Both the stomach flu and food poisoning are terrible things to deal with. The thing that makes it difficult to discern is the fact that symptoms are the same. The only difference between the two is the time it takes to recover. The stomach flu is a virus that is contagious even after you recover. Food poisoning occurs when you eat contaminated or mishandled food. In both instances, you will experience symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, aches, chills, and loss of appetite. Food poisoning takes about 6-8 hours to get rid of, and the stomach flu can take a couple of days to fully recover from. When dealing with these issues, it is important to stay hydrated NO MATTER WHAT. It sounds simple, but when you struggle to keep food and drinks down it can be dangerous if you become too dehydrated. It is best to avoid heavy food and drinks when recovering from these illnesses. Try to stick with water, crackers, soup, toast, etc. This will increase your chances of keeping these essential nutrients inside of your body.
