How Do You Treat Diarrhea (BRAT Diet Method)?
• Drink clear fluids – broth, water and juices – for the first twelve hours of your diarrhea. • Follow the BRAT diet – bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Green bananas are best for diarrhea. • Try to eat bland foods, such as chicken and Jell-O. • Limit insoluble fibers. Insoluble fibers are called “insoluble” because they do not dissolve in water. Insoluble fibers accelerate the movement of food through the GI tract. Soluble fibers, such as pectin (found in applesauce), slow the movement of food through the GI tract by forming a gel when combined with water. Soluble fibers have a property called viscosity, and fibers with a higher viscosity are more beneficial for diarrhea. • Try some yogurt. If the diarrhea is not caused by antibiotics, yogurt with live cultures is often helpful to restore the balance in your digestive tract. Often the cause of antibiotic-related diarrhea is an overgrowth of the clostridium bacteria, and “good” bacteria often help keep that in check. Eliminate food
• Drink clear fluids – broth, water and juices – for the first twelve hours of your diarrhea. • After 12 hours of liquids only, follow the BRAT diet – bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. • Green bananas are best for diarrhea. • Plain toast is a good idea as this will further dilute and absorb up the tainted fluids that are stored up in your stomach. • Limit insoluble fibers. Insoluble fibers are called “insoluble” because they do not dissolve in water. Insoluble fibers accelerate the movement of food through the GI tract. Soluble fibers, such as pectin (found in applesauce), slow the movement of food through the GI tract by forming a gel when combined with water. Soluble fibers have a property called viscosity, and fibers with a higher viscosity are more beneficial for diarrhea. • Eliminate foods that might be contributing to your diarrhea, such as high-fructose foods, sugar-free foods sweetened with sugar alcohols, and dairy products. Dairy products may worsen diarrhea in people who
