Everybody gets intestinal infections from time to time and there are a lot of reasons for this. Diet is one of the main reasons. Certain food combinations can cause gastric disturbances and increase your chances of getting intestinal infections.
How to determine if you have an intestinal infection. Possible reasons
Intestinal infection is among the most prevalent illnesses. Most often, residents of hot countries are affected by this disease, but many cases are recorded worldwide. During the year, the largest number of cases occurs in the summer, primarily due to a change in diet and an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables swimming in ponds and pools. Among the causative agents of this infection are not only bacteria (Salmonella, dysentery bacillus, etc.) but also viruses, as well as protozoa (for example, amoeba).
To understand that you have an intestinal infection, you need to know the symptoms of the disease:
- febrile state (high body temperature);
- pain in the abdomen;
- headache;
- nausea;
- vomit;
- diarrhea.
To make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment, you must consult a doctor and do not self-medicate. Nevertheless, knowing the symptoms will not be superfluous. In addition to the prescribed treatment, special attention is paid to dietary nutrition, which can create a favorable environment for the body’s recovery and not provoke further disease development.
Principles of dietary nutrition in intestinal infections
The purpose of the diet is thermal and chemical sparing of the gastrointestinal tract, reducing the level of inflammation in the body, reducing fermentation processes, restoring the intestinal mucosa, normalizing the production of enzymes, eliminating dysbacteriosis and suppressing pathogenic microflora, restoring electrolyte balance, accelerating the elimination of toxins. To do this, you must follow certain rules:
- The duration of the diet should be at least 14 days. It is this period that is required to restore the intestinal mucosa.
- To avoid the recurrence of cases of frequent vomiting and diarrhea, it is necessary to eat small meals. If you can’t stop vomiting and diarrhea, see your doctor.
- You can’t refuse food. During an intestinal infection, the digestion process continues, and the body needs nutrients to fight the infection.
- Food should be as crushed as possible and thermally gentle. It is recommended to steam or boil. In the acute period, it is better to puree and grind food.
- Restriction of fats and carbohydrates, exclusion of industrial food.
- A sufficient amount of high-quality protein, both animal and vegetable origin. In this case, it is recommended to different alternate types of protein.
- Inclusion in the diet of fermented milk products rich in bifido- and lactobacilli.
Products are prohibited in the therapeutic nutrition protocol.
- Any fatty meat (pork, lamb), fatty fish (trout, salmon). Such products require good enzymatic activity from the body, which is impossible with an intestinal infection.
- Bread and pastries increase the processes of peristalsis and fermentation.
- Thermally untreated vegetables and fruits can increase intestinal motility.
- Strong and fatty broths. This is due to an enzymatic deficiency in the acute period of the disease.
- Millet, oatmeal, and barley porridge can cause fermentation processes.
- Raw and sour berries stimulate intestinal motility, which can adversely affect the course of the disease.
- Any legumes (soybeans, peas) contribute to increased flatulence.
- Industrial food contains various substances that adversely affect the state of the body and increase the toxic load. Preference should be given to dishes prepared from simple and whole foods at home.
Foods allowed on a diet for intestinal infections
- Buckwheat, flaxseed, and rice porridge. It is preferable to cook with water.
- Lean meat (chicken breast, turkey, rabbit, veal). It is better to steam and grind. The best option is a dish in the form of meatballs. Meat should be introduced at the stage of stool normalization.
- Vegetables and fruits are introduced into the diet last. They must be thermally processed; it is possible to puree and grind. For vegetables, preference should be given to zucchini, pumpkin, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and potatoes. From fruits, it is first necessary to introduce apples; they contain pectin, which helps to cleanse the intestines.
Drinks for a diet with an intestinal infection
First, it is necessary to remember an adequate drinking regime and strictly observe it to avoid dehydration. Drink warm; clean water should be at least 35 ml per 1 kg of body weight. It is impossible to replace water with other liquids. It can be used as nutraceutical support of electrolytes, which help to restore water and electrolyte balance quickly. If there is an appetite and a desire to diversify the drinking menu, you can enter the following drinks:
- Rice water passed through a sieve;
- Rosehip infusion;
- Herbal tea;
- Jelly from berries;
- Magnesium water.
These drinks are a source of beneficial vitamins and minerals, which helps to improve digestion.
