Foods for a Post-Diarrhea Diet

When you're recovering from diarrhea, you need to choose your food carefully. Many people stick to the BRAT diet. This is a bland diet that includes bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. No one can live on the BRAT diet forever, though.

Diarrhea can have many causes, from a virus to a condition like diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). No matter the cause, you need to make sure you're getting the right nutrients. This means moving beyond the BRAT diet.

This article discusses some of the foods you can eat while recovering from diarrhea. It also offers some tips for staying hydrated.

The BRAT Diet

The BRAT diet has long been used as a home remedy for diarrhea. Research, however, suggests it may not be good for all people, especially children.

Limiting your diet to bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast can quickly deprive you of much-needed energy and important nutrients, including:

• Fat
• Protein
• Fiber
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B12
• Calcium

Should You Eat Fiber After You've Had Diarrhea?

You may have heard you should avoid fiber when you have diarrhea. This is not necessarily true.

There are two different types of fiber:

• Soluble fiber can be dissolved in water. It ferments readily in the colon. This type of fiber can be prebiotic. This means it acts as food for healthy bacteria in the stomach. It also delays the speed at which stools pass through and exit the body.
• Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in the body. Instead, it absorbs water as it passes through the digestive tract. This softens and loosens stools.

When recovering from diarrhea, focus on foods with soluble fiber, like oatmeal. This will help the good bacteria in your intestines recover while building more solid stools.

Breakfast Foods

You can keep eating bananas, applesauce, and toast while you recover. It is also important to include some protein and probiotic foods. Probiotic foods like yogurt contain healthy microorganisms.

Safe breakfast items include:

• Crisp rice cereal
• Eggs boiled or scrambled with minimal butter or oil
• Oatmeal, cream of wheat, farina, or rice porridge
• Plain, low-fat yogurt with live bacterial cultures
• Pancakes or waffles without syrup
• Unflavored rice cakes

Note that you'll need to choose pancakes or waffles that do not contain fully or partially hydrogenated oils, which are unhealthy fats.

Lunch and Dinner Foods

Focus on increasing your protein intake during lunch and dinner. Avoid eating too much fat. You can also add certain carbohydrates to bind watery stools.

Safe food options include:

• Canned tuna packed in water, not oil
• A small portion of lean chicken, turkey, or pork
• Chicken broth
• Crackers
• Salty pretzels
• Plain pasta or noodles
• Sandwich on white bread with lean lunch meat
• Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or winter squash
• A small portion of carrots, green beans, mushrooms, beets, asparagus tips, or peeled zucchini
• A vegetable soup made with the ingredients listed above

Avoid eating whole grains while you recover.

The Low FODMAP Diet

If your diarrhea is related to IBS, a low-FODMAP diet may help. This diet restricts certain carbohydrate-containing foods.

The acronym comes from the names of simple sugars that are hard for your body to absorb:

• FO: Fermentable oligosaccharides, found in foods like wheat, onions, and garlic
• D: Disaccharides, lactose-containing foods like milk, yogurt, and ice-cream
• M: Monosaccharides, found in honey and some fruits
• A: And
• P: Polyols, found in some fruits and sweeteners

Unlike the BRAT diet, you can stay on the FODMAP diet longer. It's intended to help identify the foods that trigger your symptoms, so you can avoid them and add back the others on the list above. It's important to work with a dietitian to make sure you're getting the right nutrition.

Hydration Tips

Diarrhea causes the rapid depletion of water from your system. It also depletes electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals your body needs for many functions.

To compensate for this, you will need to keep replacing fluids. This is true even if you are having a hard time keeping them down.

If you have a loose bowel movement, drink at least one cup of fluid right afterwards. Water is best, but you can also drink a sugar-free sports drink. This will help replace lost electrolytes.

As your stomach gets stronger, you'll need to increase your water intake. Aim for between eight and 10 glasses of clear fluid per day. Water is the best choice.

Non-caffeinated, herbal teas are great for soothing stomachs. Avoid caffeinated drinks, though. This includes coffee, tea, and soda. Carbonated water may help reduce queasiness, but avoid fizzy sodas or sugary drinks. These can make diarrhea worse.

Summary

It is important to get enough nutrients while you're recovering from diarrhea. A strict BRAT diet will not give you all the nutrients you need.

You can eat fiber while you're recovering, as long as it's soluble fiber. Add some protein to your breakfast and eat probiotic foods like yogurt. Avoid other dairy products. Increase your protein intake during lunch and dinner. Avoid fats and whole grains. 

If your diarrhea is related to IBS, talk to a dietitian about a low-FODMAP diet.

It is important to stay hydrated while you recover. Drink a cup of water every time you have a loose bowel movement. Work up to eight to 10 glasses of water a day.