In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat Causes Diarrhea?Symptoms of DiarrheaBest Foods to EatFoods to AvoidWhat to DrinkWhen to See Your Health Care Provider
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
What Causes Diarrhea?
Symptoms of Diarrhea
Best Foods to Eat
Foods to Avoid
What to Drink
When to See Your Health Care Provider
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Photo: Getty Images / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Diarrhea is no fun, especially if you’re not near a bathroom. What can you do tohelp slow the flowwhen diarrhea strikes? And are there anyfoods that helpor hurt? That depends, saysDavid Katz, M.D., M.P.H., former director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University. Katz 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.
What the Appearance of Your Poop Can Tell You about Your Health
Acute Diarrhea
According to theNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, acute diarrhea typically lasts just a few days. Food poisoning is often the culprit, although other things—the flu, parasites and even some antibiotics and other medicines—can send you racing for the nearest bathroom. If you’re visiting a place where the food or water is contaminated, you may get struck with travelers' diarrhea, even if people who live there are unaffected.
Chronic Diarrhea
Besides having runny, watery poop, you may feel cramping,stomach pain, nausea or bloating. And depending on the cause, you may also have a fever or chills.
Most likely, you aren’t going to feel like eating much, especially if you have stomach cramping or pain. With acute diarrhea, the key is getting over whatever caused the problem in the first place, which usually means waiting things out. In this case, “food isn’t the solution,” says Katz.
Once you are ready to try food, go easy. For years, many experts recommended the BRAT diet—bananas, rice, applesauce and toast—all soft, bland foods once touted as easy on kids' tummies. It was also thought that the low fiber content of BRAT could help firm up the poop. However, while it probably won’t hurt you, “there’s not much evidence to support it,” notes Katz.
If you have chronic diarrhea, what you eat—and don’t eat—can help. “Adjusting your diet will make the biggest difference in chronic diarrhea,” says Katz. Cut out foods you seem to be sensitive to, like milk or nuts, for a while, and then gradually add them back. Your doctor may suggest keeping a “diarrhea diary” to track which foods seem to trigger your symptoms.
Once your appetite returns, be kind to your stomach.
Sip water—lots of it—to replace the fluids you’re losing out of the other end. How do you know if you’re drinking enough? Use the pee test.
In general, you should pee at least every three hours, and the urine should be a pale straw color. “If you don’t need to pee or if your pee is dark, you need to drink more,” advises Katz. Just about any food will help replace lost electrolytes, but if you don’t feel like eating, Katz recommends drinking something with sodium and potassium, like a sports or pediatricelectrolytes drink—just watch out for the added sugar.Seltzer watercan be a great choice as well.
Get medical help right away if you have diarrhea along with a fever or severe stomach pain, or if you feel too sick to drink anything. You want to rule out any serious problems like diverticulitis (an inflammation or infection in the colon) or appendicitis, says Katz. Otherwise, see your health care provider if you don’t start to feel better in a day or two. If you have had chronic diarrhea for more than three or four weeks, call your health care provider so they can investigate the cause of it.
Diarrhea is no fun, but here’s the good news: It usually clears up on its own in a few days. Give yourself time to rest and recover, and your poop problems will soon be, well, behind you.
Here’s Why Your Body Only Wants to Poop at Home, According to a Doctor
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