Keeping track of ingredients in everyday products like drinks or quick meal options can be overwhelming. With so many food options, it can be difficult to pinpoint the cause of nausea-inducing ingredients that make us feel irritable after eating. For some individuals, nausea after consuming even the healthiest of meals can become an everyday occurrence. While nausea is not a necessarily a disease, it can be a strong indicator of other underlying health conditions that might need to be diagnosed and addressed by a physician. If you are unsure of what is causing chronic nausea, here are 5 common triggers that might help identify and curb this unpleasant symptom.
1. Acid Reflux Disease
Feeling a burning sensation and tasting sour liquid in the mouth after consuming a meal might be a strong indicator of acid reflux disease. This occurs when the esophagus flows stomach acid upwards and into the mouth that can trigger uncomfortable burning sensation in the chest, bloating, and nausea. If left untreated, acid reflux can lead to GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease that can cause other severe symptoms like frequent heartburn, difficulty swallowing, coughing, wheezing, nausea, and chest pain.
How to curb acid reflux symptoms:
? Avoiding alcohol, smoking, spicy foods, and fatty or acidic foods
? Controlling portion sizes
? Losing weight if needed
? Avoiding eating late at night
? Wearing comfortable loose fitting clothes
In addition to these tips, there are many over the counter medications that might be able to help curb acid reflux like antacids (Tums) or proton pump inhibitors (Prilosec OTC).
2. Stomach Ulcers
A peptic ulcer is a sore present in lining of the small intestine that can cause sharp burning stomach pain and nausea. These symptoms usually occur between meals or at night, and can last for several minutes or hours depending if you have more than one ulcer. Peptic ulcers are best diagnosed and treated by a doctor, but there are many ways to curb the symptoms by:
? Avoid smoking and alcohol
? Eating well balanced meals with grains and fiber
? Avoiding spicy foods
? Maintaining healthy stress levels
3. Food Allergies
Nausea after eating can also be attributed to food allergies such as shellfish, iodine, wheat and dairy products, or nuts. It is important to note that you might develop food allergies over time, even if you weren’t born with them. Other symptoms that are strong indicators of food allergies include: hives, throat itching and swelling, and red flushing.
The most effective way to pinpoint if you have food allergies is to seek help from an allergist. If you suspect that you might be allergic to a particular food or ingredient, you should notate and inform the doctor to help identify the food allergy causing nausea.
4. Food Poisoning
Consuming food with certain bacteria, parasites, or viruses can induce nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, chills, weakness, and headache. The symptoms of food poisoning can take several hours to develop, and they can be managed by:
? Drinking fluids
? Sleeping
? Eating bland foods like bananas and bread
Seek medical help if you experience:
? Diarrhea and vomiting lasting for more than 3 days
? High fever
? Dark stool
? Extreme dehydration with symptoms like dry mouth and fatigue
It is important that you do not administer any medications to treat extreme nausea or food poisoning without seeking the advice of a doctor. If your symptoms become unbearable, the best thing to do is to seek medical attention to avoid any possible complications.
5. Intestinal Parasites
Parasites present in the intestines can also cause nausea after consuming contaminated food or water. A giardia infection is caused by a parasite that attaches itself to the intestinal wall, and can cause nausea, diarrhea, and fever after it enters body.
The best treatment option for giardia infection are antibiotics that help reduce the bacteria and parasites in the stomach. Available by prescription, antibiotics like metronidazole and tinidazole will help eradicate a giardia infection if used as prescribed.
For more information about nausea and nausea medications, visit our Nausea Condition Page. With the proper medical treatment, you can escape chronic nausea and be more comfortable.
