What To Eat When You Have Diarrhea:
The last thing many people want to do when they have diarrhea is eat, but if you let a couple of hours go by, you will get hungry and you will want to eat. And, your body needs fuel to recover too.
The go-to advice for diarrhea is the BRAT diet:
These foods are gentle on the stomach due to being bland. In other words, they shouldnt upset the digestive system and they will also help bind and firm up stool. You can also add in plain crackers and cooked cereal such as cream of wheat.
Bacterial And Viral Infection
Bacteria that cause diarrhea-producing infections include salmonella and E. coli. Contaminated food and fluids are common sources of bacterial infections.
Rotavirus, norovirus, and other kinds of viral gastroenteritis, commonly referred to as stomach flu, are among the viruses that can cause explosive diarrhea.
Anyone can get these viruses. But theyre especially common among school-age children. And theyre common in hospitals and nursing homes, and on cruise ships.
Whether your diarrhea is caused by allergies, food poisoning, a chronic condition like irritable bowel syndrome, or something else, diet and diarrhea are intricately linked.
Even if you have long-term conditions that affect the digestive system, the diet you eat can greatly affect your comfort levels.
When youre experiencing an episode of diarrhea, there are certain foods that you can eat to help your digestive system get back on track. There are also certain foods that you should avoid.
What Foods To Eat When You Have Diarrhea
The BRAT diet might be beneficial if youre having excessive diarrhea, Rabia De Latour, MD, gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health, tells Health. BRAT stands for: bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. Its often recommended for little kids who are having a hard time keeping their food down.
These foods are easy on the stomach, and bananas in particular might be especially beneficial because theyre rich in potassium, which you might need more of if youre having excessive diarrhea. . Not a fan of bananas? Potatoes, cooked broccoli, and cooked spinach also have tons of potassium.
You should also be thinking about what youre drinking when you have diarrhea, Dr. De Latour says. Its crucial to stay hydrated because excessive diarrhea causes your body to lose water rapidly.
Starchy foods are also a good option since they theyre typically easier to digest. They can also help put an end to your diarrhea by bulking up your poop and adding firmness to it, says Dr. De Latour.
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What To Eat When You Have Diarrhea
Whether your diarrhea is caused by allergies, food poisoning, a chronic condition like irritable bowel syndrome, or something else, diet and diarrhea are intricately linked.
Even if you have long-term conditions that affect the digestive system, the diet you eat can greatly affect your comfort levels.
When youre experiencing an episode of diarrhea, there are certain foods that you can eat to help your digestive system get back on track. There are also certain foods that you should avoid.
Dehydration Is A Serious Risk
Fact. Diarrhea causes you to lose fluids. Losing too much fluid can bring on dehydration, especially in children. A child may be dehydrated if they seem thirsty, has a dry mouth or sunken soft spots on the head , or is urinating less than usual or crying without tears. Adults may have similar symptoms, as well as sunken eyes and lethargy. Call your doctor if you see signs of dehydration. Your doctor may recommend drinking oral rehydration solutions, water, uncaffeinated, low-sugar sports drinks, diluted fruit juices, and broths.
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The Types Of Food Patients Recovering From Diarrhea Must Avoid
While patients recover from diarrhea, the urge to consume heavy meals may be present. Nonetheless, steps must be taken to avoid certain food items that can upset the stomach and trigger another attack of diarrhea. Food items and beverages to avoid include:
- Spicy food
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And Finally You Can Eat Some Eggs
Eggs, particularly the yolks, they contain immunity-boosting supplements. Also, it contains a large sum of vitamin D vitamin D is crucial in controlling and reinforcing in-susceptibility. Those who take day by day portion of vitamin D within the wintertime. They are less likely to capture a cold or any other upper respiratory tract disease in contrast to those who don`t.
Contact your primary care physician if your free stools are extreme, wicked, or goes on for over a few days.
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Basic Dietary Principles To Remember After Diarrhea
Knowing basic diet guidelines helps to improve your conditions and avoid making your diarrhea worse. Certain foods will also help accelerate recovery.
1. Consume Some Clear Fluids First
Keep in mind that it is best to eat a clear liquid diet after diarrhea, including apple juice, weak tea, frozen pops, clear broth, plain gelatin or simple water. Clear liquids will help prevent irritation.
2. Adopt Small Meals
It is equally important to eat smaller meals more frequently to avoid putting stress on your digestive system. You can switch to a low-fiber diet after a couple of days of diarrhea. Be sure to drink water to avoid becoming dehydrated.
3. Follw the Dietary Chart Below
What Are Nutrition Tips For Relief Of Diarrhea
There are diet changes you can make to help relieve or stop diarrhea. These changes include limiting or avoiding foods and liquids that are high in sugar, fat, fiber, and lactose. Lactose is a sugar found in milk products. Milk products can cause diarrhea in people who are lactose intolerant. You should also drink extra liquids to replace fluids that are lost when you have diarrhea. Diarrhea can lead to dehydration.
