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If you or your loved ones are falling ill with stomach bugs often, the problem may lie in kitchen and home hygiene. This article presents simple home remedies for stomach infections.
The arrival of the monsoon season is characterised by a rise in cough, cold and stomach ailments. The last is caused by eating and drinking contaminated foodstuff. However, there are simple home remedies for stomach infections that are outlined below.
Why do stomach infections occur?
Stomach infections are most commonly caused by consuming contaminated food or beverages. The contamination can come by way of harmful germs and bacteria – for example, Salmonella in raw meat, E-coli in raw vegetables exposed to dirty water, Staphylococcus in eggs and meat, etc. You are particularly vulnerable to contamination during the monsoon season, when you consume vegetables and meat not washed thoroughly, or food or juice from roadside stalls.
Typical symptoms of stomach infections include diarrhoea, dysentery, stomach cramps, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting after eating food, passing runny or bloody stools, etc. In some cases, you may experience fever accompanied by chills – it is time to see the doctor when this happens.
How to treat stomach infections
There are simple home remedies for stomach infections. They follow a combination of home hygiene and natural medicines/concoctions to flush out the toxins and bacterial germs that cause stomach bugs and infections. Consider the following multi-pronged approach to keeping yourself and your loved ones protected from stomach infections:
- Keep all cooking tops and chopping surfaces clean and disinfected. Wash chopping boards in warm water and liquid soap with a clean sponge, and allow to air dry. Meanwhile, cooking tops and kitchen counters must be given a brisk wipe down using Dettol antibacterial liquid every night before going to bed.
- The kitchen sink is a hotbed of bacterial activity – food particles and grease can remain stuck to the corners and even the visible surfaces if not cleaned properly. Twice a day, make sure that you scour out the sink using antibacterial soap so that all lurking germs and bacterial growths are flushed out and killed.
- Clean out all knives and cutlery thoroughly – these harbour germs when not cleaned properly, and the same enter your body when you eat your food. Soak them in soapy hot water for at least 10 minutes before rinsing clean under running cold water.
- When feeling ill with a stomach infection, take your doctor’s advice on what to eat and what to avoid. Generally, spicy and oily food is a strict ‘No’, as are fizzy drinks.
- The simplest home remedy for stomach infection is herbal teas. These are easy to digest and do not cause any strain on the digestive system. They help the body flush out the germs and toxins causing the infection.
- Homemade curds and buttermilk provide probiotic action that aids better digestion. They also provide essential calcium, minerals and electrolytes that prevent dehydration from passing frequent watery stools.
- Drink plenty of fluids in the form of fresh lemon or orange juice, boiled water and herbal teas. Stay away from milky tea or coffee – milk can upset the digestive tract and cause diarrhoea.
