
22 Foods that Help with Diarrhea
- White bread - Bread ...
- White rice - Rice is another excellent choice for low-fiber eating.
- Pasta - In particular, white pasta is what you should be looking for.
- Pancakes - There is some controversy surrounding the invention of pancakes, but it was probably around the 1st century by the Romans.
Full Answer
What should I eat when recovering from diarrhea?
While recovering from diarrhea, a person should eat bland, simple foods that are easy to digest and will help absorb some water from the stool. People with diarrhea should eat bland foods, as spicy or complex foods can irritate the bowels.
What happens if you eat when you have diarrhea?
You might think that eating will make your diarrhea worse, but your food choices can help to ease your symptoms and ensure your health doesn’t worsen as a result. The biggest danger with a short bout of diarrhea is dehydration, or the loss of water and nutrients from the body’s tissues.
Does mother really know best for diarrhea?
In this case, Mother really does know best. Here’s another bit of good advice from Mom for treating diarrhea – eat the BRAT diet: bananas, rice (white), applesauce and toast. When your health is good, physicians usually recommend whole-grain, high-fiber foods.
What foods should I avoid if I have diarrhea?
Soluble fibers, such as the pectin found in apples and bananas, can actually help a person recover from diarrhea, but a person should still try to limit their intake at least for the first day of symptoms. Carbonated or fizzy drinks should be avoided, as they can irritate the digestive system and make the symptoms of diarrhea worse.

Can see undigested food in diarrhea?
The presence of undigested food could indicate food is passing too quickly through the digestive tract and not being properly digested. See your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms: changes in bowel habits, such as loss of bowel control. persistent diarrhea.
Why do I see undigested food in my poop?
Sometimes, you may see undigested food fragments in stool. This usually is high-fiber vegetable matter, which usually isn't broken down and absorbed in your digestive tract. At times, undigested food is a sign of poor chewing and fast eating. Make sure that you chew your food well.
Is it possible for food to go right through you?
If you are eating a meal and very shortly afterward you need to use the bathroom, the cause is usually the gastrocolic reflex. The gastrocolic reflex is a reflex that stimulates contractions in the colon that can lead to using the bathroom shortly after eating a meal.
How quickly does food go through you with diarrhea?
Generally, it takes about 2 to 5 days from eating for food to pass through your body as stool, estimates the Mayo Clinic.
Why do I get diarrhea straight after eating?
If a person experiences diarrhea within hours of eating, they may have food poisoning. Symptoms such as diarrhea can occur in as little as a few hours from eating the bad food. It is also possible that a person may have an undiagnosed case of IBS, so they should talk with their doctor if symptoms persist.
How do you know if your food isn't digesting?
Gastrointestinal issues like nausea, vomiting, bloating, and stomach pain are some of the most common symptoms of slow digestion. Other symptoms may include loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss, or feeling full after eating only a small amount.
What is the fastest food can pass through you?
The quickest to digest are processed, sugary junk foods like candy bars. Your body tears through them in a matter of hours, quickly leaving you hungry again.
Can diarrhea alone be Covid?
That's because diarrhea is the body's way of quickly disposing of viruses, bacteria, and toxins from the digestive tract. In fact, a study reported in The American Journal of Gastroenterology found that diarrhea was the first and only COVID-19 symptom experienced by some patients.
What causes explosive bowel movements?
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.
What happens in your stomach when you have diarrhea?
Diarrhea occurs when the contents in your digestive system move so quickly through the digestive system that the intestines don't have enough time to absorb the fluids, or when the digestive system produces extra fluid. The result is stools that contain excess fluids, making them loose and watery.
Does diarrhea make you lose weight?
Diarrhea is usually caused by bacterial infections or stress and lasts several days. It can become dangerous when it lasts for weeks or more because it encourages water loss in the body. People with diarrhea can lose a lot of weight if they've been sick for a while, but they're losing mostly water weight.
Is diarrhea a symptom of anxiety?
Can anxiety cause diarrhea? As well as affecting how a person feels mentally, anxiety can also have physical effects. A common physical manifestation of anxiety is stomach upset, including diarrhea or loose stools.
What causes food not to digest?
A damaged vagus nerve can't send signals normally to your stomach muscles. This may cause food to remain in your stomach longer, rather than move into your small intestine to be digested. The vagus nerve and its branches can be damaged by diseases, such as diabetes, or by surgery to the stomach or small intestine.
What does malabsorption poop look like?
Fat malabsorption Fatty stools are greasy and runny and particularly smelly. They may be light-colored and float. Fat malabsorption also leads to the malabsorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K).