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Ways To Treat Diarrhea
Look for liquids with sugar and salt Pedialyte or full-salt soups work well,” he says. “If your urine is not clear, or you are not making much urine, you are not drinking enough.”
In terms of diarrhea treatment, Higgins says, if you dont have an infection and are not seeing blood, you can take over-the-counter loperamide to slow your bowel movements. But this kind of medication should only be taken for a day or two.
If diet and simple remedies aren’t working, and if symptoms persist for more than a few days and include bleeding, gas, and bloating, you should see a doctor. Your doctor can determine whether the diarrhea is caused by a more serious condition, and can recommend treatment.
Additional reporting by MarÃa Villaseñor.
Take Medicine Once You Feel Sick
Myth. Diarrhea often goes away on its own, so treatment isn’t usually necessary. But over-the-counter diarrhea medications can offer some relief from symptoms. Avoid them if you have a fever or other symptoms, such as bloody stool. Don’t give babies or children any diarrhea medicine unless a pediatrician recommends it.
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What To Eat When You Have Diarrhea Bananas
Bananas are effortlessly processed. They are to a fantastic source of potassium. A critical electrolyte that can be misplaced after you have the runs as well as wealthy source pectin and solvent fiber. If you are suffering from diarrhea, eating solvent fiber can help absorb fluid within the digestion tracts, whereas preventing constipation. Enjoy reading more about what to eat when you have diarrhea?
What Not To Drink
Carbonated or fizzy drinks should be avoided, as they can irritate the digestive system and make the symptoms of diarrhea worse.
Caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, tea, and soda, may overstimulate the digestive system and make symptoms worse.
Carbonated drinks may also irritate or contribute to other symptoms, such as bloating and cramps. People should also avoid alcohol while dealing with diarrhea.
While many sports drinks contain electrolytes that may help with dehydration, they often contain added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Coconut water or electrolyte-enhanced water are good alternatives.
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During The Next 24 Hours
During the next 24 hours you may add the following to the above:
-
Hot cereal, plain toast, bread, rolls, and crackers
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Plain noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, and chicken noodle or rice soup
-
Unsweetened canned fruit and bananas
Don’t eat more than 15 grams of fat a day. Do this by staying away from margarine, butter, oils, mayonnaise, sauces, gravies, fried foods, peanut butter, meat, poultry, and fish.
Don’t eat much fiber. Stay away from raw or cooked vegetables, fresh fruits , and bran cereals.
Limit how much caffeine and chocolate you have. Do’ use any spices or seasonings except salt.
Flu Shots Prevent Stomach Flu
Myth. Seasonal flu — or influenza virus — can cause fever, body ache, and general misery, but it rarely causes diarrhea. Influenza is generally a disease of the airways and lungs. The sickness that some people call “stomach flu” can cause diarrhea, but that bug is different from influenza. “Stomach flu” is just a catch-all name for viral gastroenteritis, which is caused by many different germs.
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The Best And Worst Foods To Eat When You Have Diarrhea
What should you eat when you have diarrhea? Find out the causes and what foods can help and what foods and drinks you should stay away from when you’re feeling sick.
Running to the toilet with diarrhea is no fun, and in some cases can be a serious health concern. Diarrhea sidelines the average U.S. adult about once a yearalthough if you have food sensitivities or suffer from certain conditions, you may get it more often. What can you do about it, and can any foods help or hurt? That depends, says David Katz, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University and a member of EatingWell’s advisory board. He says nutrition can sometimes be the fix, but not always.
Read on for the scoop on what causes diarrhea, what to eat when you have diarrhea, what foods to avoid and what drinks can help you feel better.
Hydration Is Major Key
The more water lost in your stool, the less you have in your body, and the greater your risk for dehydration. Dehydration will only make you feel worse, so drink up.
Stick to water, and/or small amounts of an electrolyte-containing beverages .
And although bubbles may sound soothing, carbonation can actually make diarrhea worse, so stick avoid fizzy drinks until you’re back up to speed.
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What To Eat And What To Avoid When You Have Diarrhea
Some foods can make diarrhea worse, and others can keep you nourished while you’re getting better. Learn what to eat and drink to get through a bout of diarrhea.
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Occasional diarrhea is nothing to worry about. The causes of diarrhea can range from a stomach flu to a specific meal or ingredient you ate that didnt sit well. Because certain foods can worsen symptoms, it’s good to know the foods you should eat when you have diarrhea and what you should avoid.
You want to eat plain, simple foods, especially in the first 24 hours, says Peter Higgins, MD, PhD, the director of the inflammatory bowel disease program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
It is best to eat thicker, bland foods, including oatmeal, bananas, plain rice, and applesauce, he says.
Other bland foods that are easy to stomach include:
- Boiled potatoes
- Plain crackers, such as saltines
- Pretzels
- Baked chicken without any skin or fat
A review published in November 2011 in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology suggested that foods with probiotics often called good bacteria may shorten the duration of a bout of diarrhea. According to the American College of Gastroenterology, probiotics work by releasing “chemicals which break down the damaging toxins produced by unhealthy bacteria causing illnesses such as diarrhea.”
