination. Scrub fruits and vegetables thoroughly. Peel nonorganic produce, such as cucumbers, and remove the outer leaves of leafy vegetables. Scrub can openers and countertops and always clean out crevices to prevent bacteria from hiding and growing there. For all areas that come in contact with food, use hot water and soap, followed by a bleach solution. Replace sponges often and use paper towels to wipe off counters. Thaw meat in the refrigerator. Or thaw it in the microwave and cook it immediately after it’s thawed. Bacteria can multiply on food surfaces while the center is still frozen. When using the microwave to defrost, follow the instructions and leave at least 2 inches of space around the item to allow air to circulate. Immediately refrigerate leftovers, even if they are still hot. Cool down large pots of food faster by refrigerating in smaller portions. Never pick and eat wild mushrooms. Some carry toxins that attack the nervous system and can be deadly. Picking wild mushrooms should be left to the experts. Never taste home-canned food before boiling for 20 minutes. If not properly canned, food contains bacteria that can produce a dangerous toxin. Use common sense and don’t taste any food that doesn’t smell or look right. Avoid cracked jars or swollen, dented cans or lids; clear liquids that have turned milky; and cans or jars that spurt or have an “off” odor when opened. They could contain dangerous bacteria. Make sure you discard them carefully so that pets don’t come in contact with them.
Panel Of Advisors
Gale Maleskey, MS, RD, is a clinical dietitian, nutrition educator, and speaker. She practices nutrition counseling in Bridgewater, New Jersey, where she sees clients for a wide variety of health problems. Daniel C. Rodrigue, MD, is an infectious disease specialist at Lexington Infectious Disease Consultants in Lexington, Kentucky.
