Gastroenteritis, sometimes called Stomach flu, is a highly contagious viral infection that primarily involves the gastrointestinal organs. Gastroenteritis not only affects children, but also affects adults at a high rate. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps or severe abdominal pain. At this time, providing appropriate relief diet can help patients to speed up recovery. Here are 4 dietary suggestions:
1. The most important thing is to add water. If diarrhea and vomiting are combined, dehydration can occur within hours, so the most important thing for gastroenteritis is to replenish water. The 7 choices that can be used as hydration include: 1. water; 2. ice cubes; 3. clear soup; Clear juice, such as filtered apple or raisin juice.
Note that if the diarrhea is severe, it is not suitable to drink high-sugar drinks, because high-sugar content will make the diarrhea more serious. Drinks high in sugar include fruit juice drinks, drinks with added sugar, and certain sports electrolyte drinks for adults.
2. Reserve electrolyte drinks for young children. You may be wondering, isn’t electrolyte drink already mentioned in the above list? Here I would like to write specifically regarding electrolyte drinks suitable for children. Many times in supermarkets or convenience stores, most of the electrolyte drinks we can buy are adult sports drinks. If you look carefully at the nutrition label, all the ingredients are too much for children under 5 years old. In other words, adult sports drinks are not suitable for children, as they contain too much sugar, too much sodium, etc. Basically, if children drink them, they should be distilled with water.
In fact, suitable for children to drink, you can choose children’s electrolyte drinks. Since it is not common in supermarkets, it is recommended to keep at least 3 to 4 sticks at home at any time for emergencies. For example, the following electrolyte drink for children provides 22 calories per 100 ml, 5.5 grams of carbohydrates (sugar), 78 mg of potassium and 0.2 grams of salt.
3. Eat nutritious foods that you like. No matter adults or children, when you have diarrhea and stomachache, it is not the right time to try new foods. When the family prepares food, try to think of the patient’s favorite 10 nutritious foods, such as chicken cubes, eggs, mashed potatoes, bananas, etc. I emphasize nutritious foods over snacks, because at this point the appetite is gone and choosing nutritious foods provides nutrients and speeds up recovery.
4. During diarrhea and vomiting, avoid the following foods: coffee drinks (may make diarrhea worse); fried food (may make vomiting more serious); high-sugar foods and drinks (may make children’s diarrhea more serious).
Generally speaking, when the water shortage situation improves, the diet can return to normal.
(This column is published every Friday)
Written by: Zeng Xinxin Registered Dietitian, Spokesperson, Writer. Facebook Page: Gloria Tsang
Column Name: What Xinxin Eats