Foods That Stop Diarrhea: Your Dietary Guide to Recovery

Dealing with diarrhea can be uncomfortable and disruptive. While it’s not something anyone wants to experience, knowing what to eat can significantly ease your symptoms and help you recover faster. It’s important to understand that no food will instantly halt diarrhea, but a strategic diet can help settle your stomach and firm up your stools. This guide, crafted by foods.edu.vn’s culinary experts, will walk you through the best foods to eat and avoid when diarrhea strikes, ensuring you’re on the path to recovery with every bite.

What to Eat When Diarrhea Occurs

When diarrhea hits, your digestive system becomes sensitive, and choosing the right foods is crucial. A temporary dietary shift focusing on bland and easily digestible options can make a world of difference. The goal is to minimize digestive stress while providing essential nutrients and aiding in stool solidification. Eating smaller, more frequent meals rather than large ones can also be beneficial, reducing the strain on your gut.

Here’s a list of foods generally well-tolerated and recommended during diarrhea:

White Bread or Toast: Easily digestible and low in fiber, white bread and toast are gentle on your stomach.
Clear Broth: Provides hydration and electrolytes without irritating your digestive system.
Coconut Water: A natural source of electrolytes, helping to replenish those lost due to diarrhea.
Plain Pasta: Simple, cooked pasta is easy to digest and provides carbohydrates for energy.
White Potato (peeled): Peeled and boiled or baked white potatoes are bland and help bind stools.
Bananas: Part of the classic BRAT diet, bananas are easily digestible and a good source of potassium.
White Rice: Plain white rice is another binding food that’s gentle on the stomach.
Canned Pears: Canned fruits like pears, without skin and syrup, are easier to digest than fresh fruit.
Farina (milled wheat): A hot cereal that’s easy to digest and often fortified with vitamins.
Applesauce: Provides pectin, a type of fiber that can help solidify stools.
Eggs (soft-cooked): Soft-cooked eggs are a good source of protein and are easily digestible.
Low-Fat Yogurt: Yogurt with live cultures can help restore beneficial gut bacteria, but ensure it’s low-fat and dairy-free if lactose intolerance is a concern.
Chicken Breast (skinless): Lean, skinless chicken breast is a good source of protein and is easily digestible when boiled or baked.
Saltine Crackers: These simple crackers can help settle your stomach and are easy to digest.
Decaffeinated Tea (weakly brewed): Herbal teas like chamomile or ginger, weakly brewed, can be soothing.
Pretzels: Plain pretzels offer salt and are easily digestible.

:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1362018331-421af41f689448a097a47a2101157885.jpg)

Foods to Avoid When Experiencing Diarrhea

Just as important as knowing what to eat is understanding what to avoid. Certain foods can aggravate diarrhea symptoms and prolong your discomfort. Steering clear of these items will give your digestive system the break it needs to recover.

Here’s a list of foods and drinks you should avoid during a bout of diarrhea:

Dairy (except yogurt): Most dairy products, except for low-fat yogurt with probiotics, can be difficult to digest due to lactose, potentially worsening diarrhea.
Fried, Fatty, or Spicy Foods: These are hard to digest and can irritate your digestive system, stimulating bowel movements.
Whole Grains: High in insoluble fiber, whole grains can speed up digestion and worsen diarrhea.
Nuts and Seeds: Also high in fiber and fat, nuts and seeds can be difficult to digest during diarrhea.
Beans and Legumes: These can cause gas and bloating, further disrupting your digestive system.
Raw Vegetables: Raw vegetables are harder to digest than cooked ones and can exacerbate diarrhea.
Corn: Difficult to digest and can contribute to gas and discomfort.
Onion and Garlic: These can irritate the digestive tract and cause gas.
Potato Chips: High in fat and salt, potato chips offer little nutritional value and can upset your stomach.
Sugar-Free Candy: Artificial sweeteners like sorbitol, xylitol, and erythritol can have a laxative effect.
Cabbage and Broccoli: Cruciferous vegetables known to cause gas and bloating.
Dried Fruit: High in fiber and concentrated sugars, which can worsen diarrhea.
Nut Butters: High in fat and fiber, making them harder to digest.
Carbonated Drinks: Can cause gas and bloating, and the fizziness can be irritating.
Coffee: Caffeine can stimulate bowel movements and dehydrate you further.
Citrus Fruit and Juice: Acidic fruits can irritate the digestive system.
Alcohol: Can dehydrate you and irritate your stomach and intestines.

The Power of Specific Foods in Managing Diarrhea

Let’s delve deeper into why some of these recommended foods are particularly helpful when you have diarrhea:

Bananas and Applesauce: These are often recommended together as part of the BRAT diet for good reason. Bananas are gentle on the stomach, easy to digest, and a great source of potassium, an electrolyte often lost during diarrhea. Applesauce, especially compared to raw apples, is beneficial because cooking softens the fiber and it contains pectin. Pectin is a soluble fiber known to help bind stools and reduce diarrhea symptoms.

Certain Boiled or Steamed Vegetables: While raw vegetables can be problematic, cooked vegetables are much easier to digest. Boiling or steaming vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and squash after peeling them and removing seeds makes them gut-friendly. It’s best to avoid cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower during diarrhea, as they are known to produce gas and bloating.

Grains (Refined): Easily digestible grains like farina and oats (soluble fiber) can be beneficial. Refined wheat products like white bread, plain pasta, saltine crackers, and pretzels are also recommended. These refined grains are low in fiber and help in binding stools. It’s important to avoid whole grains, nuts, and seeds during diarrhea, as their higher fiber content can worsen symptoms.

