I got the tummy flu – this is what I did.

Unfortunately I came down with a virus in my system the other day. It attacked my digestive system massively and I thought I would share with you what I did to help my body to overcome it, in the fastest way possible. Firstly, it is a big benefit if you are metabolically flexible. This means that you can run just as easily on fat for energy as on sugar. When you have issues with your tummy it is not a good idea to eat. The fastest way-out of illnesses like this is in my experience to starve it. So my focus was on hydrating myself. Depending on the severity of the tummy flu you might lose a lot of fluids in both ends if you know what I mean 😉 So, making sure you stay hydrated is key in those cases.

Making an electrolyte mix

I firstly boiled one liter of water and let that cool down. Then I added electrolytes in the shape of one capsule of potassium (250mg), one capsule of magnesium glycinate (100mg) and 1.5 teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt. There is a special relationship in the body between potassium and sodium (the sodium–potassium pump), if you lose too much sodium the body starts releasing potassium as well. So, make sure to keep your sodium levels in a good balance and the potassium will also keep a good balance.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that supports hundreds of chemical reactions in the body hence it is vital to make sure you get enough of it. When you do not eat your blood sugar drops and also insulin. When that happens the kidneys starts to expel water and along with the water also flushes out electrolytes. This is why it is very important to make sure you add them back. Either by making an electrolyte mix or buy one if you do not want to make it yourself.

Be mindful about how you consume your fluids

When your tummy is in this state you need to be careful to not overwhelm it by drinking too much water in one go. I took a little sip every five minutes roughly to slowly hydrate myself and not risking upsetting my tummy and get a backlash from it.

After this it is really just about being patient. Give yourself plenty of rest and stay hydrated as much as possible until your body tells you that you are ready to start eating again.

My first meals

As my first meal I focused on foods that is easy to digest and minimal amount of fats. In my experience fats is quite hard to digest and is not suitable to eat when starting to eat again. So I had some white rice and one toast with nothing on it as my dinner. The rest of the night I sipped on water.

Today I have been feeling much stronger and I have continued to introduce more food. But I still have kept fats low and focused more on protein but quite small meals. In short, as my three meals I have had eggs, minced meat from chicken and Turkish yoghurt.

I have also managed a walk today to get some fresh air and daylight and catered for a good night’s sleep.

If you want to read more about my guidelines for a long-term health then please go hit..