When you have diarrhea, the best foods are bland, low-fiber, and easy to digest: white rice, bananas, plain toast, boiled potatoes, brothy soups, and eggs. These foods are gentle on your gut and help firm up loose stools. You don’t need to starve yourself or stick to water alone. In fact, eating sooner rather than later gives your body the nutrients it needs to recover, and there’s no evidence that early refeeding causes complications or makes diarrhea last longer.
The BRAT Diet and Beyond
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These four foods became the go-to recommendation because they’re low in fiber and easy on the stomach. They still work well for the first day or two, but there’s no reason to limit yourself to just those four items. A broader range of bland foods will keep you better nourished while your gut heals.
Good options include:
- Starches: white rice, boiled potatoes, oatmeal, cream of wheat, plain crackers, unsweetened dry cereal
- Fruits: bananas, applesauce, canned peaches or pears
- Proteins: skinless chicken or turkey, fish, eggs
- Soups: clear chicken, vegetable, or beef broth
- Other: cooked carrots, sweet potatoes (without skin), cooked squash like butternut or pumpkin, creamy peanut butter, avocado, gelatin
These foods are all bland and easy to digest, but they also contain protein, potassium, and other nutrients your body needs to bounce back. Bananas are especially helpful because they’re rich in potassium, which you lose quickly during diarrhea. White rice and toast provide simple carbohydrates for energy without irritating your digestive tract.
Why Soluble Fiber Helps
Not all fiber is the same when you have diarrhea. Soluble fiber, found in foods like oatmeal, bananas, and applesauce, absorbs water in your gut and turns into a gel-like substance. This slows digestion and helps bulk up loose stools. Insoluble fiber does the opposite: it speeds food through your digestive system and can make things worse. Raw vegetables, whole grains, bran, nuts, and seeds are high in insoluble fiber and best avoided until you’re feeling better.
Foods That Make Diarrhea Worse
Some foods actively pull water into your intestines or speed up digestion, which is the last thing you need. Knowing what to skip matters just as much as knowing what to eat.
Dairy. Milk, ice cream, and soft cheeses contain lactose, a sugar that many people already struggle to digest. During a bout of diarrhea, your gut’s ability to process lactose drops further. Hard cheeses and yogurt are usually better tolerated.
Fatty and fried foods. When your body can’t absorb fats properly in the small intestine, they pass to the colon, where they’re broken down into fatty acids that trigger fluid secretion. Greasy burgers, fried chicken, creamy sauces, and rich curries can all worsen symptoms.
Sugar and fructose. Sugars stimulate your gut to release water and electrolytes, loosening bowel movements. Fructose is one of the biggest culprits. It’s naturally high in peaches, pears, cherries, and apples, and it’s added to sodas, juice drinks, and many processed foods. People who consume more than 40 to 80 grams of fructose per day often develop diarrhea even when they’re healthy.
Artificial sweeteners. Sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol (found in sugar-free gum, candy, and some medications) are poorly absorbed and can have a laxative effect.
Caffeine. Coffee, caffeinated tea, chocolate, and most sodas speed up your digestive system. Switch to decaf tea or plain water while you’re recovering.
Spicy foods. Beyond potentially masking high fat content, very spicy foods can cause burning and irritation in the rectum during frequent bowel movements.
Gas-producing foods. Onions, garlic, beans, lentils, chickpeas, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage belong to a group of poorly digested sugars called FODMAPs. These ferment in the gut, producing gas and drawing in water, which worsens diarrhea and cramping.
Staying Hydrated
Dehydration is the most immediate risk with diarrhea. Your body loses water and electrolytes with every loose stool, and replacing them matters more than food in the first several hours. Water is a good start, but it doesn’t replace lost sodium and potassium. Clear broths, diluted apple or grape juice, and oral rehydration solutions (available at any pharmacy) are better choices.
Signs of dehydration to watch for include excessive thirst, dry mouth, dark-colored urine, little or no urination, dizziness, and severe weakness. In children, look for no wet diaper in three or more hours, no tears when crying, or unusual sleepiness.
Probiotics Can Shorten Recovery
Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria found in yogurt, fermented foods, and supplements, can meaningfully reduce how long diarrhea lasts. A large Cochrane review found that probiotics shortened the average duration of diarrhea by about 30 hours and reduced the risk of diarrhea persisting past three days by roughly a third. The strain Lactobacillus GG showed particularly strong results, especially for diarrhea caused by rotavirus in children, cutting stool frequency on day three from an average of two episodes down to less than one. Saccharomyces boulardii, a beneficial yeast available in supplement form, has also shown effectiveness in clinical trials.
If you want to try probiotics, look for products that list specific strains on the label. Yogurt with live active cultures is a gentler option if you tolerate dairy reasonably well.
When to Start Eating Normally Again
You don’t need to wait days before reintroducing regular foods. Research from Cochrane found no benefit to delaying normal eating for 20 to 48 hours after rehydration compared to eating right away. Early refeeding didn’t increase the need for medical treatment or raise the risk of persistent diarrhea.
A practical approach: stick to the bland foods listed above for the first one to two days. Once your stools start to firm up and cramping fades, gradually add back more nutritious options like cooked vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains. If a food triggers another round of loose stools, pull back and try again in a day or two. Most cases of acute diarrhea resolve within two to three days on their own.
For adults, diarrhea that lasts more than two days without improvement, a fever above 102°F, bloody stools, or signs of dehydration that don’t respond to fluids warrants medical attention. For children, the threshold is lower: call a doctor if symptoms haven’t improved within 24 hours.