Occasional Diarrhea

Judy Seybold, MS, RDN, LD, CLC
Chief Nutrition Officer

Eating foods with less fat, fiber, lactose, and sugar should help stop occasional diarrhea and help you feel better. The BRAT diet has been a longstanding recommendation for use after the onset of diarrhea: eating bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These foods are lower in fiber and can help make stools firmer. Bananas are rich in potassium and can also replenish lost nutrients from diarrhea.

If you have diarrhea more than three times a day and are not getting enough fluid, you can become dehydrated. To help prevent this, drinking liquids that contain salt and limited amounts of sugar help protect against dehydration. Salt slows fluid loss, and sugar helps with salt absorption. Over-the-counter rehydration solutions or just having chicken soup with saltine crackers can do the trick.

Contact your physician if diarrhea lasts longer than a few days. Work with a registered dietitian to help you get back to a healthy eating plan.

Healthy Eating Tips

  • Avoid caffeine
  • Eat a small meal or snack every 3 or 4 hours
  • Avoid spicy foods
  • Limit foods that contain lactose, sugar, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, and sorbitol
Chart showing recommended and non recommended foods for managing diarrhea

Adapted from Diarrhea Nutrition Therapy from Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics