One of the most common ailments associated with the rainy season is food poisoning. Recently, actor Jahnvi Kapoor was also hospitalised and is now on the road to recovery. Dampness and humidity make a perfect environment for bacteria to thrive and act as a catalyst for decreased shelf life of perishable goods. Consumption of contaminated, stale, and adulterated dishes leads to food poisoning.
Once you are out of the woods and on the path to recovery, you need to be cautious about what you are feeding your body. Common symptoms of food poisoning like nausea, cramps, fever, and vomiting often leave a person low on energy, dehydrated, and frail. Nutritious and energy-boosting foods and dishes are recommended by experts so that you can be healthy and on your feet soon.
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To help you understand what you eat and avoid during recovery from food poisoning, Slurrp connected with Pune-based Functional Nutritionist Mugdha Pradhan, CEO and founder at iThrive. She says, “If you are struggling with food poisoning and eat the wrong food like pakoras, it is going to be difficult and heavy to digest, not to mention the seed oil that adds to inflammation. Instead of helping with recovery, it is going to worsen the condition.”
She adds, “If you eat foods like freshly-cooked dal khichdi or a bowl of chicken soup, both are going to optimise healing by being easy to digest and nutritious to support the healing journey.”
5 Foods To Eat While Recovering From Food Poisoning
Home-Cooked Protein
According to the nutritionist, freshly cooked home food that is rich in quality protein should be your first choice. Khichdi, chicken soup, yoghurt bowl topped with nuts and seeds, etc. are good examples of this. However, the expert suggested staying clear from raw foods as they can be contaminated with unclean water.
Herbal Teas
Functional Nutritionist Mugdha Pradhan says that drinking herbal teas during the recovery tea can be helpful. “Especially the ones with immunity-boosting herbs like thyme, oregano, and tulsi,” she adds.
Soups
Next on the list are different kinds of soup. As mentioned above, easy-to-digest food items can help a person recover from food poisoning without making it difficult for the digestive system. The nutritionist suggests adding fresh vegetables, Indian spices, and herbs to the concoctions to make them appealing to your taste buds and comforting.
Bone Broth
Bone broth is high in protein. Instead of throwing away the bones of chicken, lamb, fish, pork, or other animals, you should prepare a batch of broth. The nutritionist says that it is good for the gut. You can add salt and pepper for taste before consuming it or add it to soup, stews, and sauces to make it nutritious.
Eggs
Among protein-rich food items, one cannot skip mentioning eggs. The nutritionist says that if eggs are cooked well, they are safe to consume during monsoon. You can consume eggs in a variety of ways, boiled, scrambled, stuffed, etc.
5 Foods To Avoid While Recovering From Food Poisoning
Fish
According to Functional Nutritionist Mugdha Pradhan, people recovering from food poisoning must avoid fish, especially cooked in restaurants. Since monsoon is also the spawning season turbulent water often encourages fishermen to stay away from deep waters. Therefore, you get frozen or farm-produced fish loaded with chemicals.
Chaat
While resisting chaat can be difficult, irrespective of the weather, the nutritionist suggests staying clear from it during monsoon. She adds, “These dishes often have a lot of chutneys and water-based components which are prone to bacterial contamination and can upset the stomach.”
Street Foods
Not just chaat, the expert recommends avoiding eating street food items. With the rising cases of adulteration and contamination, there is a high risk of foodborne illnesses, especially in the rainy season.
Fruit Juices
If you are purchasing fruit juices from outside, they are likely to be contaminated. The nutritionist questions the hygienic conditions in which the juices are extracted. She says that the beverages can be contaminated, and it can lead to stomach infections.
Stale Food
Nutritionist Mugdha Pradhan adds, “Bacteria and mould grow quite fast during humid and cold seasons.” Therefore, it is best to avoid stale dishes when you are recovering from food poisoning, or else it can increase the chances of stomach infections.
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