What is gastroenteritis?
Gastroenteritis is a condition wherein the irritation and inflammation of the stomach and intestines, usually caused by bacterial infections, leads to diarrhea and vomiting. Gastroenteritis is often called stomach flu, gastric flu, or food poisoning because it happens because of viruses and bacteria passed down from certain foods.
What are the symptoms of gastroenteritis?
The primary symptoms of gastroenteritis include diarrhea, vomiting, stomach aches, cramps, fever, and headaches. Diarrhea and vomiting also make you expel large quantities of water, which, in turn, can lead to dehydration, skin dryness, dry mouth, and the other symptoms of dehydration. Food poisoning leads to diarrhea and vomiting; its secondary symptoms can include the symptoms of dehydration.
What are the causes of gastroenteritis?
Food poisoning can happen due to various reasons, such as contact with someone who has the virus, unwashed hands, or consuming contaminated foods. Individuals who frequently travel experience food poisoning when they eat local foods that might contain bacteria or viruses they don’t have a tolerance for.
When to see a doctor or visit the nearest urgent care?
You should contact a doctor or urgent care if you notice persistent symptoms of food poisoning or dehydration, including:
- Persistent vomiting for over 2 days.
- Persistent diarrhea for several days.
- Bloody diarrhea.
- Fever higher than 102 F.
- Lightheadedness or dizziness.
- Confusion and disorientation.
- Abdominal pains.
How long does it take to recover from food poisoning?
The symptoms of food poisoning usually appear a few hours or days after exposure to the bacteria or virus, depending on the specific pathogen. However, most people recover from food poisoning within two days, though you must take the appropriate precautions.
How to prevent food poisoning?
- Ensure optimal health and safety standards while storing, cleaning, and cooking foods.
- Keep raw meat, seafood, poultry, etc., separate from other foods.
- Refrigerate your salads before handling raw foods.
- Freeze foods that can spoil.
- Wash your hands with soap before cooking or handling foods.
- Thoroughly wash all fruits before eating or cutting them.
- Cook foods properly at high temperatures to kill all the harmful bacteria and microbes.
- Wash all utensils and cooking surfaces thoroughly after each use.
- Don’t eat foods that have been sitting outside for over 2 hours.
HYDRATION STARTS WITH RECOVERORS!
How to deal with food poisoning?
- Sip on a few sips of liquids, especially electrolyte fluids, every few minutes.
- Don’t drink too fast because that will worsen the symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. Drink the electrolyte supplements slowly.
- If you experience the symptoms of dehydration, such as lightheadedness, you should increase your electrolyte consumption.
- Eat small amounts of easily digestible foods at regular intervals.
- Avoid mild, dairy, caffeine, and fatty foods for a few days.
- Diarrhea and vomiting will make you feel exhausted. Take plenty of rest to regain energy.
What’s the link between food poisoning and oral rehydration solution (ORS)?
When you suffer from food poisoning, your body loses more electrolytes and fluids than it absorbs. Constant diarrhea and vomiting make you lose electrolyte minerals, such as potassium, sodium, etc. and cause dehydration. You can’t reverse the dehydration by drinking more water because the electrolyte imbalance will prevent you from absorbing the liquids. You need an optimal electrolyte balance to absorb fluids properly. As such, people experiencing food poisoning often have trouble retaining water — they release it in the form of sweat, vomit, or diarrhea. Oral rehydration solutions contain essential electrolyte minerals. They restore your body’s natural electrolyte balance, thereby increasing your body’s osmolarity. As such, they allow you to restore and retain your fluids, reversing the symptoms of dehydration. That’s why you must consume sufficient oral rehydration salts during food poisoning.
What’s the best electrolyte supplement for food poisoning and diarrhea?
As mentioned previously, the best way to tackle food poisoning, diarrhea, and dehydration is to consume electrolytes. However, you should be extremely cautious when looking for electrolyte drinks. Most of the sports drinks and energy drinks marketed as “electrolytes” contain minimal electrolyte minerals, making them unsuitable as treatments for dehydration. Due to the lack of regulation in the industry, most sports drinks call themselves electrolytes, even though they primarily contain sweeteners and artificial flavors. You must read the labels carefully to find electrolyte supplements with all the essential components and minimal superfluous flavors and sweeteners.
RecoverORS is one of the best electrolyte supplements recommended by pharmacists and doctors. It has a science-based formulation manufactured in FDA-approved facilities. RecoverORS helps you feel better faster because it contains 33% more electrolytes than most other electrolyte drinks on the market. RecoverORS has a winning science-based formula that utilizes the SGLT System to ensure optimal hydration. The sodium-dependent glucose cotransporters contribute to optimal renal glucose reabsorption, i.e., they increase your body’s osmolarity to absorb and retain fluids. Each RecoverORS packet contains Sodium 14.2 mEq, Potassium 4.7 mEq, Chloride 9.5mEq, and Glucose 14.2 mEq. Furthermore, the RecoverORS formulation contains less than 1% sweetener per serving and only 9.5 calories. A single serving gives you as many vitamins as two oranges and the same level of potassium as a banana.
As such, it’s one of the best electrolytes to reverse the symptoms of gastroenteritis, diarrhea, and dehydration. You can get your RecoverORS electrolyte supplement online today.