How do you prevent undigested food in stool?
Treating undigested food in stoolEat smaller meals to allow your digestive tract to efficiently process your food.Chew your food thoroughly.Drink lots of water to promote hydration.Consume foods with low-fiber. ... Avoid gas forming foods such as beer, cabbage, and carbonated drinks.Limit caffeine.
What foods should I eat if I have diarrhea?
People with diarrhea should eat bland foods, as spicy or complex foods can irritate the bowels. Bland foods that may help with diarrhea include: hot cereals, such as oatmeal, cream of wheat, or rice porridge. bananas. applesauce. plain white rice. bread or toast. boiled potatoes. unseasoned crackers.
How to help a person with diarrhea?
Home care. People with diarrhea should also ensure they get enough rest, as putting the body in stressful situations while dealing with diarrhea may make matters worse. Limit physical activity while diarrhea symptoms are presenting, as strenuous activity may put the body at a greater risk of dehydration.
Why should I stick to bland foods?
Spicy ingredients can act as irritants in the digestive system. This is why people dealing with diarrhea should stick to bland foods, as they pose the least risk of agitating the digestive system.
How often does diarrhea disappear?
Most people will experience an episode of diarrhea at least once or twice a year that will disappear in a couple of days. Luckily, there are many foods to eat that may help a person reduce the symptoms of diarrhea. There are also some foods to avoid when dealing with a bout of diarrhea, and some additional home care tips to consider.
How long does diarrhea last?
It is a common problem and may occur a couple of times each year. Diarrhea will usually last no more than 3 days. Soft, bland foods, such as toast, will help to absorb excess water and ease the symptoms of diarrhea.
What are the symptoms of diarrhea?
In addition to loose or runny stools, diarrhea is also associated with other digestive symptoms, including: cramps. abdominal bloating and pain. a bubbly feeling in the intestines. an urgent need to have a bowel movement. nausea. vomiting. fever.
Can you drink coffee with diarrhea?
Share on Pinterest. 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.
What is the best diet for diarrhea?
There is a diet out there called the BRAT diet, which stands for Bananas, Rice, Apples, and Toast. It is all about eating soft and bland foods when dealing with diarrhea. It's a pretty basic diet but the foods recommended are good choices.
Is diarrhea easy to get rid of?
Diarrhea is probably easier to avoid in the first place than to get rid of once you already have it . The easiest way to do so is simply to eat a well-balanced diet that seems healthy… Generally speaking you want to have lots of colors in your meals and avoid things that are overly spicy, sugary or acidic.
Is fiber bad for diarrhea?
Not all fiber is a bad choice during a time of diarrhea, but generally speaking it is best to avoid it and eat foods that don't contain too much. These include things like…
Can oranges cause diarrhea?
We all know that oranges and some of the other citrus fruits are extremely good sources of vitamin C. However, they will not be listed here due to their acidity, which can increase stomach irritation and just lead to more diarrhea in some cases. The same goes for tomatoes.
How to recover from a diarrheal infection?
Another way to help your gut recover from a diarrheal infection is to consume probiotics — a food or dietary supplement that contains live bacteria, which replaces or adds to the beneficial bacteria usually found in the gastrointestinal tract.
How often do you get diarrhea?
Eat the right foods to ease your symptoms and discomfort. Most of us experience diarrhea a couple of times a year, whether it’s from a bacterial infection, a food allergy or simply something you’ve eaten that disagrees with you. Diarrhea usually is not serious and often disappears within a day or so. Advertising Policy.
What happens if you have diarrhea three times a day?
The biggest danger with a short bout of diarrhea is dehydration , or the loss of water and nutrients from the body’s tissues. You could become dehydrated if you have diarrhea more than three times a day and aren’t drinking enough fluids. Dehydration can cause serious complications if it isn’t treated.
How to prevent dehydration?
The best way to guard against dehydration is to consume liquids that contain salt and sugar, says digestive disease specialist Donald Kirby, MD, Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition. The salt slows down the fluid loss, while the sugar helps your body to absorb the salt.
Can bananas help with diarrhea?
Bananas also are high in potassium and help to replace nutrients your body has lost because of diarrhea. Dr. Kirby says you also can add oatmeal, boiled or baked potatoes (peeled), or baked chicken with the skin removed. Advertising Policy. “These are simple foods that people often tolerate very well,” Dr. Kirby says.
Can you drink yogurt with diarrhea?
