Should you eat when have diarrhea?
- Eating can help to nourish your body and give it the energy it needs to recover. While it is important to avoid certain types of foods that may worsen your symptoms, you should not completely avoid eating.
- Certain foods, such as probiotics and bland, easy-to-digest foods, can help to improve the symptoms of diarrhea. Probiotics are live microorganisms that can help to improve the balance of good and bad bacteria in your digestive system. Bland, easy-to-digest foods can help to reduce irritation in your digestive tract and make your diarrhea less severe.
- Avoiding food for too long can lead to dehydration and other complications. Diarrhea can cause you to lose a lot of fluids and electrolytes, which can lead to dehydration. Eating can help to replace these lost fluids and electrolytes and prevent dehydration.
However, there are some foods that you should avoid eating when you have diarrhea:
- Foods that are high in fiber. High-fiber foods can bulk up your stool and make it more difficult to pass.
- Foods that are spicy or fatty. Spicy and fatty foods can irritate your digestive tract and worsen your symptoms.
- Dairy products. Dairy products can worsen diarrhea in some people.
- Caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine and alcohol can dehydrate you and worsen your symptoms.
It is important to eat small, frequent meals when you have diarrhea. This can help to reduce the risk of dehydration and malnutrition. You should also drink plenty of fluids to replace the fluids that you are losing through diarrhea.