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With the summer heat taking over, food poisoning cases in India have been higher than ever. It’s only natural for the food to go bad or taste foul after being in the heat for a long time. Since the convenient go-to options for people are food carts or takeaways, the cases of food poisoning have rapidly spiked.
The symptoms like physical pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea, and dehydration are pretty common indicators of food poisoning. So, what are the preventive measures you can take to remain healthy and sound? To get you fact-checked answers, Slurrp conducted an interview with Nisha Singh, Clinical Nutritionist, Integrative Sports Dietitian, and Founder of NutriWellness by Nisha Singh. Read on to learn some safety tips and home remedies shared by the expert to help you recover from food poisoning.
Preventative Measures To Take This Summer
Avoid Food From Outside
Nisha Singh says, “The best way to stay away from food poisoning is by avoiding eating from outside in these weather conditions.” One of the obvious reasons is that you’d never know the ingredients used, the shelf life, and the hygiene conditions while getting food from a food joint. Even though street food can look tempting, it’s better to resist the urge or make treats at home.
Staw Away From Uncovered And Raw Food
“If at any time you have to eat something from outside, always be on the lookout for uncovered and raw food. In case you spot uncovered food, it would most likely be contaminated by flies and the heat. Another tip is to completely avoid raw or cut fruits from vendors. Usually, office-goers have a fruit plate to eat something healthy, but actually, I suggest they better have a vada pao instead as the raw food will get spoilt quicker, and you would never know the condition of the knives used to cut the fruits.” suggest Nisha Singh.
Be Careful While Buying Juice
Drinking sugarcane juice, mango shakes, and other mixed fruit juices are pretty common. While it is important to keep yourself hydrated, carefully examine the juicer before drinking the juice. Also, keep an eye on the glasses the juice is served in, the sieve, and whether the fruits are properly covered or not.
Carry Fresh Homemade Food
In summer, the nutritionist advises to make fresh food at home. Since the shelf life of the food decreases due to the heat, you should refrain from carrying leftovers to work or packing for your kid’s lunch. She further states that the best practice would be to wake up a little early in the morning and then prepare the food from scratch for the afternoon and evening.
Use Refrigerators And Heat Food Before Eating
Another important tip that you can easily bring into practice is to keep the food you carry to your workplace in a refrigerator. This will help increase the shelf life of your packed food. Also, if you have a microwave at your workplace, Nisha Singh suggests heating the food before eating.
Home Remedies For Food Poisoning
Electrolytes
If you have been suffering from food poisoning, Nisha Singh advises the first step is to take an electrolyte solution. Since vomiting and diarrhoea are the most common symptoms, you should drink an oral rehydration solution (ORS) to replenish the water content. So, you can drink lemon water made with lemon juice, sugar, and salt to feel better faster.
Light Food
If you are having stomach aches and nausea due to food poisoning, it is best to stick to eating light food. You should try to avoid wheat-based food and eat only rice. For example, you can make warm rice kanji or have dahi chawal (rice with curd). Fruits like pomegranate also help to relieve the symptoms. You can eat the fruit as is or add it to your food or bowl of curd.
Fermented Food
Another effective home remedy to treat food poisoning is eating fermented food. The nutritionist recommends eating idli and dosa as they are not just fermented but also light and filled with nutrients that can help you feel better and provide energy to your body.
Probiotics
Lastly, you should take probiotics like yoghurt, kombucha, buttermilk, etc. If you have access to kombucha, it’ll work the best. Otherwise, you can also consult your physician to give you a probiotic that can help treat your gut and relieve you from stomach infections and physical pains.