While it’s wise to avoid dairy products when you have diarrhea, Dr. Kirby says, there’s one notable exception — yogurt or kefir, a fermented milk drink, that contain probiotics. These can restore the beneficial bacteria that your body flushes out with diarrhea.
Does salt help with diarrhea?
The salt slows down the fluid loss, while the sugar helps your body to absorb the salt. “We tend not to want people to have salt in general, but when you’re having significant diarrhea, you want to make sure you’re getting salt and enough sugar to keep out of the emergency room,” Dr. Kirby says. Advertising Policy.
What to eat when you have diarrhea?
While you're still having diarrhea, stick to peeled, plain potatoes instead. Avoid broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, peas, green leafy vegetables, and corn, as they tend to cause gas . Grains: Hot cereals like farina are easy to digest and fortified with nutrition. As you recover, you may want to add oatmeal as well.
Why is diarrhea important?
Having diarrhea causes your body to lose a lot of water, and preventing dehydration is especially important to your wellbeing when you are following the diarrhea diet. Babies, young children, and the elderly are especially at risk.
What is a low-residue diet?
A low-residue diet is similar to a diarrhea diet, but with additional limitations. It's usually prescribed temporarily when you are preparing for or recovering from a procedure such as a colonoscopy . One of the main considerations when on a low-residue diet is the restriction of dairy products.
How to get rid of diarrhea from potatoes?
Make them into a more diarrhea diet-friendly option by peeling them, removing any seeds, and cooking them thoroughly. The skin of a baked potato is nutritious, but it may contain more fiber than your system is up for handling. While you're still having diarrhea, stick to peeled, plain potatoes instead.
What to do if you can't drink water after diarrhea?
If you aren't feeling any better after a couple of days of following the diarrhea diet, call your doctor. If you can’t drink enough fluid, get a high fever, see blood in your stool, or are experiencing severe pain, go to the emergency room.
How many loose stools can you have in a day?
Comparison to Other Diets. Diarrhea, or having more than three loose or watery stools per day, can happen for a variety of reasons. While it’s uncomfortable and unpleasant, diarrhea can usually be managed at home with rest, plenty of fluids, and the easily digested foods that make up the diarrhea diet.
Does eating a diet help with diarrhea?
If you have diarrhea and other symptoms (like nausea, abdominal cramping, and bloating), temporarily following a limited diet of easily digested foods reduces stress on your digestive system and gives your bowels a chance to rest, so you can recover.
What to do when you have diarrhea?
When you have diarrhea, it is important to replenish fluids lost from those repeated bowel movements, so drink up. 5 .
What fruits cause diarrhea?
Dried fruits (apricots, prunes, raisins) If you think your system is up to eating some fruit, you may want to try blueberries, strawberries, honeydew or cantaloupe melon, and/or pineapple. 5 Foods That Can Cause Diarrhea.
What foods can cause a reaction to a system that is already sensitized?
Foods with high-fat content can speed up intestinal contractions and cause a reaction to a system that is already sensitized, almost guaranteeing further trips to the john. 2 Thus you will want to avoid foods like: Better choices include lean protein, like white meat chicken or turkey, or broth-based soups.
Does carbonation cause diarrhea?
Alcohol, Caffeine, and Carbonated Beverages. For healthy individuals, beverages containing alcohol, caffeine, and carbonation do not generally cause diarrhea. However, each has the potential to be a GI irritant, and thus are probably best avoided until your system returns to normal. 4 .
Is it okay to eat when you have diarrhea?
It is important to know what to eat for diarrhea. But it is just as important to know what not to eat when you have diarrhea. The last thing you would want to do is to make matters worse by eating foods that could potentially aggravate your stomach or cause you to have even more intestinal spasms. Doing so could lead to more misery.
Can you eat food that has been washed and stored?
Whether you have diarrhea or not, you should always make sure that you only eat food that has been safely washed, prepared and stored. Foods that are not safely prepared and stored put you at risk for a serious gastrointestinal illness. 6
What does it mean when you see food particles in your stool?
If you notice the food particles in your stool much sooner, this could indicate that stool is passing more quickly than usual. Stool should be easy to pass. It shouldn’t feel hard or dry. While the appearance of stool can vary from person to person, the general appearance of stool should be soft and brown in color.
What does it mean when you have undigested food?
The presence of undigested food could indicate food is passing too quickly through the digestive tract and not being properly digested. See your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms: changes in bowel habits, such as loss of bowel control. persistent diarrhea. unexplained weight loss. blood in the stool.
Why is my stool undigested?
