No, I’m not endorsing poor manners in our toddlers. Rather, I thought it would be a great reminder to go over the BRAT diet when it comes to toddlers (or any other person for that matter). We’ve just started to emerge from a nasty case of the stomach flu. We’ve fared okay, and Poppet is pretty much her normal self, except that every night, in her sleep, she vomits up the remaining stomach contents from dinner. You see, toddlers have wee little tummies, and they take a lot longer than ours to bounce back from stomach bugs. Between feeding her at least 2 hours before bedtime, propping her up on pillows when we put her to bed and taking them away when we go to sleep (when she is not sleeping in our bed so we can keep an eye on her), and the BRAT diet, we seem to be making some much-needed progress.
What is BRAT?
BRAT stands for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast (and for adults Tea). Basically, it is a very bland, low in fibre diet. This makes it a lot easier to digest when our tummies have been upset. Whether food poisoning, or the flu, when you are working your way back into “normal” food, this is likely the best place to start. The goal is to stay hydrated, and start slowly to keep food in our bodies.
One note of caution. The BRAT diet is only a TEMPORARY diet to help transition onto normal meals. Staying on it long-term can lead to significant nutritional deficiencies.
Extras
In our home we load up on coconut water to help replenish and hydrate. Another favourite is Yogurt. Natural yogurt is full of healthy bacteria that can help rebalance the digestive system after a digestive illness.
Another thing that is easy to digest is plain chicken. We enjoy it in chicken soup. Rather than use noodles, which go mushy when making a large batch and eating it over a couple of days, we do a chicken and vegetable soup. We add in freshly grated ginger for tummies, and soft vegetables like potato and carrots. Yum!
Hopefully you and your family are able to avoid the flu this season, but if it should find its way to your home, don’t forget about the bland BRAT diet as an addition to your own tried and tested helps!
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