Probiotics have become very popular and are found in a number of foods, including:
- Yogurt
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What To Eat When You Have Diarrhea: A Guide
It works the same way when you have diarrhea. If the volume and frequency of watery stool is significant, steps must be taken to avoid dehydration, Dr. Masoud explains.
Other food you may have are boiled potato, plain crackers, Pretzels, Baked chicken without any skin or fat etc. It would be good to eat vegetables like carrots, green beans, mushrooms, asparagus tips, beets, acorn squash,. The BRAT diet that includes Bananas, Rice , Applesauce and Toast is indeed useful for recovering from Diarrhea.
Clostridium difficile infection is a bowel infection caused by toxin-producing bacteria. C diff is a serious infection that can range from mild diarrhea to severe inflammation of your colon that can be life threatening. C diff is not caused by anything you eat and you cant cure it with diet changes. The treatment is a specific type of antibiotic that will kill the bacteria.
Studies have also shown that probiotic supplements can also help to treat and prevent diarrhea if the cause is a viral infection that has been passed on through food. This can help you recover from the symptoms of food poisoning quicker. 17 Live yogurt is an excellent remedy to get rid of diarrhea that has been caused by food poisoning.
What to Eat When You Have Diarrhea. Bhakti Satalkar. Diarrhea is a condition characterized by passing of loose, watery, soft stools frequently. It could occur due to viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections, food intolerance, or as a side effect of certain drugs.
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White Bread Pancakes Or Pasta:
Eating white bread, pancakes, and pasta aid when it comes to curing diarrhea white bread, pancakes, and pasta are low in fiber thus easier to digest and aid when youre dealing with a bout of diarrhea. Make sure to not add any sauces and oils to your pasta as they are harmful to your digestive system. Also, try avoiding butter, honey, jam, syrup, and margarine when you have loose motions.
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Can You Eat A Banana If You Have Diarrhea
Bananas One serving of banana is actually half a banana, DAmbrosio explains, and they are a good source of soluble fibre. However, it is important to address the underlying cause of the diarrhea, she says. For example, if an individual has fructose malabsorption, consuming a whole banana or an over-ripe banana could worsen diarrhea.
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How K Health Can Help
In most cases, symptoms for the stomach flu and food poisoning are mild and last only a short time. If you have any other questions about what to eat after food poisoning or stomach flu, speak to a doctor.
Did you know you can get affordable primary care with the K Health app? , explore conditions and treatments, and if needed text with a doctor in minutes. K Healths AI-powered app is HIPAA compliant and based on 20 years of clinical data.
Do Some Detective Work
Experiment with what you eat to find out what works for you, Bonci says. People could be selective with what they have, saying, OK, Im no good with apples, but Im alright with a pear. Or grapes dont work for me, but Im OK with having a little bit of a banana.’
Keep a symptom journal to track which foods and which amounts seem to give you diarrhea. Its the best way to figure out which eats might be causing you problems. Remember, different foods affect people differently.
You could also try an elimination diet if you think certain foods might be triggering your symptoms, stop eating them one at a time, and see how that makes you feel.
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When To Visit The Doctor
Stomach bugs are very often caused by viruses and common culprits include norovirus and rotavirus. Generally, these pesky pathogens cause irritation and inflammation of the lining of your stomach, also known as gastritis, which can give rise to symptoms such as:
- stomach cramps
As your immune system works hard to fight off the virus, you can also experience a fever and aching muscles and joints, which are also common symptoms of other types of viruses too, such as the flu virus.
Luckily, unlike some other viruses, those which cause a tummy bug can often be eradicated fairly quickly and many people experience a 24 hour bug, by which time your immune system has shunned the invader and your symptoms start to ease. If your symptoms persist for longer, however, or you experience any of the following symptoms, its time to go to the doctor:
- Blood in your vomit or poo
- Signs of serious dehydration including stopping peeing, dry mouth or eyes
- A high temperature or fever
- Swollen or painful tummy
- Vomiting that hasnt subsided after 24 hours.
A note on children: if its a child that your worried about, much of the same advice stands with regards to keeping them hydrated and trying them out with some bland or binding foods. However, watch out for the warning signs as mentioned above and get them to the doctor if their symptoms dont seem to be subsiding.
Role Of The Brat Diet
If have experienced chronic diarrhea, you have probably been advised to try the BRAT diet. This stands for: Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Toast.
These foods slow down the intestines and decrease how often you have bowel movements. The BRAT Diet is not very nutritious and should not be used for a long period of time.
As a starting point, here are some extreme diet changes that are not recommended:
- Do not avoid all fiber,
- Do not limit your diet to only liquids,
- Do not cut out all liquids , and
- Do not exclude foods with sodium and potassium. These are important electrolytes that can become low when you have diarrhea.
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