The summer period is good with an abundance of fresh fruits and berries, as well as sunny heat. However, all of this has a flip side. Microbes in the heat begin to multiply at a double rate, and delicate foods quickly deteriorate and become the ideal environment for infection. As a result, doctors have noted a surge in intestinal infections. Today we’ll talk about how to deal with their consequences. How to be treated for intestinal infections, what you can eat and how to help your body recover faster.
General concept
In fact, there are a lot of pathogens in the environment. Moreover, it can be simple microorganisms, pathogenic bacteria or viruses. Determining the cause without examination is often very difficult, since the symptoms can be almost the same. Therefore, if symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea do not go away within one to two days, be sure to consult a doctor so that he can more accurately determine the causes of the ailment and prescribe adequate treatment.
Where the roots grow from
Infection can enter our body in three ways. First of all, these are food products infected with harmful microorganisms. The second way is no less common. This is the use of water containing the pathogen. In hot weather, the blue expanse of rivers and lakes attracts us all. Swallowing water while swimming can result in a long treatment. Finally, the third way is contact-household: dirty hands and the like.
It’s unlikely that you can protect yourself from everything, so let's talk about what to do with an intestinal infection. What can I eat and how to get better soon?
First few days
At first glance, there is nothing wrong with this disease. Just think, my stomach was a little upset. Indeed, in this case, just a light diet for a couple of days is enough. However, pathogenic bacteria and viruses can cause serious digestive upsets, which in the absence of proper treatment can lead to death. That is why everyone should know how to behave with an intestinal infection, what you can eat, and what you need to refuse.
On average, doctors prescribe one to two weeks of a strict diet. The gastrointestinal tract can not be loaded, the body has thrown all the forces to fight harmful microorganisms. And remember forever that you can’t force yourself to eat with an intestinal infection. What you can eat, your body knows better than you, just give it a chance to give you a signal. Do you want to drink? That's right, at the moment this is exactly what you need.
Drinking mode
Any doctor will prescribe a plentiful drink first. And this is necessary from the first moment, as soon as you feel bad. If an intestinal infection develops in a child, then he needs to wash his stomach, and then give a spoonful of clean water every few minutes. This mode can provoke vomiting and cleansing the body.
What can I drink with an intestinal infection? It can be pure boiled water, a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate, a decoction of chamomile. With intestinal infections, which are accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea, the water-salt balance is disturbed. To restore it, you must drink "Rehydron." You can cook it yourself. To do this, in one liter of water dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of coarse salt (if you have small, then take half the dose) and half a teaspoon of baking soda. You can not drink such a solution in large quantities, so alternate it with other drinks. For an adult, the allowable dose is 50 ml once every two hours. For a child, one spoon with the same interval is enough.
Let's get on the mend
When the first symptoms begin to recede, nausea and vomiting go away, urge to the toilet becomes less frequent, you can gradually begin to introduce food into the diet. First of all, focus on the signals of your body. Recovery is necessarily marked by the appearance of appetite. For adults, at this stage it is permissible to use liquid soups on chicken stock.
But if we are talking about what children can eat with an intestinal infection, then everything is a little more complicated. The baby's body recovers longer, so you need to maintain exposure. As soon as vomiting has stopped or become less frequent, even with ongoing diarrhea, a weak chicken broth can be administered. While this is food and drink that will support the strength of the child.
It is necessary to fix the result
If vomiting persists for more than three days, this is a signal for immediate hospitalization. This is especially important when it comes to the child. Prolonged dehydration is very dangerous for his fragile body. The doctor will evaluate the condition and tell you what you can eat for your child with an intestinal infection. Until the complete cessation of vomiting, you will have to withstand only the drinking regimen, alternately using a weak broth, a decoction of rose hips and chamomiles. In parallel, the doctor will prescribe drugs that will alleviate the condition and accelerate recovery.
Expanding the diet
On the third day for an adult and on the 4th-5th for a child, you can prepare liquid mashed potatoes for breakfast, without milk and butter. Many parents ask: is it possible with intestinal infection milk or its derivatives? Definitely not, neither an adult nor a child should drink kefir or milk until complete recovery.
The body normally coped with mashed potatoes and again sends signals that it is hungry? This is great, so you're getting better. For lunch, you can cook a little rice or oatmeal porridge in the water, and for dinner - a baked apple. Continue to drink a lot, then the toxins will leave your body faster.
Second week
Starting from the fifth day for an adult and from the seventh day for a child, doctors are allowed to gradually switch to a normal diet. However, we must not forget that while the therapeutic diet is maintained, you need to forget about fried, fatty and sweet. What can I eat with an intestinal infection at this stage? Low-fat boiled meat is introduced into the diet. The body has lost a lot of strength, and it needs protein to recover. It can be rabbit and turkey, chicken and lean beef. The addition will be the fish, or rather meatballs prepared from it, soufflé or steam cutlets.
For now, refrain from sources of coarse fiber. Most vegetables should be excluded. The only thing that doctors recommend starting to include in the diet from the second week is squash and pumpkin. They are very useful during the recovery period after an illness.
Third week
Unpleasant symptoms have long been forgotten, and life has completely returned to its previous course. However, now you still need to remember what you can eat with an intestinal infection for an adult and a child. At this stage, you can gradually include in the diet fermented milk products with a low percentage of fat content. Choose only the freshest foods, best if they are enriched with bifidobacteria. But from whole milk, including milk porridge, should abstain for now.
Return to normal diet
Each organism is individual, and therefore recovery will occur in different ways. However, on average it will take 3-4 weeks to fully switch to normal nutrition. Remember that this process should occur as smoothly as possible. You can’t introduce several new products into the diet at once, you must wait for the gastrointestinal tract to respond to what you have already eaten.
Features of the treatment of intestinal infection in children
Kids suffer from such ailments more often than adults. Moreover, if the child is more than three years old, he can adhere to the same diet as adults. Young children, up to three years old, need the mandatory supervision of a pediatrician. Usually, intestinal flu or other infections are treated on an outpatient basis, but there are times when immediate hospitalization is required.
There are some differences between the nutrition of breast-fed and breast-fed babies. Breast milk can be given little by little, in parallel with the Regidron. But among artificial mixtures, you need to choose dairy-free. Parents must remember that dehydration can develop very quickly. Therefore, it is necessary to give fluid very often, and if the body cannot absorb it due to vomiting, then saline is administered intravenously.
During the recovery period, the best nutrition for him will be breast milk. Refuse complementary foods. If the child has already been transferred to adult food, then dairy-free cereals, broths, mashed potatoes and zucchini will be useful. But fresh vegetables and fruits, juices and milk should not be given, even if the child used to eat them regularly.