There are several reasons why you may feel nauseous and feel the need to vomit, for example if you are undergoing chemotherapy or even if you have a simple flu. In these cases, anything you ingest can bother you. However, there are several ways to prevent food and drink from stimulating the vomiting mechanism when you are sick.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Feeding the Easy Way
Step 1. Follow the BRAT diet
Doctors often recommend this diet, whose English acronym stands for bananas (Bananas), rice (Rice), apple sauce (Applesauce) and toast (Toast). In fact, the foods that make it up help relieve nausea and vomiting because they are low in fiber and easy to digest and allow you to replenish lost nutrients. The "American Academy of Pediatrics" (an association of US pediatricians) no longer recommends this type of diet for children. Rather, they recommend eating a normal, balanced, age-appropriate diet during the first 24 hours they begin to feel ill.
- Here are other easy-to-digest foods:
- Dry savory biscuits: crackers, pretzels, rice cakes or biscuits made with white flour.
- Boiled potatoes;
- Spaghetti and pasta: egg noodles, pasta or ramen. Avoid whole grains.
- Jelly - you can choose any flavor.
Step 2. Gradually add more complex foods
If you start to tolerate simple foods like broth, rice, bananas and toast, you can add more complex dishes as soon as you feel better. This way, you will be able to relieve nausea and vomiting without weighing down your stomach.
Among the more complex foods to try when you're feeling better, consider grains, fruits, cooked vegetables, chicken, creamy peanut butter, and plain white pasta
Step 3. Avoid foods that can upset the stomach
In these circumstances, you need to treat your stomach gently. Therefore, avoid dairy products and spicy dishes, in order to avoid the gag reflex.
- Avoid fatty foods, including fried foods. For example, if you've been throwing up, a cheeseburger promotes nausea and may cause you to throw up again.
- Avoid spices like curry and chilli and meat seasoned with spicy flavorings or cooked on the barbecue.
- Milk, yogurt, and cheese can exacerbate nausea and the gag reflex.
- Sugary foods, such as cookies and sweets, can trigger nausea or cause you to throw up.
- Avoid bread, pasta, and whole grains until the nausea subsides.
- Nuts and seeds can also upset the stomach.
Step 4. Increase your consumption of clear liquids
Stay hydrated when you vomit or feel sick. Clear liquids are the best drinks to consume. In addition, they also help soothe stomach pain and relieve nausea.
- Liquids are more important than solid foods, as dehydration is a more pressing problem than starvation. Many foods contain liquids, such as jelly, bananas, and rice.
- You can consume any clear drink or edible substance that turns into liquid at room temperature, such as an ice cube, soup, ginger beer, or popsicle.
- Water, pulp-free fruit juices, broth, fizzy drinks as well as ginger beer or Sprite, herbal teas and popsicles promote hydration and relieve vomiting.
- Electrolyte or sports drinks can help you replenish some lost nutrients, but also calm your stomach. However, don't consume them absolute. Dilute at least half of it or drink a glass of water after each sip. Generally, they are too concentrated, so if you dilute them, the tolerance on the part of the stomach will be greater.
Step 5. Make a ginger or mint tea
According to some medical studies, these two herbs are capable of relieving nausea and vomiting. Use them to soothe an upset stomach and keep yourself hydrated.
You can prepare them by infusing a sachet of ginger or mint tea or by dipping a few mint leaves or a piece of ginger in boiling water
Step 6. Avoid liquids that can cause nausea and vomiting
Avoid drinking anything that is aggressive to the stomach. Consuming alcohol, coffee or milk can make the situation worse.
Do not put cream in the herbal teas you drink
Part 2 of 3: Eating and Drinking when You Vomit
Step 1. Do not eat until you have stopped throwing up
It seems obvious, but unfortunately there are those who tend to eat when the stomach is still very weak. If you vomit a lot, don't consume solid foods until you are able to ingest them without expelling them. Instead, take clear liquids or electrolyte drinks to avoid dehydration.
You can only eat solid foods if you haven't been vomiting for about six hours
Step 2. Do not ingest anything if you feel nauseous when you see or imagine something to eat
Sometimes the body is wiser than the head. Also, if you feel nauseous at the thought of putting a certain food in your mouth, your stomach may not tolerate it because the mind is so involved in the physical processing of nausea that it becomes difficult for the body to ignore this factor. So, if you're nauseous at the thought of eating a banana, while eating a handful of rice doesn't upset you at all, opt for rice.
Step 3. Choose foods that are easy to digest
Certain foods, such as dairy products, can aggravate nausea and vomiting. The more digestible ones, on the other hand, can alleviate these states of malaise.
When you feel able, try solid foods from the BRAT diet and other light dishes, such as boiled potatoes and soups. When you feel better, you can add more processed foods
Step 4. Eat small meals and chew well
When eating a simple, light diet, avoid bingeing during the day and be sure to chew slowly. This way, you can calm the nausea and avoid vomiting.
- Start with a piece of toast or a banana. When you feel able, add more light dishes. For example, if your stomach tolerates a piece of toast and you're still hungry, eat a banana half an hour or an hour later.
- By chewing well, you will keep your stomach from getting tired digesting food.
- By taking small bites, you will be able to chew better. This method will also allow you to understand if you are able to tolerate food more easily than when you burden your stomach with a large meal.
Step 5. Sip
In addition to taking small bites, you should also sip. This way, you'll avoid upsetting your stomach and exacerbating your nausea.
- Sip 120-240ml of clear liquids every hour taking 30-60ml sips at a time. This method will help you stay hydrated without increasing the risk of vomiting or experiencing a sodium deficiency in your body (hyponatremia).
- If you can't drink in small sips, try sucking on a few ice cubes until you are able to safely swallow 30-60ml of liquid at a time.
Part 3 of 3: Using Alternative Solutions to Relieve Nausea and Vomiting
Step 1. Learn about medications that can upset your stomach
Some medications, such as oxycodone, can cause nausea and stomach pain. In these cases, consult your doctor to find out if you can stop taking it until you feel better.
- Pain relievers, such as codeine, hydrocodone, morphine, and oxycodone, can promote nausea.
- Some over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, such as iron and potassium supplements, and even aspirin, can also cause nausea.
Step 2. Get enough sleep
In many cases, simple rest helps to alleviate this state of discomfort. Lie down more often, especially after meals, to inhibit the gag reflex.
Excessive activity after meals can make nausea and vomiting worse by upsetting the stomach
Step 3. Try motion sickness medications and antihistamines
If your stomach does not tolerate anything due to motion sickness, consider taking a suitable medication or antihistamine. Both are able to relieve nausea and vomiting and allow you to eat something.
- Among antihistamines you can try dimenhydrinate to stop the gag reflex. Follow your doctor's instructions or read the package insert.
- In severe cases of nausea and vomiting, your doctor might prescribe scopolamine, usually taken in the form of an adhesive patch. It can only be used by adults.
- Relieve nausea with acupressure. It really works and does not involve taking drugs or extensive knowledge of oriental medicine.
Step 4. See your doctor
If you feel sick, vomit, or are unable to hold stomach contents for an extended period of time, consult your doctor. It will help you rule out more serious illnesses and may prescribe therapy that can inhibit the gag reflex.
- If you are vomiting for more than 24 hours, see your doctor as soon as possible.
- If you don't keep your fluids for more than 12 hours, you need medical attention.
- If you see any blood or dark material in your vomit, go to the emergency room.
- In severe cases of emesis, i.e. vomiting more than three times a day, consult your doctor.