what to eat when getting over the stomach flu

Verywell / Zorica Lakonic

When you're recovering from diarrhea, you need to cull your food advisedly. Many people stick to the Deviling nutrition. This is a banal diet that includes bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. No one can alive on the BRAT diet forever, though.

Diarrhea can have many causes, from a virus to a status like diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). No matter the crusade, you lot need to make sure yous're getting the right nutrients. This means moving beyond the Brat diet.

This article discusses some of the foods you can eat while recovering from diarrhea. It also offers some tips for staying hydrated.

Verywell / Laura Porter

The BRAT Diet

The BRAT diet has long been used as a dwelling house remedy for diarrhea. Research, however, suggests it may not be proficient for all people, especially children.

Limiting your diet to bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast tin chop-chop deprive you of much-needed energy and important nutrients, including:

• Fat
• Protein
• Fiber
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B12
• Calcium

Should You Consume Fiber Later You've Had Diarrhea?

You may accept heard you should avoid fiber when you lot accept diarrhea. This is not necessarily true.

There are 2 different types of fiber:

• Soluble cobweb can be dissolved in water. It ferments readily in the colon. This type of fiber can be prebiotic. This means information technology acts every bit nutrient for healthy bacteria in the tummy. It also delays the speed at which stools pass through and exit the torso.
• Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in the body. Instead, information technology absorbs h2o as it passes through the digestive tract. This softens and loosens stools.

When recovering from diarrhea, focus on foods with soluble fiber, like oatmeal. This volition aid the good bacteria in your intestines recover while building more solid stools.

Epitomize

It is okay to eat soluble fiber after you've had diarrhea. This cobweb dissolves in water and can help slow the speed at which stools leave your body.

Breakfast Foods

You lot can keep eating bananas, applesauce, and toast while you lot recover. It is also of import to include some protein and probiotic foods. Probiotic foods like yogurt incorporate healthy microorganisms.

Safe breakfast items include:

• Well-baked rice cereal
• Eggs boiled or scrambled with minimal butter or oil
• Oatmeal, cream of wheat, farina, or rice porridge
• Manifestly, low-fat yogurt with alive bacterial cultures
• Pancakes or waffles without syrup
• Unflavored rice cakes

Note that you'll need to choose pancakes or waffles that do not comprise fully or partially hydrogenated oils, which are unhealthy fats.

Y'all tin can have a small amount of nonfat milk with your cereal. Otherwise, avoid information technology. With the exception of yogurt, dairy tends to contribute to diarrhea symptoms.

Except for bananas and absurdity, you should also avoid eating fruit. This includes fresh apples.

Lunch and Dinner Foods

Focus on increasing your protein intake during lunch and dinner. Avoid eating too much fat. You can besides add certain carbohydrates to bind watery stools.

Safe food options include:

• Canned tuna packed in water, not oil
• A small portion of lean chicken, turkey, or pork
• Chicken goop
• Crackers
• Salty pretzels
• Plain pasta or noodles
• Sandwich on white bread with lean dejeuner meat
• Mashed potatoes, sugariness potatoes, or winter squash
• A small portion of carrots, dark-green beans, mushrooms, beets, asparagus tips, or peeled zucchini
• A vegetable soup made with the ingredients listed above

Avert eating whole grains while you recover.

White rice is good for treating diarrhea, but avoid whole grains similar:

• Barley
• Chocolate-brown rice
• Bulgar
• Millet

These foods tin make diarrhea worse.

The Depression FODMAP Diet

If your diarrhea is related to IBS, a low-FODMAP nutrition may help. This diet restricts sure carbohydrate-containing foods.

The acronym comes from the names of elementary sugars that are difficult for your torso to blot:

• FO: Fermentable oligosaccharides, institute in foods like wheat, onions, and garlic
• D: Disaccharides, lactose-containing foods like milk, yogurt, and ice-cream
• M: Monosaccharides, found in honey and some fruits
• A: And
• P: Polyols, found in some fruits and sweeteners

Unlike the Brat diet, you tin can stay on the FODMAP diet longer. It'southward intended to help identify the foods that trigger your symptoms, and so y'all can avoid them and add back the others on the listing higher up. It'south important to piece of work with a dietitian to brand certain yous're getting the right nutrition.

Recap

If your diarrhea is related to IBS, talk to a dietitian about the low-FODMAP diet. This nutrition limits certain kinds of sugars that are hard for your body to absorb.

Hydration Tips

Diarrhea causes the rapid depletion of h2o from your system. Information technology besides depletes electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals your body needs for many functions.

To compensate for this, you will need to keep replacing fluids. This is true fifty-fifty if you lot are having a hard time keeping them down.

If you have a loose bowel movement, drink at least one cup of fluid right subsequently. Water is all-time, but y'all can also drink a sugar-free sports drink. This will assist supercede lost electrolytes.

As your stomach gets stronger, you'll demand to increment your water intake. Aim for between eight and x glasses of articulate fluid per mean solar day. H2o is the all-time choice.

Non-caffeinated, herbal teas are great for soothing stomachs. Avoid caffeinated drinks, though. This includes java, tea, and soda. Carbonated water may help reduce queasiness, but avoid fizzy sodas or sugary drinks. These can make diarrhea worse.

Recap

It is very important to stay hydrated during and later a bout of diarrhea. Brand certain to drink at least one cup of water subsequently every loose bowel movement.

Summary

It is of import to get enough nutrients while you're recovering from diarrhea. A strict Brat diet will not requite you all the nutrients you need.

You can eat cobweb while yous're recovering, as long every bit information technology'due south soluble fiber. Add some poly peptide to your breakfast and swallow probiotic foods like yogurt. Avoid other dairy products. Increase your protein intake during lunch and dinner. Avoid fats and whole grains.

If your diarrhea is related to IBS, talk to a dietitian most a low-FODMAP diet.

It is important to stay hydrated while yous recover. Drink a loving cup of water every time y'all have a loose bowel movement. Piece of work upwardly to eight to 10 glasses of water a day.

Frequently Asked Questions

• When tin I resume my normal diet afterward having diarrhea?

  A good rule of thumb is to await until you've passed a normal, soft, formed stool. At that bespeak, yous should be able to become back to eating normally.

• Are there foods I shouldn't swallow after I have diarrhea?

  At kickoff, steer clear of:

  • Fried foods
  • Fruits and vegetables that can make you gassy, similar prunes and broccoli
  • Alcohol
  • Caffeine
  • Carbonated beverages

  Limit your intake of milk products, too. Y'all'll exist able to resume eating these foods once yous start having normal bowel movements.

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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to back up the facts inside our articles. Read our editorial process to larn more well-nigh how we fact-check and go along our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Additional Reading

• Churgay C, Aftab Z. Gastroenteritis in children: part II. prevention and direction. Am Fam Physician. 2012;85(xi):1066-1070.

• Nanayakkara Westward, Skidmore P, O'Brien 50, et al. Efficacy of the low FODMAP nutrition for treating irritable bowel syndrome. Clin Exper Gastroenterol. 2016;ix:131-42. doi:10.2147/CEG.S86798

• Shiller L, Sellin J. Chapter 16: Diarrhea. In: Feldman M, Friedman 50, Brandt L, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran'due south Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease (10th Edition).

  Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Saunders; 2016.

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Source: https://www.verywellhealth.com/diarrhea-nutrition-1944666

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