What to eat and drink and what to not, for diarrhea?

That list is a pretty good guide, and makes sense and is easily followed. Do you disagree with it?

Drink LOTS of water.

Some of the pictures weren’t clear to me. I’d always been told the BRAT diet was the best when recovering from stomach or bowel problems – bananas, rice, applesauce and toast (without butter.) Flat ginger ale or flat coke are good for nausea.

I’ve found that adding a little tomato juice to the rice gives it some flavor and the saltiness can help when you’re trying to replace all the liquid you’re losing.

Also if the diahrrea is really severe colloidal Bentonite will usually begin working right away. You can find it at health food stores. The name is Sonnes
Number 7. Just follow the directions and don’t take too much. It’s an extremely absorbent powder and works very well.

I would add stay away from leftover Christmas turkey and dressing in the new year, even if it has been refrigerated.

That list is close to what I was always told. The only things I never thought to eat was apple sauce or canned fruit. Usually, I go with bananas, toast, pretzels, baked potatoes, pasta, rice, or crackers; plain meats like chicken or pork only seasoned with salt, or very simple spices, nothing spicy; chicken broth, and ginger ale if your stomach feels irritated or upset.

I avoid spicy food, acidy foods, dried fruits, and dairy. Also, don’t take magnesium supplements until it resolves.

I would only add that a mixture of fresh squeezed ½ lemon mixed with ginger powder paste with warm water twice a day really helps calm down the volcanic activity in the bowels. Also rehydrating with an electrolyte drink…think Gatoraide or a sugar, salt, homemade concoction will help avoid becoming dehydrated.

If you have to be up out and about taking an OTC product like Imodium will help.

Thanks everyone!

Do number 13 14, (17 prunes? Prunes is for constipation isn’t it?)18 make sense? http://www.everydayhealth.com/digestive-awareness/what-to-eat-when-you-have-diarrhea.aspx Not according to this site. I don’t know either site.

What is number 15?
Is number 16 bubble gum?

@flo Yes, they make sense as food to NOT eat when one has diarrhea. That’s why they are flagged as foods to avoid. And it is consistent with the foods identified as ones not to eat on your second link.

@zenvelo— Is it saying to avoid for example dry toast,( number 5) crackers (number 6)?

@flo I found a suggestion of actually burning your toast and scraping the charred crust into a beverage and consuming that as the active carbon in the burnt crust can assist in cleansing out the offending bacteria that has commandeered your digestive tract. All these suggestions depends on how bad you want it all to finally stop.

@flo No. It says what to eat (#‘s 1 12) including dry toast and simple plain crackers, and what to avoid, (#‘s 13 20) including gum and sweets and high fiber fruits like prunes.

Avoid OILY foods and drink lots of fluids. Eat more vegetables and eat less meat or foods high in fats and protein.

@Cruiser Really? Burnt food carcinogen they say.

@zenvelo It starts with “Food for diarrhea.” it continues and ends with “Food for diarrhea”.
I didn’t happen to have read the text which I thought had to do with the advertisement.

@flo The information I read is activated charcoal is effective at absorbing unwanted ‘stuff’ in the digestive tract chiefly employed to facilitate the removal of the offending bacteria in your gut that is causing the diarrhea. They suggested that if you do not have the activated charcoal you can make your own by burning the toast and scraping off the charred crust.

I am no expert but the carcinogenic charred stuff you may be referring to is charred proteins like burnt meats of which the charred fats have been thought to have carcinogenic qualities.

@Cruiser You’re right I remember having read that about the meat. Thanks.

When having diarrhea, it is wise not to drink any milk and not to eat greasy or oily food.

Bentonite achieves the same goal as the charcoal from the burnt toast (absorbing all the excess liquid generated) but it is so much more effective.

@jamesruesch @citizenearth Yes. That’s why some of them on the list of 22 “Food for diarrhea” didn’t make sense to me.
@Buttonstc I like your tomato juice on the rice tip best. Most likely people have those in the house already.

Yeah, plain rice, even with salt is still pretty bland. And you don’t really want to be adding butter to it since it’s fat.

With the tomato juice it’s like a quickie cheapo version of Spanish rice (sort of…)