Dealing with the stomach flu? Feel better faster with this treatment plan

First, let me explain what the pediatrician who told us the "junk juice" plan to flush out the flu explained to me. When you have diarrhea and vomiting your body is losing potassium and sodium, so you need to drink things that will replenish these vitamins. However, you also need to consume stuff that goes down easily. Contrary to popular belief, these drinks do not include water or juice. In fact, water will often come back out almost as soon as it enters.

Instead, you should drink junk juice--such as pedialyte, gatorade, kool-aid or flat Coke or Sprite. Why Coke or Sprite? Because they have more potassium and sodium in them. Why flat? Because fizzy (aka "carbonated") stuff is not very good for sick stomachs.

So, the basic meal plan is this:

Days 1-2: Nothing but junk juice. If you are dying for solid food, saltines are okay.

Day 3: Keep up with the junk juice. Grains can be added in if you are hungry.

Day 4: "Regular" juice and water is okay. You can also add in friuts and vegetables in moderation. Bananas are good for the potassium they can add to your diet.

Day 5: Gradually add in proteins. Still no dairy, as milk products are the hardest to digest.

Day 6: If your stomach is doing okay, add in milk and cheeses if you desire them.

Of course, this timeline is not strict for everyone, but the pattern is. For kids, you can expect to follow the pattern more slowly. For some adults, some steps may not need a full day, but as long as you follow the pattern, you are more likely to say "goodbye" to your stomach problems than "I'll see you in a few days."

A word of caution
I remember frequently being told as a child that chicken soup was good for you when you are sick. Well, that really depends on what kind of sick. If you have the stomach flu or extreme nausea, soup is not going to make you better. It will come out much the same way as water. I once tried the chicken noodle soup thing after I was free of tummy problems for 24 hours, and quickly moved back to the "yuck" phase. It's not just me either; my in-laws experienced the same problem when they tried to soothe their grandson's upset stomach with soup. He got right back to vomiting within an hour or two. Since my husband is a carnivore, I have several more similar stories of someone having meat shortly after passing through the first phase of the Junk Juice plan.

The key to saying goodbye to stomach viruses is to take your time re-introducing foods to your stomach. You also need to be able to smile and nod (but ignore) the well-meaning words of people who advise you to drink lots of water and eat soup. Ever since the pediatrician gave me the print-out with these guidelines (seven years ago), this has been the exclusive pattern of food and drink I have used for myself and my three kids whenever someone has extended diarrhea and vomiting problems. As long as we don't introduce protein ahead of schedule, our viruses stay away after a couple days.