If you’ve ever suffered with the pain and discomfort of diarrhea, then you’ll know just how difficult it can be to deal with. The good news is that while you should always seek help from a doctor if your diarrhea is persistent, you can also learn which foods you can eat to stop diarrhea to keep your discomfort to a minimum.
Remember, occasional diarrhea is very common and something that can affect a lot of people for a range of reasons. For instance, you might have diarrhea if you eat something that disagrees with you, or if you struggle with an allergy. However, if you get diarrhea regularly, this could be a sign that you have a more significant condition like irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn’s disease that needs to be addressed by your doctor.
What Is Diarrhea Anyway?
Before you learn which foods you can eat to stop diarrhea, it’s worth learning a little more about what diarrhea actually is. The simple description is that diarrhea is a bowel movement that’s generally more liquid than it is solid, or comes with a loose texture. This is a common problem, and something that often occurs multiple times in a year. Usually, diarrhea lasts for no longer than three days at a time, but if it persists you should always speak to your doctor, as ongoing diarrhea can result into dehydration.
Sometimes, diarrhea comes with additional symptoms like fever, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal cramps or bloating besides the need to frequently go to the bathroom.
The Foods You Can Eat to Reduce Symptoms:
When you need to learn which foods you can eat to stop diarrhea, the first thing you need to be aware of is that you should eat plenty of simple and bland foods that are easy to digest and could help you to absorb the additional water in your stool. Typically, the best bet is to stay away from any food that could further irritate your digestive system. Bland foods are often best, and may include:
- Bread or toast
- Hot cereals
- Boiled potatoes
- Plain rice
- Unseasoned crackers
- Bananas
- Apple sauce
In certain circumstances, foods that contain probiotics such as kefir and yogurt can be helpful, but in other circumstances they could irritate the digestive system even further. Probiotics can help with digestion by improving the bad and good bacteria balance in your stomach which helps to enhance the health of your stomach’s microbiome.
Remember to Stay Hydrated:
When you learn which foods you can eat to stop diarrhea, it’s important to remember that staying hydrated is crucial too. Liquids will be critical to your recovery and people who get diarrhea need to drink plenty of water during the day. However, it’s worth noting that your body also loses electrolytes and crucial vitamins through diarrhea, so you should attempt to drink plenty of liquids that are rich in minerals and vitamins too, such as soup broths, sports drinks, and coconut water. If you are unable to drink much, you should contact your doctor immediately.
