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Food poisoning occurs after consuming food contaminated by toxins produced by fungi or bacteria that may be present in food. Thus, after ingesting these toxins, some symptoms arise, such as vomiting, nausea, headache and diarrhea, in addition to also causing extreme tiredness, weakness and dehydration.
It is important that the person goes to the health center or hospital as soon as the symptoms of food poisoning appear so that complications can be avoided, it is important to maintain a light and fat-free diet and drink plenty of water or homemade serum during the day, in addition to remain at rest.
Symptoms of food poisoning
Symptoms of food poisoning appear a few hours after the consumption of the contaminated food, with mainly a feeling of malaise, nausea and diarrhea. If you think you may have intoxication, check your symptoms:
- 1. Nausea or vomiting No Yes
- 2. Liquid stools more than 3 times a day No Yes
- 3. Severe stomach pain No Yes
- 4. Severe pain in the belly No Yes
- 5. Fever below 38º C No Yes
- 6. Excessive tiredness for no apparent reason No Yes
Generally, symptoms begin to improve 2 or 3 days after they appear and, therefore, if at the end of the third day the symptoms do not improve or if they worsen, it is recommended to consult a gastroenterologist to identify the cause of these symptoms and start the appropriate treatment.
Besides it is important to go to the doctor if the symptoms worsen over the first three days, it is also recommended to go to the doctor in case of vomiting, bloody diarrhea, high fever and signs of severe dehydration, such as dry mouth, excessive thirst, weakness , headache and dizziness.
In addition, pregnant women, the elderly, debilitated people and children should consult a doctor as soon as the first symptoms of intoxication appear, as they are more sensitive and usually present more severe symptoms.
How treatment should be done
The treatment for food poisoning is in most cases a home treatment, that is, it is done with the ingestion of many fluids and the adoption of a light, balanced and low-fat diet until a few days after the symptoms disappear, so that the organism recovers and nausea and nausea subside.
In addition, to treat food poisoning it is very important to replace the amount of liquids lost, drinking plenty of water, teas and natural fruit juices, it is also recommended to drink hydration serum that can be purchased at the pharmacy or prepared at home at home. See how you can prepare homemade serum by watching the video:
Usually, food poisoning passes with these measures, it is not necessary to take any specific medication, however if the symptoms worsen it is recommended to consult the doctor. In these more severe cases, it may be necessary to use medicines to treat nausea and vomiting such as Metaclopramide and Domperidone, medicines to stop diarrhea such as Loperamide or Imosec, and to control fever, such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
What to eat
When you have food poisoning it is very important to follow a diet that helps to reduce symptoms. Therefore, the most recommended foods include:
- Teas with sugar but without caffeine, avoiding black tea, mate tea or green tea;
- Corn porridge;
- Cooked and shelled pear and apple;
- Banana;
- Cooked carrot;
- White rice or pasta without sauces or fats;
- Baked potato;
- Grilled or cooked chicken or turkey;
- White bread with fruit jam.
The important thing is to avoid heavy and difficult to digest foods such as tomatoes, cabbage, eggs, beans, red meats, leaves such as lettuce and cabbage, butter, whole milk, seeds and strong spices for example, in addition to avoiding processed and fatty foods. Check out a list of the foods that most cause belly pain.
In the first days it is still important to give preference to cooked and peeled fruits and strained fruit juices, and only after diarrhea passes is it recommended to start eating vegetables, it is advisable to eat the cooked vegetables or in the soup, as they help replenish the nutrients and vitamins in the body. See some home remedies to treat food poisoning.