Sponsored by and developed in part with support from Ferring Pharmaceuticals.
Food is one of our favorite parts of the holidays. But when our gut health isn’t at its best, enjoying some of our favorite dishes and desserts can actually make us feel worse. As someone who’s had her fair share of gut issues after taking a course of antibiotics for Lyme disease over a decade ago, I can tell you it’s no party. C. diff infection, short for Clostridioides difficile infection, affects the gut and can be particularly challenging to deal with this time of year.
Here we have some simple tips and tricks to manage your symptoms through the holidays so that you, or someone you love, can still enjoy the season.
The short answer: C. diff thrives when antibiotics wipe out the good bacteria that normally keep it in check. Most cases happen during or shortly after a course of antibiotics, and it’s especially common in people 65 and older or anyone who’s spent time in a hospital or care facility. The good news: a few simple diet swaps (less greasy, raw, and high-fiber food, more lean protein, broths, and well-tolerated probiotics) can make holiday meals a lot easier to get through.
Key takeaways
C. diff often follows antibiotic use, since antibiotics can wipe out the good gut bacteria that normally keep it in check.
Risk goes up with age (65+), weakened immunity, and recent hospital or care-facility stays, and it’s contagious.
Greasy, raw, high-fiber, and high-lactose foods tend to make symptoms worse; lean protein, broths, and easy-to-digest starches tend to help.
Naturally fermented foods with live cultures (yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso) can help rebuild the gut microbiome, if tolerated.
Watery diarrhea three or more times a day, fever, or a fast heart rate are reasons to call a doctor right away.
Our digestive tracts, commonly referred to as our “gut,” are home to a variety of good, and sometimes bad, microorganisms. Together they make up our gut microbiome. The good guys help us immensely: they provide us with much of our immunity, keep the gut lining healthy, produce some B vitamins as well as vitamin K, and break down complex plant fibers so the body can use them for energy. They also crowd out harmful microbes and are crucial to helping us stay healthy. Without enough of these good “bugs,” an imbalance occurs, leaving room for more harmful microbes to take over and make us sick.
C. diff is one of these not-so-helpful bad guys. This bacteria can take hold deep inside the gut and cause a variety of nasty symptoms that can make celebrating the holidays difficult.
How Does Someone Get C. diff?
C. diff often affects seniors, but the rest of us aren’t totally immune.
C. diff can affect anyone who:
Is taking or has recently taken antibiotics
Has a weakened immune system
Is 65 years of age or older
Has spent time in a hospital or long-term care facility (a nursing home, for example)
Although sometimes necessary, antibiotics wipe out bo
