Rotavirus infection is a common intestinal disease, also called intestinal influenza and is transmitted by airborne, contact-household or fecal-oral route.
The main symptoms of rotavirus infection include:
• Diarrhea:
• Frequent vomiting;
• fever, cold symptoms;
What kind of therapy is recommended by doctors to help the body defeat intestinal flu?
In the treatment of rotavirus, dietary therapy plays a major role, which helps to eliminate the inflammatory process in the intestine and tidy up the gastrointestinal activity.
Properly chosen diet from the first days of the disease becomes the main condition for the rapid recovery of the patient.
What kind of food prescribed dietitians in the treatment of this disease?
Basic dietary principles for intestinal and rotavirus infections in children and adults
The main objectives of diet therapy for intestinal infections:
• Prevention of dehydration, which may occur due to diarrhea and vomiting;
• Complete exclusion of irritating esophagus and intestines food from the diet;
• Restoration of vitamins and microelements lost due to infection, which are necessary for the whole body.
During the first day of the onset of the disease, while vomiting and diarrhea are frequent, you need to temporarily abandon the meal and only "unsolder" the body with plenty of fluid. Recommended unsweetened tea, broths of berries of bird cherry and blueberries and cocoa, boiled in water. All of these drinks contain tannin, which slows down intestinal motility and reduces flatulence.
As soon as diarrhea and vomiting decrease, you can gradually begin to eat. For patients cooked boiled, pureed and steam meals semi-liquid consistency. Food should be eaten warm (33-36 degrees), in small portions (150-300 g) five to six times a day.
The first three days, the caloric intake is about 2000 kcal per day, then they recommend a more complete diet based on the same products, but with a higher caloric content (up to 3000 kcal per day) to maintain the body in the fight against intestinal infection.
What foods should be eaten during intestinal flu for a speedy recovery, and which ones should be completely excluded from the diet of patients for a while?
Prohibited foods and drinks
• Any, fatty, smoked, fried, spicy and canned food;
• Black bread;
• Barley and millet;
• Milk products;
• Raw vegetables and fruits;
• Mushrooms and nuts;
• Dried fruits;
• Legumes;
• Greens and spices;
• Chocolate, cookies and fresh pastries;
• Steep eggs and scrambled eggs;
• Carbonated drinks and coffee.
Permitted food and drinks
• Croutons made from white loaf;
• Fat-free broth (fish, chicken or meat) and mucous soups cooked in such broth;
• Scrambled eggs;
• Liquid pureed porridge (rice, buckwheat or oatmeal), boiled in water without milk;
• Lean sorts of meat and fish cooked in a double boiler;
• Apple and banana puree;
• Fat-free dairy products, homemade;
• Homemade jelly;
• Tea without sugar;
• Cocoa prepared without milk;
• Broths of dried blueberries, raspberries, bird cherry and currants.
Basic dietary rules for intestinal and rotavirus infections in children
The principles of nutrition in intestinal and rotavirus infections in children and adults are the same, but there are small differences.
Intestinal flu it's harder for babies, since they have dehydration, unlike adults, it occurs much faster. When the first symptoms of rotavirus appear, it is recommended to stop feeding the baby during the first day and give him to drink as much as possible. Pediatricians recommend mint decoction, reducing the urge to vomit or a special solution for dehydration.
In the active period of the disease to all patients, regardless of age, dairy products are strictly prohibited. But if a child is sick, who eats breast milk, then they must continue to give him breast, because mother's milk is the best way to increase immunity and fight infection.
If the child is on artificial nutrition, then during the acute period of the disease it needs to be transferred to lactose-free infant formula, since intestinal infection destroys the enzymes that are needed for the breakdown of lactose, and in the absence of these enzymes, abdominal pain and diarrhea only intensify.
As soon as vomiting and diarrhea weaken, you can begin to give the child light food in small portions of 100-200 grams. It is recommended to start with oatmeal or rice broth, jelly and low-fat broth. Eating should be done frequently, after about two and a half to three hours.
Gradually, apple puree is added to the diet of young patients, which not only makes a strict diet more diverse, but is also a source of pectin.
This substance adsorbs on itself the remnants of poorly digested food masses, mucus and bacteria. As a result, new portions of food entering the intestine are better digested and absorbed by the body. In addition, apples contain organic acids that contribute to the destruction of pathogenic bacteria, as well as vitamins that increase immunity. Pulp of apples is mashed, and apple peel is a useful decoction.
What dishes are recommended by nutritionists for the preparation of the diet of patients with intestinal flu
The first three days of the diet for intestinal and rotavirus infections in adults
First day:
• Breakfast: semolina, cooked without milk, scrambled eggs, steamed (100 g), a glass of unsweetened tea;
• Snack: steam soufflé from homemade cottage cheese of zero fat content;
• Lunch: light broth from lean meat, chicken meatballs steamed from veal, currant jelly;
• Snack: 200 ml of broth from the berries of wild rose with crisps of white bread;
• Dinner: steamed fish, unsweetened tea.
