When you have diarrhea, you can eat most bland, low-fiber foods: white rice, bananas, toast, boiled potatoes, plain chicken, oatmeal, and well-cooked vegetables like carrots and green beans. The goal is to choose foods that are easy to digest, replace lost nutrients, and help firm up your stool without making things worse. You don’t need to starve yourself or limit your diet to just a few items.
Why the BRAT Diet Isn’t Enough
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s fine for a day or two, but those four foods don’t give you the protein, fat, or full range of nutrients your body needs to recover. A better approach is to think of BRAT as a starting point, then expand to other bland foods that are equally gentle on your stomach but more nutritionally complete.
Foods That Help Firm Up Your Stool
Soluble fiber is your best friend during a bout of diarrhea. It absorbs water in your gut and forms a gel-like material that slows digestion and adds bulk to loose stools. Good sources include oatmeal, bananas, applesauce, peeled apples, carrots, and barley. These are all mild enough to eat even when your stomach feels fragile.
Starchy, refined foods also help because they’re low in insoluble fiber (the roughage type that speeds things through your system). Stick with:
- White rice or plain pasta made with refined flour
- White bread, crackers, or toast
- Boiled or baked potatoes without the skin
- Hot cereals like Cream of Wheat or plain oatmeal
For protein, go with lean, simply prepared options: skinless chicken breast, white fish, or eggs. Bake, steam, or boil them rather than frying. Protein helps your body repair the gut lining and keeps your energy up while you recover.
Vegetables and Fruits to Choose
Raw vegetables are generally too tough on your digestive system right now. Cooked, peeled, and soft vegetables are a much better choice. Carrots, green beans, and potatoes that have been well-simmered, steamed, or stewed are all safe options. Cooking breaks down the fiber so your gut doesn’t have to work as hard.
For fruit, bananas are the easiest pick. Applesauce works well too because the cooking process breaks down the fiber while preserving pectin, a type of soluble fiber that helps thicken stool. Avoid dried fruits, berries with seeds, and raw fruits with tough skins until you’re feeling better.
What to Avoid Until You Recover
Certain foods and drinks actively pull water into your intestines or speed up your digestion, which is exactly what you don’t want right now.
- Caffeine speeds up your digestive system and can make diarrhea worse. Skip coffee, energy drinks, and strong tea.
- Sugar alcohols like sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol (common in sugar-free gum, candy, and some medications) stimulate the gut to release water and electrolytes, loosening bowel movements further.
- Fatty and greasy foods are harder to absorb. When undigested fat reaches your colon, it gets broken down into fatty acids that trigger your colon to secrete fluid, worsening diarrhea.
- Dairy products can be a problem because diarrhea sometimes temporarily damages the cells in your small intestine that produce lactase, the enzyme that digests milk sugar. This means even people who normally tolerate dairy fine may develop short-term lactose intolerance after a stomach bug. Yogurt is often better tolerated than milk because the fermentation process pre-digests some of the lactose.
- Alcohol irritates the gut lining and promotes dehydration.
- Raw vegetables, whole grains, and high-fiber cereals contain insoluble fiber that can push food through your system too quickly.
How to Eat: Small Meals, Not Big Ones
Aim for six or more small meals throughout the day instead of three large ones. Smaller portions are easier for your irritated digestive system to handle. Eat slowly, and if something feels like it’s making things worse, set it aside and try again later.
As you start feeling better, gradually reintroduce foods you’ve been avoiding. There’s no strict timeline, but most people can return to a normal diet within a few days. If you were sticking to a very restrictive diet like BRAT, try to expand beyond it within one to two days so you’re getting enough nutrition to support recovery.
Staying Hydrated Matters More Than Food
The biggest risk from diarrhea isn’t what you eat. It’s dehydration. Every loose stool pulls water and electrolytes out of your body, and replacing those is more urgent than any food choice. Drink water steadily throughout the day. Broth and diluted electrolyte drinks are helpful because they replace sodium and potassium alongside the fluid.
Watch for signs that dehydration is getting ahead of you: dark-colored urine, urinating much less than usual, extreme thirst, dizziness, or skin that stays tented when you pinch and release it. In children, look for a dry mouth, no tears when crying, sunken eyes, or no wet diapers for three hours. Severe dehydration needs immediate medical attention.
Probiotics Can Shorten Recovery
Certain probiotics may help your gut recover faster. The yeast-based probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii has the strongest evidence for acute diarrhea. A pooled analysis of clinical trials found it reduced the duration of diarrhea by roughly one day compared to no treatment. In one study of children, those who received S. boulardii recovered in about three days versus nearly five days for the control group. It’s available over the counter in capsule form at most pharmacies. Look for it by name on the label, since not all probiotic blends contain it.
Temporary Lactose Intolerance After Diarrhea
If dairy seems to bother you in the days or weeks after a bout of diarrhea even though you normally digest it fine, you’re likely dealing with secondary lactose intolerance. An intestinal infection can temporarily reduce your small intestine’s ability to produce lactase. This usually resolves on its own as the gut heals, but it can take time. In the meantime, try smaller amounts of dairy, choose fermented options like yogurt, or use lactose-free products until your tolerance returns.
Signs That Diarrhea Needs Medical Attention
Most cases of acute diarrhea resolve within a few days with rest, fluids, and a gentle diet. But some symptoms signal something more serious. Seek medical care if diarrhea lasts more than 24 hours without improvement, if you notice blood or black color in your stool, if you develop a fever of 102°F or higher, if you can’t keep fluids down, or if you feel confused or unusually drowsy.