Stomach Bug Prevention Trick (Every mom should know this!)

Do you hate the stomach bug as much as I do? Emetophobia running high? The following is a trick to keep the tummy bug at bay. Grape juice to the rescue. Emetophobes unite.

{To see the updated October 2012 version of this post, which includes readers' tips & tricks, too, please click here.}

Just to be upfront: this little trick is a PREVENTATIVE. Once you actually have a stomach bug in your system, it will not work. You will probably be throwing up grape juice...and could ruin some carpet! ; )

I know this isn't what I typically post about. When you get to the bottom of this post, you'll see why. But, I am known (in my "real" world) as the grape juice mom...thought I'd share it with all my bloggy friends, too. 

I first heard about this from a coach who works at my husband's high school. He carried grape juice with him all the time. And he was never sick and always attributing his stellar immune system to the good people at Welch's. About three years ago, I noticed a friends' Facebook status announcing that her family caught the dreaded tummy bug. A friend of hers wrote in the comments suggesting preventing it the next time with grape juice. So, then, I started researching...and came across Granny Sue's Blog who mentions the same method for prevention of this nasty creature. Apparently, this is a pretty popular preventative!

I hate cleaning up/smelling/hearing/thinking about throw up more than anyone. I seriously have panic attacks when someone pukes...just can't handle it. My friends giggle about my phobia...but, yeah...it's bad. So when we were all struck down by one of those bugs in 2009, I resolved from then and there, never again! We actually drink grape juice everyday. Each kid has a glass with his breakfast. AND, when I hear the bug is going around, we bump it up to a couple of servings a day. I do have one child who isn't as into grape juice as the rest of us...and he, inevitably will catch the bug every now and then. Which means the rest of us go on full alert...three servings of grape juice a day and the adults add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to theirs. It's the acidity in the juice that's supposed to help the bug from settling in your digestive tract. I'm no GI, but a good friend of mine is married to one and I know she does this as a preventative, too...so it can't be all malarkey, right? 

One BIG rule is that it MUST be 100% grape juice...and y'all....just buy Welch's to be sure. Lately, Welch's has been coming out with all sorts of new grape juices...avoid them if you can. No light or white, no "Essentials", no grape juice cocktail....just plain old 100%. I even avoid the ones with calcium. There are so many varieties...look very carefully when shopping for grape juice.

If you're just using it as a preventative when you've been exposed to the bug, try 3 glasses a day. If you want to add a bit of apple cider vinegar (no more than 1 tsp.) to it, it's one more measure to take. If you want to add it to your diet regularly (again, I'm not a doctor, this is just from my own experience), just a glass with breakfast is a good way to do it (I think 3 glasses of this every day all the time might hurt your stomach in other ways...LOL).

And of course, the reason I'm sharing this with you? I'm getting over a bug. YEP. Since the new year, I cut out my grape juice because of calories. And here I am....bleh. Just thought I'd spread the info out there. Let me know if you have any questions. Again, it's a PREVENTATIVE. Do not drink this if you already have the bug...that would be bad! ; )

Thanks to Coach John Christian for this info, the friend of Kate Martin's on FB and Granny Sue. Our mantra (until two days ago...heehee), was "feeling fine since 2009" because that's the last time one of these bugs really took us all out. (Can you tell we're big HIMYM fans? "Vomit free since '93?" LOL)

Neglect your chores like me and don't miss a thing:

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