Raw uncooked meat, poultry and raw eggs make up some of the most common foods to cause food poisoning. Food poisoning is an illness caused by foods that have not been cooked properly or cross-contaminated with raw food. When you get food poisoning, you will begin to experience symptoms such as cramping, stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.
Food poisoning can begin as quickly as 30 minutes to three weeks after consuming the contaminated food that has poisoned you. Food poisoning does have the potential to be fatal. It’s important to seek professional help if you are experiencing symptoms such as:
- Inability to keep any liquids down from frequent vomiting
- Fever higher than 102 F
- Feeling dizzy when standing up
- Bloody diarrhea
If you are experiencing food poisoning, here are some ways you can recover faster:
Rest as Much as Possible
Do not overdo it. Take time off from your daily responsibilities and give yourself the proper time to recover. If you continue to push your limits every day, the food poisoning will stick around longer.
Eat Bland Foods and Hydrate
You will need to eat bland foods that will help settle your stomach rather than upsetting it even more. Try to consume foods such as crackers, toast, bananas and rice. It is also important to keep yourself hydrated with lots of fluids. If you are losing a lot of fluids, you need to continue to replace them.
Avoid Alcohol and Spicy Foods
When experiencing food poisoning, it is important to avoid alcohol, caffeine, fizzy drinks, spicy foods and fatty foods. By consuming these foods and drinks, you will take multiple steps back when trying to overcome food poisoning.
Try Over-the-Counter Medicines
Pepto-Bismol® and Imodium® can help greatly with food poisoning and with the symptoms that come with it. Pepto-Bismol is great for helping with vomiting and nausea, while Imodium is an antidiarrheal that will help slow down the digestive process to help with diarrhea.
Where can I get Medical Help?
If you are experiencing symptoms of food poisoning and need to see a provider, visit one of our many UofL Health – Urgent Care Plus locations. Our urgent care centers accept walk-in appointments and are located across Jefferson and Bullitt counties. To find a location or learn more about our urgent cares, visit UofLHealth.org/Services/Urgent-Care.
