7 things you should do when you have food poisoning!

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Food poisoning is an illness caused by consuming contaminated food. It is usually self-treatable and resolves within days to weeks.

Common symptoms of food poisoning include – nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps.

Most cases of food poisoning clear up in a few days, but infants, pregnant women, and the elderly must try to prevent food poisoning because of the potential for irreversible damage.

Here are a few tips that can minimise your discomfort and help you recover fast:

• Drink as much liquids – water, decaffeinated tea, or juice - as you can to replace lost fluids and prevent dehydration.
• Avoid alcohol, milk or caffeinated beverages as they may make you feel worse.
• Begin eating bland foods such as rice, bananas, toast, crackers, etc.
• Avoid spicy foods, fried foods, dairy and foods that are high in fat and sugar until you're feeling better.
• Add probiotics to your diet once you recover from the bout of food poisoning. Probiotics can help restore the good bacteria in the intestines and speed up the recovery process.
• Try some herbs - basil, cumin seeds, fennel, coriander – as they can alleviate the symptoms of food poisoning due to the antimicrobial properties in them.
• Rest as much as possible as food poisoning can cause tiredness and fatigue.

However, you should see a doctor if your symptoms are severe or don't start to improve in a few days.