How to Get Rid of Food Poisoning Naturally

Enjoying your favorite meal while dining out at your favorite restaurant is one of life’s small joys. You finish your meal happily and return home. But it all begins a few hours later.

You suddenly start feeling nauseated, and your stomach gets upset. You might think you’ve got indigestion. Then the vomiting begins, and it dawns on you-you have food poisoning.

This small joy of life is now slowly taking the life out of you. It leaves your body fatigued, while at the same time you’re completely restless.

Read on to learn how to get rid of food poisoning naturally.

Cause of Food Poisoning

Food poisoning occurs when you eat or drink food contaminated with bacteria or other toxins left by them in the food. (3)

Symptoms of Food Poisoning

• Diarrhea (2)
• Fever and chills
• Nausea and vomiting (1)
• Pain in the abdominal area and cramps
• Weakness and loss of energy
• Fatigue due to loss of essential electrolytes

Preventing Food Poisoning

Food poisoning doesn’t only happen when dining out. Here’s what you should do to steer clear of food poisoning.

• Do not eat food prepared by someone who has not washed their hands properly.
• Do not eat food that is cooked or served in dirty cookware.
• Do not eat raw fruits and vegetables that have not been cleaned.
• Do not eat under-cooked fruits, vegetables or meat.
• Do not drink untreated or contaminated water.

Home Treatment of Food Poisoning

But what’s done is done. There is no need to regret the tasty (although problematic) food you had at your favorite joint. What you can do now is treat the unpleasant aftermath properly.

Below are five natural remedies that will help you get rid of food poisoning without much difficulty. These remedies, when used regularly, may also prevent future bouts of food poisoning.

Contact your doctor if symptoms of food poisoning persist for more than 3 days.

Method 1: Consume Apple Cider Vinegar

It is a popuplar folk remedy, with not much of scientific evidence available. The antimicrobial and antibacterial properties of apple cider vinegar can do you well in treating food poisoning. It helps soothe your gastrointestinal lining and digestive tract, killing the bacteria responsible for food poisoning.

It’s important that you use apple cider vinegar containing ‘the mother’ and not the inorganic, refined version. The refining kills the friendly bacteria present in the vinegar, making it ineffective at fighting the dangerous bacteria.

Step 1. Add apple cider vinegar to warm water

• Mix 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in 1 cup of warm water.
• Stir well to blend the liquids.

Step 2. Drink this solution 3 or 4 times a day

• Drink this solution 3 or 4 times throughout the day to get relief from diarrhea, vomiting, and cramping.
• Use this remedy for 1 to 2 days to get complete relief from food poisoning.

Method 2: Use Activated Charcoal

If you are suffering from food poisoning, consume a little activated charcoal. No, not the kind you use in your smoker. Although it resembles normal charcoal, activated charcoal is something very different.

Also known as activated carbon, activated charcoal is a form of processed carbon that has small, low-volume pores, resulting in an increased surface area available for chemical reactions.

Widely used for medicinal purposes, it is nothing short of a miracle for food poisoning. (4) It attracts and binds with the toxins in your body, leaving them inactive and then flushing them out of the body.

Single-Step Treatment: Consume activated charcoal

• Immediately consume activated charcoal if you feel gassed up or bloated, experience stomach upset or other symptoms of food poisoning.
• Various over-the-counter capsules and tablets are readily available at drug stores. Keep them handy and take 1 or 2 tablets/capsules if you feel nauseated due to food poisoning. Repeat after 1 hour if the symptoms persist.
• It is also available in the form of powder. Consume ¼ to 1 teaspoon of charcoal powder diluted in water.
• Drink plenty of water after you’ve consumed it, so that you don’t get constipated and are able to flush out all the toxins present in your body.
• Consuming activated charcoal should provide speedy results. Just 1 or 2 doses should help you get over the worst part of food poisoning.

Method 3: Consume Garlic

Researches suggest that garlic extracts along with silymarin is effective in improving the conditions of patients suffering from lead nephrotoxicity. (5)

Garlic also contains strong antiviral and antifungal properties that help your digestive system cope with diarrhea and vomiting caused by food poisoning.

