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Viral gastroenteritis is an intestinal infection that presents with watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea or vomiting, headache, muscle aches, and sometimes fever. It’s often called the stomach bug or stomach flu, but it’s not actually the flu or influenza, which is a respiratory illness. This infection usually occurs through contact with an infected person or ingestion of contaminated food or water.
An upset stomach is a common symptom of stomach problems and can make eating sound unappealing, even though you may be hungry. Knowing what to eat is difficult because you don’t know what will sit well with your stomach.
Follow these tips to refuel your body when you have viral gastroenteritis:
- Let your stomach settle. Avoid eating solid foods for a few hours. Instead, drink liquids like broth, tea, soda, or decaffeinated sports drinks.
- Moisturize. Drink small amounts of fluids frequently to stay hydrated.
- Easily resume eating. Once you can tolerate drinking clear liquids, start eating small, frequent meals of bland, low-residue foods such as mashed potatoes, plain noodles, crackers, toast, gelatin, bananas, rice, and chicken.
- Medication should be used with caution. It’s best to avoid over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen as they can cause stomach upset. Discuss your medications with your healthcare team to avoid any potential side effects. If your symptoms are severe, you may need over-the-counter medications to help reduce diarrhea symptoms, or anti-nausea medications to help you control food and liquids when you vomit.
The main complication of stomach problems is dehydration, which is a severe loss of water, essential salts and minerals. You can reduce your risk of dehydration by drinking enough fluids to replace those lost through vomiting or diarrhea.
Depending on the cause, viral gastroenteritis symptoms usually appear about one to three days after exposure. Symptoms may be mild or sometimes severe and last from a few days to a week.
When to see a health care professional
Although viral gastroenteritis is extremely common, it can usually be treated at home. Red flags or scary symptoms that warrant medical attention include severe dehydration, inability to control fluids, bloody stools, severe abdominal pain, or symptoms that persist for more than a week. Young children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are more likely to develop complications related to viral gastroenteritis.
prevention
Good hand hygiene and proper food handling are critical to preventing illness and limiting the spread of viral gastroenteritis in homes, schools, workplaces and communities. Make sure to wash your hands with soap and water before preparing food and eating, especially after using the toilet. Stomach bugs are most common in the winter and spring, so be diligent, especially this time of year.