• For the night: kefir low-fat homemade sourdough.
Second day:
• Breakfast: oatmeal, cooked in water, scrambled eggs, steamed (100 g), a glass of tea without sugar;
• Snack: apple pulp puree (150 g);
• Lunch: lean beef broth, white chicken steamed meat, chopped in a blender, blueberry broth;
• Snack: cocoa on water (200 ml) with white bread sticks;
• Dinner: steamed meatballs from lean fish, unsweetened tea.
• For the night: kefir low-fat homemade sourdough.
The third day:
• Breakfast: rice porridge cooked without milk, 100 g applesauce pulp, tea without sugar;
• Snack: 200 ml of wild rose broth with white loaf rusks;
• Lunch: slimy rice soup on lean meat broth, steamed chicken dumplings, blueberry jelly;
• Snack: a glass of apple peel decoction with dry biscuits;
• Dinner: pudding from home low-fat cottage cheese cottage cheese, cocoa, boiled in water;
• For the night: kefir low-fat homemade sourdough.
The first three days diet with intestinal and rotavirus infections in children
First day:
• Breakfast: oatmeal, boiled without milk (100 g), unsweetened cocoa on the water, one soft-boiled egg;
• Snack: applesauce (100 g);
• Lunch: light broth from lean fish, fish steamed meatballs (150 g), raspberry jelly;
• Snack: blackcurrant jelly (200 ml);
• Dinner: steamed chicken breast, chopped in mashed potatoes (200 g), blueberry broth;
• For the night: kefir low-fat homemade sourdough.
Second day:
• Breakfast: semolina boiled in water, steam omelette (50 g), a glass of unsweetened tea;
• Snack: steam banana puree (100 g);
• Lunch: slimy oatmeal soup, chicken meatballs (150 g), blueberry jelly;
• Snack: 200 ml of apple peel decoction with white loaf rusks.
• Dinner: steam casserole of low-fat home-made grated cottage cheese, (200 g), unsweetened tea;
• For the night: kefir low-fat homemade sourdough.
The third day:
• Breakfast: grated rice porridge on water, white loaf rusks with unsweetened tea;
• Snack: a glass of blackcurrant jelly;
• Lunch: light broth from lean beef, steamed meatballs from fish (200 g), raspberry jelly;
• Snack: cocoa, boiled in water (200 ml) with fresh biscuits;
• Dinner: steamed rabbit souffle, tea without sugar;
• For the night: kefir low-fat homemade sourdough.
After 2-3 days of dieting with intestinal and rotavirus infections in children, a noticeable improvement occurs.
At the stage of recovery You can begin to gradually introduce into the diet of patients the following products:
• Yoghurt and fruits that normalize the intestinal microflora and help restore lost immunity;
• Lump food, since eating wiped dishes for a long time leads to intestinal lethargy and constipation.
Despite the severity of the diet, in modern dietology there is a large selection of dishes for patients suffering from intestinal infections. All dishes that are included in this diet, easy to prepare.
Recipes for dietetic diets for intestinal and rotavirus infections
Chicken Steamed Dumplings
From half a kilogram of white meat chicken make minced meat, add one egg and two slices of stale white loaf soaked in water. Grind the resulting mixture with a blender, add salt to taste and form small patties that are steamed for 25 minutes.
Recipe for slimy oatmeal soup
In one liter of lightly salted water, boil 100 g of rolled oat flakes and 100 g of shredded carrots and onions to readiness. At the end of cooking, the soup should be wiped and some vegetable oil should be added.
Blueberry Kissel
In one liter of boiling water add half a cup of dry blueberries and two tablespoons of sugar. Separately, in a glass of cold water, dissolve a tablespoon of starch and gradually pour the mixture into berry decoction. Continuing to mix, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Ready kissel must be filtered.
Rosehip decoction
A glass of boiling water will need a tablespoon of dried and crushed rosehips. The decoction is infused in a thermos for two hours, after which it is filtered through.
Prevention of intestinal and rotavirus infection
Diet for intestinal and rotavirus infections in children and adults must be followed for two weeks, and after full recovery, you can return to the usual diet. It is necessary to remember about the prevention of rotavirus and follow simple rules:
• Always wash hands before eating food;
• Do not swim in ponds prohibited for swimming;
• Thoroughly wash products such as greens, salads, vegetables and fruits;
• Do not eat raw fish and meat;
• Strictly comply with the rules of food storage.
Thus, a timely visit to the doctor and compliance with all the above principles of nutrition for intestinal and rotavirus infections will help you quickly cope with intestinal flu!
