A bout of heat exhaustion can upset your body's electrolyte balance with heavy sweating and vomiting. Some victims experience abdominal cramps, dizziness and fainting and may require doctor-administered electrolytes to recover. You may be unable to keep solid foods down for some time, or your doctor may put you on a brief liquid diet. Before you return to your regular eating patterns, a bland diet can help you restore lost fluids and nutrients and get make a safe transition back to your favorite foods.
General Guidelines
People experience different degrees of heat stress, from temporary dehydration to severe heat stroke that can induce coma, heart attack and death. Seek medical advice and do not eat or drink anything for one to two hours after vomiting. Reintroduce water into your system by sucking on ice chips. When you are able to drink, sip small amounts of noncaffeinated, nonalcoholic beverages to prevent a recurrence of vomiting. Restoring your electrolyte balance and digestive abilities may take up to 48 hours. Staying hydrated and gradually resuming your normal diet will afford the best recovery.
Day 1
Diluted herbal tea and fruit juice may restore your appetite. When you are successfully keeping liquids down, begin to replace nutrients lost during dehydration. Sugar may make you nauseous and provoke symptoms, so ask your doctor if sports drinks are appropriate for their electrolyte content. Try eating clear broth or gelatin desserts. Plain, toasted white bread, soda crackers or pretzels may stave off hunger.
Day 2
If you tolerate some solid foods, choose foodss less fat and fiber to prevent a relapse of the nausea, cramping and vomiting brought on by heat exhaustion. Avoid fried foods and raw vegetables. Remove the peels from fruits, but don't eat acidic ones, such as citrus fruits. Add soft, bland -- not spicy -- foods such as oatmeal, white rice, egg noodles, cooked eggs, applesauce, bananas and low-sodium soups to your diet. Do not eat ice cream or other full-fat dairy products, and drink low-fat milk only if you are not experiencing diarrhea.
Day 3
Slowly reintroduce meats, fish, cooked vegetables and low-fat dairy products into your diet. Cook skinned chicken or white-fleshed fish without fat, and choose 1 percent or nonfat milk, cottage cheese and yogurt. Stop eating anything that produces nausea or other symptoms and try those foods again later. Use this method until your digestive system can tolerate your normal diet.
