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Soft diet for gastroenteritis

Do you know what a soft diet for gastroenteritis consists of? Since it is very common, everyone should know how to approach your diet during gastroenteritis to prevent the situation from worsening and recover faster.

Know the symptoms of gastroenteritis, what is a soft diet and especially what foods are allowed and which is best to avoid when suffering this infection.

Symptoms of gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis entails inflammation of the stomach and intestines. That can cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and fever. Symptoms usually go away within a week. If not, make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. However, you need to be calm, as it is a mild disease.

Why do we have gastroenteritis? There is no single cause, but there are several things that can provoke it, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and certain foods. Stress can also lead to gastroenteritis.

What is a soft diet?

A

soft diet can relieve the symptoms of gastroenteritis and help the body hold food better. A soft diet is characterized by its low fiber intake. Likewise, as its name suggests, it involves eating soft foods. Later, we will look at what these foods are, as well as those that are advised to avoid.

Soft diets are used in situations where it is necessary to relieve the workload of the digestive system. Gastroenteritis is one of those situations that require the adoption of a soft diet. But it also helps to treat other diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulitis.

Related article:
Mediterranean diet

This way of focusing on food is not forever, but should be used temporarily until the digestive system is ready to function normally again. It is not advisable to keep it for longer than necessary, since it does not provide all the nutrients that the body needs to perform its functions. Your doctor will tell you when you can return to your usual diet. Generally, the soft diet for gastroenteritis is maintained only for a few days.

Finally, it is appropriate to accompany the soft diet of rest. As with other processes, your body will appreciate the ability to focus solely on recovery.

Allowed foods in a soft diet for gastroenteritis

Designing a few days’ food plan to overcome gastroenteritis? Add the following foods to ensure you get enough fluids, calories, essential minerals and other nutrients your body needs both to stay strong and to recover.

  • Juices (apple and grape are great choices)
  • Fruit purees
  • Rice
  • Potatoes (boiled)
  • Egg (hard)
  • White bread
  • Bananas
  • Avocado
  • Infusions (without caffeine): Consider mint, an infusion that, in addition to replenishing fluids, can also help relieve nausea. Ginger is also a good ingredient for infusions from the soft diet.
  • Fresh cheese
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Crackers
  • Chicken and turkey without skin (bet on healthy cooking methods)
  • Chicken broth: Helps prevent dehydration, as well as replenish electrolytes lost due to diarrhea and vomiting.
  • Sports Drinks

If your body signals not being prepared for solid foods listed, focus only on liquids until that time comes. As for the solids from the list, the soft diet does not stand out for being very varied, but if you add up some of them you can get appetizing dishes at breakfast, lunch and dinner. And remember it’s kind of temporary. In a few days, you’ll be able to return to your favorite foods.

Stay hydrated

When you have gastroenteritis, the risk of dehydration increases because the body loses too much fluid through diarrhea and vomiting. Dehydration can make the situation worse, so drinking water and other fluids from the list above is critical in soft diets for gastroenteritis. We have to replenish the lost fluids.

Extreme thirst, dark urine, tiredness and confusion are among the signs of dehydration. If your body shows any of these signals during gastroenteritis, go to hydrate immediately. Consider a sports drink, soup or juice… never coffee or alcoholic beverages or milk.

Food not allowed

Knowing foods not allowed in a soft diet for gastroenteritis is also very important when designing a food plan to help you recover as soon as possible.

You should avoid foods rich in sugars and fats, as well as caffeine, alcohol and dairy. You can add them back to your diet when you feel better. Let’s look at what foods should be left out of a soft diet for gastroenteritis because they can make you feel worse:

  • Milk (and other dairy products)
  • Whole breads
  • Raw vegetables
  • Legumes and nuts
  • Brown rice
  • Berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries…)
  • Whole grains
  • Carbonated drinks
  • Coffee (and other caffeinated beverages)
  • Beer, wine and other beverages Alcoholic
  • Spicy Meals
  • Frying

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