Diarrhea Can Lead To Dehydration

How to stop diarrhea?

Diarrhea can be controlled by a good control on the dietary intake and measures which keep the digestive tract clean and active.

Diarrhea refers to frequent liquid bowel movements which create a feeling of unpleasantness in the stomach. The disorder is often treated with home remedies and medications but severe diarrhea where the patient does not receive treatment on time (especially in developing countries) may lead to death. In fact, diarrhea is regarded as the second most common cause of infant death worldwide.

Diarrhea can lead to dehydration and if treatment is not given on time the disease can become life threatening.


Diarrhea can lead to more serious diseases in the long run such as cholera, dysentery and botulism. Hence timely treatment for diarrhea is very much essential.

Bratty Diet And Steps To Stop Diarrhea 

In most cases diarrhea gets resolved on its own. You must take proper rest and drink plenty of fluids to prevent further dehydration.


If the condition is not serious, a couple of home remedies will do the trick. The most common home remedy that can be followed is following the BRATTY diet. BRATTY stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, tea, and yogurt.


Your doctor may advice you to stick to this diet so that the intestines get bulked up.   

The BRATTY diet is recommended by doctors for children and infants as well. As a result the virus and the bacteria pass away through excreta and are replaced by the so called good bacteria. The doctor may suggest an antibiotic as well.


Herbal tea or green tea is given to children. Green tea has excellent health benefits and has low amounts of caffeine. 

Bananas can be eaten directly or they can be sliced. Applesauce is good as it contains pectin; a soluble fiber which will naturally reduce diarrhea by binding stools and providing bulk.

The BRAATY diet is low in protein and hence it is advisable to have yogurt.

Regular intake of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of fiber can actually help to bulk up bowel movements and reduce diarrhea. Soluble fiber is very beneficial in diarrhea. Those who have irritable bowel syndrome are particularly encouraged to eat at last the RDA of dietary fiber daily. If unable to consume that much fiber, fiber supplements are readily available to help supplement a healthy diet.

You can also drink sports drinks like Gatorade which helps to replenish lost electrolytes and keeps the disease at bay.

Diarrhea Diet

A diarrhea diet is simply that which is used to alleviate diarrhea. Diarrhea is essentially a condition that is characterized by frequent bowel movements as well as watery stools. Diarrhea can be a very uncomfortable condition, and one which causes a lot of malaise. Although very common, diarrhea can be dangerous to health because it causes huge loss of nutrition as well as hydration from the body. People, who suffer from diarrhea, are at a high risk of suffering from dehydration as well. Controlling diarrhea usually includes controlling the resultant dehydration. Diarrhea is usually indicative of an underlying condition and is not a disorder in itself. Diarrhea can indicate many possible problems such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, dysentery, food poisoning, diverticulitis, infection, lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, gardiasis, ulcerative colitis, malabsorption, viral gastroenteritis, and gastritis.

There are many other causes of diarrhea, some of which may be very severe, like stomach cancer. While a diarrhea diet for adults or children for controlling diarrhea is a valid treatment, the first step towards the treatment is to replenish the body of all lost fluid. Since diarrhea can cause dehydration, it is recommended that you consume lots of fluids to replenish the fluid balance as well as the electrolyte balance of your body. The diet to control diarrhea includes foods that replenish the salts and minerals that replenish the electrolyte balance of the body. A diet for diarrhea in adults therefore consists of a lot of fluids, broths, soups, soft fruits, mineral water, and fruit juices. Apart from the foods to control diarrhea, it is also suggested that till the time the symptoms of the diarrhea subside, you should avoid drinking caffeine, alcohol, and milk products.

Undiluted fruit juices, soft drinks, fried and fatty foods, and sweetened cereals should be completely avoided. Among the foods that control diarrhea are eggs and soft and bland foods. Do not consume any foods that may delay the emptying of your bowels. If a food item is high in simple sugars, it can aggravate diarrhea. There are some foods that have an effect on intestinal contractions; these can make the symptoms of diarrhea even worse. Therefore, all these foods should be avoided.  Bratty diet, which is the extension of the brat diarrhea diet, is also recommended by most nutritionists and doctors. In the brat diet, you can eat bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. The bratty diet is an extension of the brat diet, and in this, you can eat bananas, rice, applesauce, tea, toast, and yogurt. There are some specific diarrheas that require specific nutrition. For instance, if you have lactose intolerance, you need to avoid milk products or any other products that contain lactose.

A diarrhea diet for adults usually consists of soft foods and fluids. However, heavy foods like cream soups should be avoided as they can only make the diarrhea worse. In case the diarrhea is caused due to malabsorption, infection or food poisoning, the condition could continue till the underlying cause of the diarrhea is treated. In case you experience diarrhea for more than 16 hours, it is best if you pay your doctor a visit. This can help you get requisite treatment. As the condition improves, you can begin adding other bland diet foods. Boiled potatoes, cooked carrots, dry crackers, and baked chicken are some of the things that can be consumed when you have diarrhea. This can help you control diarrhea to quite an extent. Cereals and yogurt can also be included gradually into the diet.

A lot of people wonder does yogurt stop diarrhea. Although yogurt does not contribute to controlling diarrhea naturally, it can help soothe the stomach. Once the diarrhea has ceased completely, you can start going back to your normal diet. Once your diarrhea is gone, you may have to take some precautions in your diet. Though you do not need to consume foods that control diarrhea any more, you will need to have soft and bland foods for a few days till your body recovers from the cause of the diarrhea. You will have to pay attention to your diet in the initial few days after experiencing diarrhea. The “control diarrhea diet” after you stop passing loose stools includes soft and bland foods that are easy to digest. Avoid foods that cause flatulence, cramping, and discomfort. The diet for diarrhea in adults will apply for a few more days after the initial symptoms have passed.

A diarrhea diet for babies is much like that for adults. Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, decaffeinated weak tea, sparkling water, dry cereal, oatmeal, plain rice, wheat pasta, pretzels, crackers, ginger snaps, plain toast, and chicken soup are some of the foods that can be eaten immediately after the episodes of loose stools are over. A diarrhea diet for children and toddlers is also pretty much similar to that for adults. However, since children are young and their bodies are very small, they may get dehydrated very quickly. It is therefore important that you keep them hydrated so that their hydration as well as electrolyte balance does not drop below normal. Give them frequent meals and do not let them go hungry. However, ensure that these meals are spaced apart so that the child does not experience fullness and discomfort. This will also give the body time to digest a meal properly and absorb and replenish all the lost nutrients.

The diarrhea diet for kids can be modified a little according to the preference of the kids. However, keep them off finger foods and fast foods till they are completely healthy. Resting is also a good idea because high levels of activity can only intensify the loss of hydration. Diarrhea diet treatment is not a very long one. However, in case you have an underlying condition that needs treatment, the treatment may become a little extended.  Diarrhea diet for toddlers and kids trumps medications in many ways. The most important thing is that a diarrhea diet is an all natural way of controlling the symptoms of the condition. Diet is also all natural and does not cause any side effects.