Important disclaimer: I am not a doctor and the information presented here is for your information only, not for the purposes of diagnosing, treating, or curing any ailment. It is your responsibility to seek appropriate medical advice from a qualified health care practitioner. I strongly advise you to consult a qualified health professional before embarking on any significant changes to your diet, lifestyle, or supplement regime. Please read my full Disclaimer here.
It’s a desperate feeling. One we’ve all experienced at some point.
Maybe you had an instinct when you were eating that sushi. Maybe a little voice at the back of your mind whispered, “Are you SURE you want the potato salad?” Or maybe it came out of the blue. But when it hits, food poisoning is undeniable and unforgiving.
That food you ate? It’s coming OUT. Fast.
Just last weekend I woke up in the middle of the night wondering what felt off. At first I was just really thirsty. I went down to the kitchen and got a nice big glass of water. Much better. But back in bed, my stomach was rumbling and I knew something wasn’t right. A few minutes later, I was on the floor in the bathroom. I won’t horrify you with the details, but let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.
When food poisoning strikes, your body has one purpose: get that offender out NOW. And it does so with great gusto. After the fact, you feel wiped out and are understandably hesitant to eat again. What to do?
Here’s my protocol for speedy healing and damage control after a bout of food poisoning.
Now, I hope this goes without saying, but when you’re still in the thick of The Purge, you want to let your body do what it’s doing. This is not the time to try to hold things in. Your body is in evacuation mode for a reason – so let it evacuate.
Also, if it is accompanied by a high fever and doesn’t subside within 24 hours, please get professional medical help.
Once The Purge has subsided, here’s what to do:
First off, go slow. Your stomach is tender and just had a big workout. Let’s go easy on it with foods that are healing, nourishing, and readily digestible so that it doesn’t have to work too hard.
I like to start with some meat stock or bone broth. Meat stock – made from water that has cooked meat and bones – is much milder than bone broth. If your food poisoning has been particularly severe, start here. Bone broth is also an excellent first food. It’s easily digested, very healing, and so comforting. Throw in some kelp noodles to make it even more of a comfort food.
If instinct says don’t eat it, don’t. Your innate wisdom is on high alert after a bout of food poisoning. Trust it.
To settle your stomach, nothing beats Ginger Kombucha. I remember back in the day when I had an upset stomach my mother would give me Ginger Ale. I’m not sure all that sugar was doing me any good, but the fizzy and ginger really helped to settle things. Ginger Kombucha is a great option because you get the fizzy and ginger without all that sugar or corn syrup.
For rehydration and balancing electrolytes, some coconut water will do the trick. It’s naturally sweet, which will help to get blood sugar levels up, and gives a perfect balance of electrolytes to replenish you after The Purge.
I usually go easy on supplements with such a tender tummy, with the exception of probiotics and, if things are really bad (especially if I’ve got the serious runs) activated charcoal. My favorite brands of probiotics are Prescript Assist or MegasporeBiotic, and I usually reach for this type of Activated Charcoal.
When you’re well past the worst of it and eating normally again, continue with the probiotics for a solid month or more to help rebalance that microbiome, and consider adding in a little gut healing like l-glutamine or marshmallow root to soothe that irritated GI tract.
Most of all, go SLOW with your eating. If instinct says don’t eat it, don’t. Your innate wisdom is on high alert after a bout of food poisoning. Trust it.
Hi Margaret
Update from article you had about digestion and how to know if you are digesting your food
I went to a naturopathic MD
Had work up and my Guy reaction was right. No pun intended – it was my stomach and small intestines
Got put on digestive enzymes and probiotics
Big difference in one week and back to normal eating I. 2 weeks
So thank you !
Wonderful, Kathryn! 🙂 So thrilled to hear it!
Hi Margaret,
I’m wondering if you would prescribe this same protocol for after having a bacterial infection such as C. Difficile? My dad is battling a rough case of this in this hospital now and is on huge amounts of antibiotics. I want to be able to quickly get his microbiome back in order. Any suggestions?
Oh I’m so sorry to hear that, Debby! C Diff is a really tough one and needs a lot of recovery after those antibiotics. Probiotics are a must, but there is likely other gut healing to be done as well… I’d recommend doing some stool testing to determine the extent of damage to his microbiome as well as to see how he’s doing digestively overall, and would build a protocol from there. I hope he’s recovering well!
I just found your post on what to do when you need antibiotics. That answers my last question.
Thanks! Hope you’re well. 🙂
Excellent!
Hi Margaret I got food poisoning and I am really scared ! I don’t know where to get ginger kumbucho .???I hope your well .?
Hi Jocelyn, Sorry to hear this. Yes, no fun! I’m not sure where you’re located by Kombucha can be found in most grocery stores now. Ask your local grocer if they have it. Another soothing drink is coconut water. That’s also readily available at most grocery stores. I hope you’re already feeling better and past the purge!