What people commonly call the stomach flu is actually gastroenteritis. It is not the same as influenza, or the flu. Gastroenteritis symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, low-grade fever and muscle aches. This is one of the most common causes of vomiting in children. The stomach flu can make it difficult to keep food down. Once you start to recover, following the BRAT diet may help with this problem.
BRAT Diet
The BRAT diet consists of bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. It is sometimes recommended for people with nausea, vomiting or diarrhea since these foods do not usually irritate the stomach. The bananas also provide potassium to help replace the electrolytes you are losing, and all these foods help make your stools firmer, according to FamilyDoctor.org.
When to Eat
Avoid eating until your stomach settles down and you are vomiting no more than four times per day, or haven't vomited for eight hours. After this, you can start eating bland foods like those in the BRAT diet. If you start to have an appetite, you may be able to eat a small amount of bland food even if it hasn't been eight hours.
Alternatives
You don't have to stick to just these four foods. However, some foods are more likely to irritate your stomach, including dairy products, sugary foods, high-fat foods, spicy foods and most fruit juices, so you may want to avoid these. Good foods to try include crackers, mashed potatoes and broth.
Considerations
Follow the BRAT diet for no more than day or two, as it is too low in calories, protein and other nutrients to follow for an extended time. Within 24 to 48 hours of the start of your illness you should be able to go back to eating most of the foods you normally eat, according to FamilyDoctor.org.
