A naturopathic doctor has revealed seven tips that can help you protect yourself against food poisoning—and some of them are incredibly simple.
Dr. Janine Bowring, a Canada-based expert who has over 25 years of experience and clinical research under her belt, shared the information in a new video posted to TikTok this week by
The first tip that she offered was one that seemed relatively easy to follow, and that was to steer clear of foods that seemed like they might be ‘off’ or expired.
‘You’re gonna try to avoid bad foods to begin with, use your own animal instincts,’ Dr. Bowring said.
‘So, your sense of smell, and your intuition, if something seems like it might be bad, just don’t eat it,’ she continued.
Next, she revealed that you want to ‘optimize your stomach acid,’ which can help kill off some bacteria.
The doctor explained that if you take too many anti-acids, you may not have enough stomach acid to fight back against food poisoning.
Similarly, for her third tip, she recommended adding digestive enzyme supplements to your everyday routine.
Digestive enzymes naturally occur in your stomach, and they help you break down certain foods, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Some people, however, may need extra enzymes in their body and opt for an over-the-counter or prescription solution.
According to Johns Hopkins, taking over-the-counter digestive enzymes can help battle problems like diarrhoea, acid reflux and gas.
You can also help mint tea to aid with digestion, Dr. Bowring advised, as she said it was ‘very soothing and cooling.’
Her fifth tip was to try something called C.A.B.O., which stands for cloves, artemisia, black walnuts, and oregano. She says these herbs are great for ‘killing off those unwanted organisms in your gut’ if you’ve picked them up with a nasty bout of food poisoning.
These herbs contain benefits which include killing off bacteria.
For pointer number six, she urged people to take probiotics, which can help to restore your gut with what they call ‘good bacteria.’
And last but not least, Dr Bowring advised viewers to ensure they were getting enough natural sunlight—especially on their stomachs.
‘This is gonna program your healthy microbiome in sync with nature and your circadian rhythms so that you don’t get that food poisoning,’ she claimed.
According to NBC News, this may very well be true.
In 2019, they reported a study that showed that going in the sunlight for a short time can boost your Vitamin D levels and lead to a more diverse collection of gut bacteria.
The researchers explained that low levels of all three have been linked to certain diseases like inflammatory bowel disease.