The most common cause of undigested food in stool is fibrous food. While the body can break down most foods, fiber remains largely undigested. However, eating fiber can be beneficial, because it adds bulk to the stool. Stool that’s bulkier stimulates the walls of the intestines to move. This helps propel food material forward for digestion.
What is stool test?
This test involves collecting a sample of stool and sending it to a laboratory for evaluation. The test may look for the presence of blood, fat, or undigested food materials.
What are some examples of high fiber food particles that often remain largely undigested?
This helps propel food material forward for digestion. Examples of high-fiber food particles that often remain largely undigested include: beans. corn. grains, such as quinoa. peas. seeds, like sunflower seeds, flax seeds, or sesame seeds.
Why is my pancreas not breaking down food?
The pancreas may not be making enough enzymes to properly break down food particles. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This condition may be caused by an overly sensitive colon. Lactose intolerance. In this condition, your body doesn’t have enough of the lactase enzyme to digest lactose, a carbohydrate lactose.
Why does my body eat corn?
Corn is an especially common culprit for undigested food in stool. This is because corn has an outer shell of a compound called cellulose. Your body doesn’t contain enzymes that specifically break down cellulose. However, your body can break down the food components that are inside corn.
What to eat when you have diarrhea?
The following diet tips may help control diarrhea. People with diarrhea should include binding foods such as bananas, plain white rice, applesauce and white toast while they have active episodes of loose stools. Drink plenty of water or low- sugar beverages to replace the fluids lost from diarrhea. Drink plenty of clear liquids ...
What are the symptoms of diarrhea?
Symptoms associated with diarrhea are cramping, abdominal pain, and the sensation of rectal urgency. Causes of diarrhea include viral, bacterial, or parasite infection, gastroenteritis, food poisoning, and drugs. Absorbents and anti-motility medications are used to treat diarrhea.
What causes diarrhea in travelers?
Travelers' diarrhea is generally contracted by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. Food is the primary source of travelers' diarrhea. Enterotoxigenic E. coli is the cause of up to 70% of all cases of travelers' diarrhea. There are five unique classes of E. coli that causes gastroenteritis. Other bacteria responsible for travelers' diarrhea include Campylobacter, jejuni, shigella, and salmonella. Viruses such as rotavirus and Norwalk virus (norovirus) and giardia lamblia a parasite may cause travelers' diarrhea. Prevention is careful eating and drinking of water.
Why does diarrhea occur in the colon?
In practical terms, diarrhea develops when there is a larger-than-normal amount of water in the stool. When your digestive tract is healthy, processed food from the stomach and small intestines proceeds to the colon. In the colon, water is absorbed from the remaining waste matter until a solid stool is formed.
How to get rid of diarrhea fast?
Drink plenty of water or low- sugar beverages to replace the fluids lost from diarrhea. Drink plenty of clear liquids and electrolyte beverages such as water, clear fruit juices, coconut water, oral rehydration solutions and sports drinks. These drinks help replenish fluids and electrolytes in the body. Add plain yogurt, buttermilk and kefir ...
What foods are high in potassium?
High-potassium foods include apricots, avocado, bananas, canned tomatoes, oranges, pears, potatoes and sweet potatoes (especially baked) and tomato juice. High-sodium foods include broth or bouillon, canned soup, salty snacks (chips, crackers, pretzels), seasoned rice and pasta packets. Applesauce is an awesome aid to get your stomach back in ...
What to do when you have a stomach ache?
Try some ginger tea bags or simply grate fresh ginger into some hot water with lemon and sip it. Ginger is an anti-spasmodic and is considered very good for soothing an unsettled stomach. Chicken soup is also a classic choice when people are ill.
How long does it take for diarrhea to appear after eating a contaminated food?
Diarrhea is one of the most commony sypmtom of food poisoning. It may begin within hours or take days—sometimes weeks —to appear after eating contaminated food. Complications of diarrhea include dehydration, electrolyte (mineral) abnormalities, and irritation of the anus.
How long does it take for diarrhea to start after eating?
E. Coli is a very common cause of food-borne diarrhea. It is carried by foods contaminated by feces and symptoms including diarrhea (sometimes bloody) begin 3-4 days after the food is consumed. Campylobacter is a bacterium carried by animal feces. Eating contaminated meat or dairy leads to diarrhea and other symptoms starting at around 2-10 days.
What causes diarrhea in meat?
The bacteria Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens cause diarrhea that begins 8-16 hours after ingesting contaminated meats, gravy, stews, precooked foods, and food not kept at proper temperatures. Listeria, is a bacterium that can be carried by unpasteurized dairy products or ready-to-eat deli meats. Diarrhea and other gastrointestinal ...
