What to Eat for Diarrhoea?

In the past when met with such encounter, the only thing I know will be to pop charcoal pill or the Chinese equivalent (Po Chai Pills) which I always packed with me wherever I go.

But when you are in foreign land, even after popping medicine, you still need to figure out your proper meals. Thus when xL suddenly say her stomach upset, and we were looking at the weekly fruit box (client’s workplace delivered fruits every Monday), and she chose a banana (as usual haha), I was wondering, is it alright to consume when one has an upset stomach.

Which leads me to my findings on… what can one eat for diarrhoea?

The basic BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast) is a good start.

Bananas
Bananas are easy to digest and are often one of the first foods given to babies (who simply by their young nature have sensitive stomachs). The high level of potassium in bananas helps to replace electrolytes that may be lost by severe bouts of diarrhoea. Bananas are also rich in pectin, a soluble fibre that helps to absorb liquid in the intestines and thus move stool along smoothly. Bananas also contain a good amount of inulin, another soluble fibre. Inulin is a prebiotic, a substance that promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria (probiotics) in the intestinal system. Thus one can safely say that bananas are filling without upsetting your stomach.

White Rice and Mashed Potatoes
Due to their low-fiber content, these starches are easily digested way up high in the GI tract. Eat your rice and potatoes plain; butter has a high fat content, which could be irritating to your system and contribute to intestinal cramping.

Applesauce
Like bananas, apples are a good source of pectin. However, the high fibre in raw apples makes them too rough for a dicey intestinal system. Cooking the apples makes them easier on your system to digest, thus allowing you to benefit from the pectin, sugar and other nutrients that lie within.

White Toast and Crackers
When your intestines are acting normally, it is important to eat whole-grain products. When you are experiencing acute diarrhea, however, it is better to turn to processed wheat foods. The removal of the outer husk of the grains in these foods results in easier digestion. As an added bonus, the salt (sodium) in crackers will be beneficial in terms of restoring the electrolyte balance.

And it is advisable to avoid the..

Tomatoes
The lycopene in tomatoes is a tremendous nutrient that you should be getting on a regular basis, but the acidity in this fruit can aggravate an already upset tum. Hmm ok this is probably something I must remember because if there is something I never fail to buy every week, they are the tomatoes.

Source:
about.com
ezinearticles.com