Yogurt and Kefir (Low-Fat): While most dairy is discouraged, low-fat yogurt with live and active cultures can be beneficial. These probiotic-rich foods help restore the balance of good bacteria in your gut, which can be disrupted during diarrhea. Kefir is another probiotic-rich dairy option. However, it’s essential to choose low-fat versions and monitor tolerance, as lactose in dairy can sometimes aggravate diarrhea.

Lean Meats: Plain, white-meat chicken, prepared without skin, sauces, or heavy spices, is a good source of protein and easily digestible. Lean cuts of turkey, beef, pork, and fish are also acceptable. Avoid fatty meats, gravies, mayonnaise, butter, and spicy seasonings, as these can be harder to digest. Fatty red meats and processed meats, high in saturated fat, should also be avoided.

Ice Pops and Popsicles: These can be a great way to stay hydrated, especially for children. Electrolyte pops, like Pedialyte freezer pops, are even better as they provide hydration and electrolytes with low sugar content. Avoid ice cream, pudding, and other rich, sugary frozen treats. Also, be mindful of artificial sweeteners in frozen treats, as they can have a laxative effect.

Hydration is Key: Drinks to Help with Diarrhea

Maintaining hydration is paramount when you have diarrhea, as your body loses fluids and electrolytes. Water is essential, but you can also incorporate other beneficial drinks:

Plain Water: The most basic and essential fluid for hydration.
Coconut Water: Naturally rich in electrolytes like potassium, sodium, and magnesium, making it excellent for rehydration.
Electrolyte-Rich Sports Drinks: These can help replenish lost electrolytes, but choose low-sugar options to avoid further stomach upset.
Bone Broth: Provides hydration and electrolytes, along with easily digestible nutrients.
Weakly Brewed Tea (Decaffeinated): Herbal teas like chamomile, ginger, or peppermint can be soothing and provide hydration.
Kefir: As mentioned, provides probiotics and hydration.

Drinks to avoid during diarrhea include:

Caffeinated Coffee and Tea: Caffeine can stimulate bowel movements and worsen dehydration.
Sodas: High in sugar and can cause gas and bloating.
Alcohol: Dehydrates and irritates the digestive system.
Carbonated Drinks: Can cause gas and discomfort.
Extremely Hot or Cold Drinks: May irritate the sensitive digestive system.

Benefits of Following a Diarrhea Diet

Adhering to a diarrhea diet offers several key benefits. It helps to bind watery stools, giving your bowels a chance to rest and recover. It also aids in replenishing lost fluids and restoring electrolyte balance, crucial for bodily functions. The diet focuses on foods high in soluble fiber, like bananas, potatoes, and refined wheat, which absorb fluid in the gut, slowing down digestion and solidifying stools. Conversely, it restricts insoluble fiber found in whole grains and certain fruits, which can speed up digestion and worsen diarrhea.

This dietary approach is intended for short-term management of occasional diarrhea and can also provide relief during flare-ups of chronic conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Diarrhea Diets for Children

For infants and young children with diarrhea, dehydration is a significant concern. Children dehydrate more quickly than adults. If your child has additional symptoms like fever, vomiting, or diarrhea lasting more than a couple of days, or if they are an infant, it’s essential to consult a healthcare provider.

For mild diarrhea in children, the advice often is to continue their regular diet while possibly reducing dairy milk intake. For more significant diarrhea or vomiting, electrolyte solutions are recommended in small sips. Breastfed babies or those on formula should usually continue their normal feeding. Always seek medical advice if you are concerned about your child’s diarrhea, especially for infants under 3 months with a fever.

It’s worth noting that while the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) was once commonly recommended for children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) no longer recommends it due to the risk of nutritional deficiencies. They emphasize that there isn’t sufficient evidence to support this restrictive diet for children.

Diet Modifications and Potential Side Effects

While a diarrhea diet is generally safe for short-term use in older children and adults, prolonged use can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Symptoms of this can include fatigue, paleness, weakness, breathing difficulty with exertion, cold sensitivity, depression, and even high blood pressure. If symptoms don’t improve within a couple of days, or if they worsen, consult a healthcare provider. Anti-diarrheal medications like loperamide (Imodium A-D) might be considered, but always under medical guidance, as they are not suitable for all conditions, especially certain bacterial infections.

As your symptoms improve, typically within a few days, you can gradually reintroduce other foods back into your diet over a week or two.

Other Bowel-Friendly Diets

The principles of a diarrhea diet overlap with other diets used for managing chronic bowel conditions or for pre- and post-surgical dietary needs.

Low-Fiber Diet: This diet restricts fiber intake to around 10-15 grams per day, significantly less than the recommended daily intake. It’s used to manage diarrhea and requires careful selection of fiber sources.

Low-Residue Diet: Similar to a diarrhea diet but with stricter limitations, often used before or after procedures like colonoscopies. It further restricts dairy intake and focuses on minimizing undigested material in the colon.

Low-FODMAP Diet: FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates that can trigger digestive issues. A low-FODMAP diet restricts these, often found in grains, beans, and legumes. It’s less restrictive than some other low-fiber diets and may be a good transition diet after a diarrhea diet.

In Summary

For occasional diarrhea, dietary changes focusing on bland, binding foods and ample hydration are often effective. The diarrhea diet is a short-term strategy to ease symptoms and allow your digestive system to recover. Always consult a healthcare provider for persistent or severe diarrhea, especially in children.