How long does it take for a staph to cause diarrhea?
Staphylococcus aureus causes diarrhea within 1-6 hours and can contaminate cream sauces, meats, and prepared salads. This bacterium can also spread person to person through droplets or hand contact. Noroviruses can cause diarrhea 12-48 hours after you’re exposed through contaminated raw fruits or vegetables, oysters, or by an infected food handler.
What foods can carry botulism?
Foods that can carry clostridium botulinum include improperly canned foods, fermented fish, and baked potatoes cooked in aluminum foil.
Why is it important to report food poisoning?
In case you are experiencing food poisoning symptoms, it is important to report it. It can help to detect & resolve outbreaks early and prevent others from being harmed, and it enables better surveillance.
Is food poisoning dangerous?
Most food poisoning does not cause serious disease, but a few types can be dangerous, especially for older people, those with other health conditions, and pregnant women and young children. While diarrhea is usually not more than an uncomfortable illness, it can lead to dehydration and further complications.
What tests are done to determine if you have a digestive disorder?
If a doctor suspects that a person has a digestive system condition, they may order the following diagnostic tests: a stool sample to look for blood and other abnormalities in the stool. blood tests to look for nutritional deficiencies or inflammation markers. endoscopy to look inside the upper digestive tract.
What causes undigested food in stool?
Medical conditions that can cause undigested food to appear in the stool include: Crohn’s disease. This condition is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract that can lead to severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, and malnutrition. Celiac disease.
Why does fiber appear in stool?
When a person eats high-fiber foods, it is common for some undigested material to appear in the stool because the body cannot fully break down the tough material. Fiber also speeds up a person’s bowel movements by adding bulk to the stool, which encourages the intestinal walls to move.
Why does milk cause bloating?
If a person’s digestive system is unable to break down the protein in milk and dairy, it may indicate lactose intolerance. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS is a common condition that affects the large intestine and causes bloating, pain, diarrhea, or constipation. A stomach bug, or gastrointestinal virus, may also cause undigested food in ...
Why is my stool undigested?
Medical conditions. While the most common cause of undigested food appearing in stool is fibrous foods, there are medical conditions that can result in whole or partially digested food in the stool. In these cases, a person often notices other symptoms, such as diarrhea or stomach pain. Medical conditions that can cause undigested food ...
What happens if food moves too quickly through the digestive system?
If food moves too quickly through the digestive system, it is more likely that some foods will be less fully digested. Certain foods are more likely than others to be partially digested and appear in the stool. These foods include: beans. seeds.
Why do I have a swollen stomach when I eat?
It may be the result of eating too fast or eating food with a high-fiber content. In situations where a person has other symptoms, including abdominal pain, weight loss, or changes in bowel habits and movements, they may have an underlying medical condition.

Benefits of A Diarrhea Diet
How It Works
- The foods in the diarrhea diet are simple because the idea is to give your body the break it needs. The diet may seem hard to follow, but it helps to know that you only need to stick with it temporarily. On the other hand, adding foods back too quickly may make your symptoms worse and your diarrhea last longer. You'll likely be making changes in ho...
Considerations
- Whenever you need to make changes to your diet, even if only temporarily, it’s important to consider how it will impact your life. Diarrhea usually isn't a long-term issue, but it can present some day-to-day challenges while you're dealing with it.
Dietary Restrictions
- If you follow a special diet due to a food allergy or prefer to avoid certain foods, you will need to consider that when looking for diarrhea-diet approved options. For example, if you usually buy gluten-free wheat bread, most brands also offer a version that is in the style of soft white bread. If you’re looking for gluten-free pasta, pay close attention to the ingredients. Many alternatives to t…
How It Compares to Other Diets
- The diet recommendations for recovering from a brief bout of diarrhea overlap with those of other diets that can be used to treat chronic bowel conditions, or help people before and after surgery.
Summary
- You'll be able to manage a bout of diarrhea on your own in most cases, but that means changing what you eat and drink for a few days. The diarrhea diet will help you to recover by choosing foods that are gentle on your system while still providing key nutrients and fluids.
A Word from Verywell
- At first, you may not mind being on a limited diet because you don’t feel well. If you’re tired and nauseated, then easily digested foods will be a comfort. But once you start feeling better, you may be eager to resume eating as usual. Pace yourself so diarrhea doesn't return, and you'll get back to life (and your favorite tasty foods) a lot faster.