Food poisoning is the result of eating food or using utensils that have been contaminated with bacteria, other toxins, or has natural poisonous properties. In most cases, food poisoning symptoms will go away after a few days, once the toxins have been flushed from your body. Lucky for you, there are ways you can make the whole healing process go a lot faster, and get back to feeling better much quicker.
The best method to get rid of food poisoning is to simply prevent it from occurring. Luckily, there are a number of things that you can do yourself that will reduce the risk of you suffering from food poisoning.
1. Stay clean.
In order to prevent food poisoning, you should always make sure to regularly wash your hands, dishes, and kitchen surfaces. One common way food poisoning is caused is through bacteria on unwashed hands, eating utensils, dishes, and kitchen surfaces.
You should also always wash everything before and after preparing food. This includes washing your hands in warm and soapy water when handling food, and washing your dishes and cutlery in warm, soapy water after they have been used.
Additionally, you should take care to wipe down all kitchen surfaces, cutting boards, and tables with a cleanser after you have finished with preparing food. This is most important when you have prepared a dish that includes raw meat: one of the most common ways of catching food poisoning.
2. Prepare your food right.
Ensure that all food is stored according to proper directions so that you can prevent any cross-contamination. Packages of uncooked food like chicken and other meat should be completely separate from other food, and all meat and dairy products should be put in the refrigerator as soon as you have returned from shopping.
When you are looking at food to prepare for dinner and aren’t sure if it’s safe to eat or not, throw it away. Better to be safe than sorry!
When you are cooking meat (chicken, beef, pork, et cetera), you should make sure that you are following all directions carefully. Invest in a food thermometer so that you can check the internal temperature of your meat.
It is possible for any type of meat to still be pink on the inside (such as beef) even if it hasn’t reached the necessary internal temperature for eating. This makes it just about impossible to tell if your meat is properly cooked by sight alone. Make sure that you check the package for specific instructions about what you are cooking, or search online for a reliable food safety website if you’re still not sure.
3. Find the cause.
Unfortunately, sometimes our best efforts to prevent food poisoning are not enough. If you are suffering, you should determine what caused the food poisoning so that it can be properly treated.
Contrary to popular belief, food poisoning doesn’t immediately start after eating and as a result of this isn’t always caused by the last thing that you ate. Instead, think back to what you ate in the past 24 hours before experiencing symptoms of food poisoning.
Once you have figured out what you ate during that time frame, ask yourself if anything tasted off to you or if you ate something that you had never tried before.
You should contact your doctor immediately if you can’t determine the cause of your food poisoning, or if you suspect that it may have been the result of poisonous fish or mushrooms. You should also contact your doctor if the one experiencing symptoms is pregnant, over 65, a child or infant, or if severe symptoms such as vomiting blood, dizziness or fainting, or trouble breathing are present.
4. Rest up and refuel.
While the vomiting and diarrhea that results from food poisoning is the body’s natural response to rid itself of poison, you should avoid eating solid foods while experiencing these symptoms. Most importantly, do not eat what caused your food poisoning in the first place as it can simply aggravate your symptoms and make the food poisoning last longer.
If you are not sure of what might have cause your food poisoning, avoid eating anything that has not been freshly prepared in front of you until you are feeling better.
When you are ready to reintroduce solid food back into your diet, try eating from the following list of items that will not aggravate your stomach: bananas, plain white rice, or dry toast. Avoid having any dairy products until you are feeling better, as dairy will only result in further irritation and discomfort.
Food poisoning can really dehydrate you from all the vomiting and diarrhea, so it’s important that you drink a lot of clear liquids in order to prevent dehydration. Instead of the traditional eight glasses of water every day, it is suggested that adults with food poisoning attempt to drink double that amount.
Acceptable fluids to drink when you have food poisoning are water, ginger ale or other clear sodas like Sprite (the carbonation helps settle your stomach), herbal teas, and juice. Try to avoid beverages like alcohol, coffee, or anything with caffeine, as they can dehydrate your body further.
If you are experiencing severe fluid loss, you can either purchase an electrolyte replacement solution from your local pharmacy or a sports drink like Gatorade or Powerade. Electrolytes help you replace all of the nutrients that you might be losing through food poisoning. However, take care to dilute Gatorade and other sports drinks so that they aren’t too sugary for your stomach to handle.
Your body will often be very weak and tired as you go through the symptoms of food poisoning, so it is important that you get as much rest as you can so that you can build up as much strength as possible. This will help your body recover from food poisoning faster.
Unless you are prescribed a specific medication, avoid taking over the counter medications designed to prevent diarrhea or vomiting. Even though they would provide some relief in the moment, these medications are simply preventing the body from performing its natural functions to rid itself of the poisoning that has occurred. In other words, the toxins aren’t exiting your body, something that should be done as soon as possible so you can recover quicker.
Following these steps properly will help you recover from food poisoning faster and get back on your feet. But remember, if you are in doubt you should always contact you doctor!
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