Stomach flu, which is basically the swelling up of the large and the small intestine, leads to vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and stomach cramps. The problem during stomach flu is that whatever you eat and drink does not stay or settle in the stomach, it gets immediately thrown out. This results in the body losing all its fluid and the danger of the body dehydrating becomes very high. In such a scenario, the best thing that you can do is to consume as much liquid as possible. But just any liquid will not do, you will have to be careful about what you drink. You will have to make sure that what you drink helps to settle your stomach as well as works at destroying the virus or bacteria that has caused the flu in the first place. Thankfully, stomach flu usually does not last beyond 12 to 13 hours. However, if it does, consult your family physician without any delay.
Start off by drinking herbal tea. Peppermint and chamomile both contain medicinal properties that work wonders on the inflammation and bloating of the intestines, as well as on relaxing the muscles. To these, you can add a few drops of fresh lemon juice. The vitamin C in it will ensure that your situation does not worsen. If your stomach flu is accompanied by diarrhea, than the one thing that you must eat is bananas. Bananas contain magnesium and potassium, the two minerals that are vital for the body to function properly. Accompany this by drinking water that contains glucose and a pinch of salt. Drink this water as frequently as you can. Salt contains sodium, another mineral that is vital for the body. You can also drink soups and broths, as they will provide the required nutrition to ensure that you don’t start feeling weak. Since it is difficult to eat anything substantial, you can drink the water in which you cook rice. To this rice water, you can add a little honey and mint or ginger to help soothe the stomach. This will also make the rice water tastier to drink. Another thing that you can add to the rice water as well as the soup and broth is turmeric powder. Turmeric powder contains antibacterial properties that will help eliminate the virus causing the problem. Try and eat at least two to three slices of dry toast along with your tea or soup. Dry toast is one of the few foods that actually helps settle the stomach.