In the acute period, when vomiting is observed, you can drink mint decoction and homemade lemonade based on lemon. The fruit is kneaded, poured with hot boiled water, insisted for about half an hour if desired, and in the absence of allergic reactions, a little honey is added. Such a drink is consumed in a tablespoon during the day with an interval of about 20 minutes.
Including kefir in the recovery process is recommended – a source of beneficial bacteria that helps heal the intestinal mucosa.
Recipes for intestinal infections
Omelet with spinach, green beans
Boil green beans until tender (about 5 minutes) and drain in a colander. Melt a couple of tablespoons of ghee in a frying pan and lightly fry the beans. Beat a few chicken eggs, add finely chopped spinach, and pour the finished mixture into the pan with the beans. You can add a pinch of pink Himalayan salt to the cooked dish.
Fish cakes
For cooking, use lean fish fillets. Grind the fillet with a blender to the state of minced meat. You can cut it into small pieces and get cutlets, but their consistency will be different from cutlets made from minced meat. Add a chicken egg to a chopped or chopped fillet. Adding spices (not bright and in small quantities) and finely chopped greens is possible. Mix the resulting mass thoroughly and form cutlets. You can use a steam bath, slow cooker, or oven for cooking. Before serving, add some pink Himalayan salt.
Cauliflower soup
You should clean the cabbage from the top leaves if it is fresh. Wash cabbage and cut into small florets. Before cooking, the cabbage should be placed in a large water container for 20-30 minutes (you must add one tablespoon of vinegar, then rinse). The soaking process allows you to get rid of dirt and larvae inside the inflorescences. Rice also needs to be washed and soaked in water overnight. In this way, we get rid of phytic acid, improving the absorption of nutrients.
In a pot of boiling water (or low-fat broth, such as chicken breast or vegetables), put washed and soaked rice, pre-prepared cabbage, chopped onions, and carrots, and cook until tender. You can add some pink Himalayan salt before serving. Add finely chopped greens to the cooked soup. When the soup has cooled down a bit,
Green buckwheat bread
Pour green buckwheat (about 400 g) with water (240-280 ml), add one and a half tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, cover with a towel and leave for 10-12 hours to activate. You can add a starter culture. After the specified time, drain the water, rinse the green buckwheat well and leave it for a couple of hours until small seedlings appear. Rinse again, and transfer to a deep bowl, adding 120-140 ml of water. Salt, spices, and Provencal herbs are added to taste. Blenderize the resulting mixture until smooth. Grease a baking dish with ghee and put the dough into it.
In a preheated oven to 160 degrees, place the form with the dough and bake for about an hour. Checking readiness with a toothpick.
Chicken liver pate
Cut carrots and celery into cubes and lightly fry in ghee. In another pan, fry the chicken liver and add vegetables and finely chopped greens. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and beat with a blender, adding a couple of tablespoons of ghee. It is advisable to transfer the resulting mass into a glass container and store it in the refrigerator for no more than three days.
Turkey with vegetables
Cut the turkey fillet into medium-sized pieces. Place in a bowl, season with a little salt, and set aside while you prepare the vegetables. Peel pumpkin, potatoes, carrots, and broccoli and cut into cubes. Place the vegetables in a bowl with the fillet, add olive oil, and mix. Put on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 40 minutes.
Buckwheat porridge seasoned with coconut oil.
Pour pre-soaked buckwheat with water in a ratio of 1:2. Boil for 10-12 minutes. Before serving, add a pinch of pink Himalayan salt, cinnamon, and 1-2 tablespoons of unrefined cold-pressed coconut oil. Mix all ingredients.
Acute intestinal infections are fairly common among people of any age, but children, due to certain characteristics, are more susceptible to this infection. The ability to recognize the symptoms of the disease allows you to seek medical help in time. The most difficult and effective treatment is to follow a special diet that will help the body recover in a shorter time.
There are not so many forbidden foods: you need to remember that we exclude, first of all, foods that require enzymatic activity (dairy products containing milk sugar, fatty meat), as well as foods that cause fermentation processes and increase intestinal motility (legumes, thermally processed fruits, and vegetables, some types of cereals). To draw up a complete diet, taking into account all the nuances, you should contact a nutritionist.