Single-Step Treatment: Consume raw garlic cloves or juice

• Eat 2 cloves of raw garlic to soothe your digestive tract when suffering from food poisoning.
• Add garlic to your salads and use it in cooking. You can also squeeze the juice out of 2 garlic cloves and mix it in warm water to drink.
• Consuming raw garlic should provide relief within 2 days. Continue consuming raw garlic for about 1 week for complete recovery.

Method 4: Drink Lemon Juice

The acid in lemon juice helps to kill certain bacteria that cause food poisoning. (6) Containing several anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral properties, it is an effective remedy for treating food poisoning and getting your digestive system back on track.

Things you’ll need:

• Lemon juice (antibacterial agent and digestive aid) – 2 teaspoons
• Sugar (for sweetness) – 1 teaspoon (optional)

Step 1. Add sugar to lemon juice

• Add 1 teaspoon of sugar to 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

The sole purpose of the sugar is to mask the sour taste of the lemon juice. If you don’t have sensitive teeth and can handle the sourness, you can drink the juice without sweetening it.

Step 2. Consume the mixture 3 times daily

• Stir the mixture well so that the sugar is dissolved in the lemon juice.
• Consume this lemon juice mixture 3 times a day to get relief from diarrhea and nausea.
• Keep up with the regimen for 2 to 3 days for full recovery.
• Alternatively, you can add the lemon juice to a cup of hot water and sip on it.

Method 5: Use Ginger

Be it indigestion, bloating or food poisoning, ginger is a remedy that is used for all types of digestive problems. It eliminates excessive intestinal gas from your digestive system, soothes the intestinal tract and relieves stomachaches. Ginger is also considered beneficial for menstrual cramps.

You can consume fresh ginger juice, ginger tea or prepare simple ginger water as shown below. Adding honey will not only improve the taste but also promote healing.

Things you’ll need:

• Ginger, sliced (treats food poisoning symptoms) – 2-inch piece
• Honey (healing agent) – 1 teaspoon
• Hot water – 1 cup

Step 1. Steep ginger slices in hot water

• Drop slices of a 2-inch piece of ginger into 1 cup of hot water.
• Cover and let the ginger steep for around 10 minutes.

Step 2. Strain the liquid

• Strain the infused water to remove the ginger slices.

Step 3. Add honey to the infused water

• Add 1 teaspoon of honey to the ginger water.

Step 4. Drink the ginger water 3 times a day

• Stir the solution well.
• Drink it 3 times a day to ease nausea and get your digestive system back on the right track.
• Use the remedy for 2 to 3 days for complete recovery.

Tips to keep in mind for relief

• Stay hydrated at all times, especially when you’ve got food poisoning. Water replenishes fluids lost due to diarrhea and vomiting, while also helping flush out all the toxins produced by the bacteria.
• Yogurt can give you immediate relief from the poisoning. Its antibacterial properties help bind the contents of your stomach together and relieve diarrheal discomfort. Consume 1 to 2 tablespoons of it every 2 hours throughout the poisoning episode.
• Coconut water can be consumed to keep your body hydrated and maintain your energy level.
• Drink non-caffeinated sports drinks like Gatorade, which contain electrolytes in abundance, or get electrolyte replacement drinks that are readily available in the market.

Resources:

1. Kunwar R, Singh H, Mangla V, Hiremath R. Outbreak investigation: Salmonella food poisoning. Medical journal, Armed Forces India. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3862925/. Published October 2013.
2. Cangemi JR. Food Poisoning and Diarrhea: Small Intestine Effects. Current Gastroenterology Reports. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51506355. Published July 2011.
3. Al-Agroudi MA, Morsy ATA, Ismail MAM, Morsy TA. PROTOZOA CAUSING FOOD POISONING. Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30230745. Published December 2016.
4. Silberman J. Activated Charcoal. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482294/. Published November 22, 2018.
5. El-Khishin IA, El-Fakharany YMM, Abdel Hamid OI. Role of garlic extract and silymarin compared to dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) in treatment of lead-induced nephropathy in adult male albino rats. Toxicology reports. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5598274/. Published May 8, 2015.
6. Chibishev A, Pereska Z, Chibisheva V, Simonovska N. Corrosive poisonings in adults. Materia socio-medica. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3633385/. Published 2012.

Summary of How to Get Rid of Food Poisoning Naturally

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