Our Food Journey — recovery

Fighting the Summer Flu

Modern life often feels like a constant race against the clock. Between family, friends and work, there are so many things important things keeping us busy that it’s hard to find the time to properly relax and recover. There are a lot of reasons why getting enough rest might not be possible and the build-up of stress over time can lead to emotional and physical burnout. When we are exhausted, our immune systems are weakened and can have trouble fighting off viruses and illness.

I had a short break over the holiday period. Unfortunately, my body finally caught up with me after months of working around the clock to open the new store while still managing the day-to-day stresses of life. My time off was spent surviving a very severe case of gastroenteritis that sent me to bed for three days straight.

Gastro is often called “The Summer Flu” because it has a tendency to strike during the warmer months. The combination of summer, lots of social events around food and end-of-year exhaustion means that a lot of Australians find their holidays interrupted by violent stomach pain and symptoms.

Being quarantined at home wasn’t the most exciting way to spend my holidays, but as you know, issues with health can mean our bodies don’t always play along with our plans. And even after the acute phase of an illness has passed, there is still a long way to go before we regain strength and start feeling like ourselves again.

Now, I am working hard to rebuild my gut health with lots of good bacteria. Did you know that Allergy Train now stocks bone broth, kombucha and sauerkraut, which all have their own special species of good bacteria to repopulate your gut? Bone broth is full of good stuff for healing including collagen, amino acids, and essential minerals, and it also helps the growth of good bacteria. Personally, I love the Meadow and Marrow bone broth—lemon and herb is my favourite flavour, but they are all great!

To aid my recovery, I’ve been consuming all these things as well as taking a high-strength probiotic and, last but not at all least, my go to for all things gut related ... Saccharomyces Boulardii. Also known as SB, this microscopic critter is a yeast that acts as probiotic. I personally think it is a miracle natural remedy for any diarrhoeal or IBS issues. It is not yet well known in the medical community, but there are already some good scientific papers to back up its use, particularly for the treatment of diarrhoea.

In my personal experience, SB is wonderfully effective. If you also happen to find yourself struck down by the dreaded Summer Flu, I encourage you to try this out for yourself. Saccharomyces Boulardii can be found at health stores that specialise in vitamins and dietary supplements.  

Always consult your doctor if symptoms persist or are particularly severe. It is especially important with gastroenteritis to let your doctor know as they need to notify the authorities in case there is an outbreak and to trace the source or notify the public.