Diarrhea can be impacted by your dietary choices. Here are some tips that may help slow down your stools, or replace lost fluids.

  • Choose beverages with sodium and potassium, such as sports drinks, to replace lost minerals
  • Tell your RD if you’re taking herbs or dietary supplements (some cause diarrhea)
  • Sip warm liquids slowly throughout the day
  • Eat small meals and snacks regularly to avoid giving your digestive tract too much food at once
  • Snack on dry, salty foods like saltine crackers or dry toast
  • Eat well-cooked, peeled fruits and vegetables. You can add them to soups or smoothies to break down insoluble fiber for easy digestion
  • Eat plain yogurt with live active cultures – avoid other dairy products
  • Eat more soluble fiber, like oatmeal or oat bran, bananas, and applesauce (avoid beans – they can worsen symptoms)
  • Keep the acronym BRAT in mind when thinking of foods to manage your diarrhea: Bananas, Rice, Apple Sauce, Toast

Foods to avoid while you’re having diarrhea:

  • Hard-to-digest foods like popcorn, corn, raw vegetables
  • “Gassy” vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, leeks, etc.)
  • Spicy foods
  • Greasy and fried foods
  • Alcohol
  • Caffeine
  • Carbonated beverages
  • Sugary foods and drinks

Note: Any food with a lot of flavor, cream, and grease will trigger diarrhea symptoms.

Movement while you have diarrhea:

Exercise is almost always recommended, except when you have diarrhea. Movement may actually trigger your need to use the restroom and cause more loose stools. Move slowly and remember that it’s OK to be stationary when you’re suffering from diarrhea. Adjust your diet and try over-the-counter meds and/or prescription meds to slow down your stools so you can resume physical activity.