BLUSH

I mentioned before that I came down with a stomach bug on my way back from Christmas in Ohio. We had fast-food from a chain establishment the night before I flew back, and I woke up the next day without an appetite. I didn’t think much of it, even as I made my way through security at the airport. Especially since I took it upon myself to purchase my black pair of Madewell Roadtripper jeans in a snuggly size . . .

By the time we took off, I was feeling pretty nauseous (and had changed into my denim pair of Madewell Roadtripper jeans a size up. Ha), and by the second leg there was a moment when I felt like the previous night’s takeout and subsequent popcorn and M&Ms might make a reappearance.

Anyway, I prayed to the Lord and He heard my cry and I didn’t end up needing to use the plane facilities for any reason. Things kind of went downhill from there for the remainder of the day, but I did start to feel better by Sunday afternoon and Monday when I traipsed off to the ocean. I was still pretty achy and suffering from malaise, but improving.

Long-story short, through trial and error I’ve been able to find a few gluten-free items that actually satisfied my hunger without causing a relapse. I thought it might be helpful to share since it takes a bit more effort to BRAT when you don’t eat wheat.

Essentially, you should still steer clear of fatty foods, caffeine, sugar, and heaving seasoning, but I found that kettle cooked salt & vinegar chips haven’t given me any problems. They were a welcome addition after a few days of only Rice Chex, broth, and bananas. I tried a rice, carrot, and chicken soup, but both times I had more stomach problems later. Overall, you’ll want to pace yourself and not eat too much or too fast.

I also discovered Gatorade // Powerade was a good replacement for the Ginger Ale I’d been sipping for about three days. It’s caffeine free and restores the electrolytes, potassium, sodium, and magnesium that are lost when your body is dealing with the bug. Honestly, that insight is what inspired this whole entire post. I’m not really big on drinking anything other than water, tea, and coffee-house beverages, so it wouldn’t have occurred to me to have Powerade except that the Lord brought the thought to my mind. I I conducted a quick Google Search to find out if it contained caffeine, and if there were any blatant warnings against it; it really has made feel a lot better.

Hopefully you won’t have need of these tips, but it’s always nice to be equipped with knowledge.

Be blessed and well-rested, friends!

. . . & &

Gluten-Free Stomach Bug Recovery

Bananas

Rice Chex

Chicken Broth

Powerade // Gatorade

Cheerios (General Mills is certified GF)

Applesauce –> Apples (as you start to feel better)

Kettle Cooked Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips (kettle cooked for limited fat content)