At Stylist HQ, we’ve had more than our fair share of colds and bugs. That’s only to be expected when half of us are commuting on public transport and spending much of our free time freezing our bits off in beer gardens. But more than a couple have also struggled with grim illnesses like gastritis, norovirus and food poisoning. Some are the parents of small children; others are just unlucky to have eaten a bad oyster on holiday or have been feeling run down. 

Sick bugs are rotten at the best of times, but when you’ve got a full-on job or little ones depending on your recovery, there’s an added pressure to return to full health as soon as possible. And given the often violent gut symptoms these illnesses seem to cause, it follows that working on rebuilding a strong microbiome would be a good place to start.  

To find out exactly what role the gut plays in sickness bugs and how to help it after a food poisoning or vomiting bug episode, we consulted gut supremo Dr Tim Spector, co-founder of personal nutrition platform Zoe and author of Food For Life and Spoon Fed.

“When we get sick and disease-causing microbes enter our system, the composition of our microbiome changes,” Dr Spector tells Strong Women. “The inflammation and irritation that results in vomiting and diarrhoea changes the ecosystem in our gut. The body’s immune response to infection will also cause inflammation in the gut and disrupt its normal functioning, leading to digestive issues.

“The gut works quickly to get rid of the disease-causing microbes by expelling everything and the results are usually (hopefully!) quite speedy.”

In other words, vomiting and/or diarrhoea are the body’s way of dealing with bad actors. While unpleasant, it’s a sign that your immune system is working – so rather than quelling its response, we want to support the body once it’s finished its expulsion.  

If you’re wondering which TikTok gut hack or supplement to employ after a week of spewing, then hold your horses. Dr Spector flags that the most effective tools for healing after an episode are the most simple – and most familiar.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

“During infection, it’s more important to stay hydrated and rest rather than try to eat or add anything else to the mix. Once your appetite is back, try to feed your gut back to health and listen to what foods your body is happy to eat. Don’t force yourself to eat anything you don’t want.”

Eat as many plants as possible

That food-first approach is crucial, he says, because our gut microbiome plays a huge role in controlling our immune system. That makes “supporting your gut crucial when recovering from illness”. The best way to do that, he explains, is by “eating a diet rich in a variety of plants – aim for 30 different plants a week – which will feed your gut microbes with the nutrients, fibre and polyphenols that they love”.

Try fermented foods (especially after antibiotics)

“It’s also great to include fermented foods, which serve as natural probiotics and will help to promote a healthy microbiome after illness or a course of antibiotics.” 

Dr Spector has spoken before about how to look after the gut following a bout of antibiotics or medication, and why he doesn’t necessarily think probiotic supplements are the answer. Speaking on the Zoe Science & Nutrition Podcast, he advises slowly introducing fermented foods into your post-illness diet as these tend to contain many more types of good bacteria (ie probiotics) than you get in a single tablet or capsule.  

“Compared to probiotics, they generally have lower doses, but most of them – apart from maybe cheese and yoghurt – have many more types, much more diversity of microbes than you’d find in a capsule,” he explains.

The more types of helpful bacteria you have, the better your gut – and therefore immune system – is going to be able to fight off invaders. 

“It varies widely between people and depending on what illness you have,” Dr Spector says, suggesting that it could take anything from one day to one week. “Make sure you speak to your doctor if it isn’t getting better or you feel that you’re getting too dehydrated or weak.” 

Images: Getty