Diarrhea Diet

Diarrhea, in simplest terms, can be defined as loose or watery stools occurring for more than two times in a single day. It is also one of the most common medical conditions experienced by people all over the world by adults and children alike. Diarrhea can be a symptom of some other underlying cause or a disease in itself. There are several reasons that lead to diarrhea; the most important being diet and dietary habits. Eating uncooked, precooked, or spoiled food may lead to mild or severe food poisoning, which is one of the major causes of diarrhea. Secondly, intolerance to certain foodstuffs, overeating, etc. may also result in diarrhea. Diarrhea needs to be treated immediately as severe diarrhea can be fatal due to severe dehydration. Have you heard of the diarrhea diet plan to treat this condition? Let us take a look at it in detail.

Diarrhea Diet Treatment

If a person experiences constant diarrhea, he should consult the doctor to check whether it is caused due to any other underlying condition like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), etc. If it is, one needs to follow a proper medical treatment for the same. If there is no serious cause, then one needs to check out the potential reason for frequent diarrhea. One should keep a diary and record the food eaten so as to find out the reason for diarrhea. If you wish to know how to stop diarrhea, then you should follow the following diarrhea diet.

Drink Water
As mentioned above, a person experiences severe dehydration when suffering from diarrhea, therefore, the first step in treatment of diarrhea is to prevent dehydration. It is essential to drink water to treat and prevent dehydration. On the other hand, in case of severe diarrhea, electrolytic fluids may also be consumed to treat the loss of electrolytes in the body (avoid sports drinks as they may contain high amounts of sugar).

BRAT or BRATTY diet
The BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) or BRATTY (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast, Tea and Yogurt) diet is one of the best diarrhea diet for children and adults. The BRAT diet plan for diarrhea was created by Debora Duro and Christopher Duggan in 2007. All the products mentioned in this diet have a binding effect on stools and hence should be consumed to prevent diarrhea. Bananas, applesauce are natural bulking agents and one of the best foods to stop diarrhea. Secondly, tea helps in replacing the lost fluids in the body and yogurt contributes to the proteins. Rice should be boiled and eaten with salt, do not mix vegetables or curry in it. One of the most important thing to note is that one should not replace any of the above mentioned ingredients with other substitutes. For e.g., do not replace applesauce with apples or apple juice as the latter act as laxatives. Once the diarrhea is under control, one can have potatoes, wheat, oat cereals, etc. in bland versions. The diarrhea diet for infants should include lactose-free products that gotten by doctor's prescription.

Foods to Avoid
There are also many foodstuffs in the diarrhea diet for adults and children that one needs to avoid completely. It is essential to avoid fibers in every form as they are natural laxatives. Therefore one should avoid eating vegetables and fruits when suffering from the diarrhea. Similarly, exclude nuts and seeds, corn, broccoli, spinach, legumes, peas, berries, etc. from the diet. Secondly, fatty and fried foodstuffs do not get digested quickly and may further upset the stomach. Lastly, canned or packaged foodstuffs; beverages like soft drinks, alcohol; gelatin containing desserts, jelly; apple juice, etc. should be completely excluded from the diarrhea diet. It is also advisable to prevent the intake of milk and milk products when suffering from diarrhea as it is one of the foods that cause diarrhea.

Once the diarrhea is under control, one can gradually come back to the normal diet. For example, one can begin with bland soups or broths first, bland cereals and rice for a day or two after suffering from diarrhea and later switch to the normal diet once the diarrhea stops completely. In case of people suffering from chronic diarrhea, they should avoid foodstuffs which are laxative in nature completely. For instance, if a person suffers from diarrhea after eating lactose containing foods, he should not include them in the diet ever. This is the only method of getting rid of chronic diarrhea.

This was brief information on diarrhea diet. Lastly, it is always advisable to consult the doctor if one experience loose motions for more than 3 times a day or experiences other symptoms like vomiting, nausea, headache, abdominal pain with it. Children, older people and pregnant women should follow the diarrhea diet only on doctor's recommendation. Take care!