The best things to eat during diarrhea are bland, low-fiber foods that are easy to digest, paired with plenty of fluids to replace what your body is losing. White rice, bananas, plain chicken, toast, and cooked carrots are all safe choices. What matters just as much is what you avoid: sugary drinks, alcohol, caffeine, and greasy or spicy foods can all make things worse.
Fluids Come First
Diarrhea pulls water out of your body fast, and dehydration is the biggest immediate risk. Plain water helps, but it doesn’t replace the sodium and potassium you’re losing. A simple oral rehydration solution does both, and you can make one at home: mix 4 cups of water with half a teaspoon of table salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Sip it steadily throughout the day rather than gulping large amounts at once.
Clear broths are another strong option because they contain sodium naturally. Coconut water provides potassium. Herbal teas like chamomile or ginger are gentle on the stomach, but avoid anything caffeinated. Coffee, black tea, and energy drinks stimulate intestinal contractions, speeding up gut transit and making diarrhea worse. They also contribute to dehydration.
Skip soda, fruit juice, and sports drinks with high sugar content. Foods and beverages high in simple sugars increase the osmotic load in your intestines, meaning they draw more water into your gut and loosen stools further.
Foods That Help Firm Up Stool
Soluble fiber is your ally here. Unlike insoluble fiber (the rough, scratchy kind in whole grains and raw vegetables), soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel-like material that slows digestion and absorbs excess fluid in the intestines. That’s what helps stools become more solid. Good sources include bananas, applesauce, oats, cooked carrots, and white rice.
Beyond soluble fiber, stick to foods that are mild and easy to digest:
- Starches: white rice, white bread toast, plain crackers, boiled potatoes without skin
- Proteins: skinless chicken or turkey, baked fish, scrambled eggs
- Cooked vegetables: carrots, butternut squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes without skin
- Fruits: bananas, applesauce, avocado
- Yogurt: plain yogurt with live cultures, which provides beneficial bacteria along with easy-to-digest protein
You may have heard of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast). It’s fine as a starting point for the first day or two, but there’s no reason to limit yourself to only those four foods. They lack sufficient protein and nutrients for recovery. As soon as your stomach feels settled, add in the cooked vegetables, lean proteins, and other bland foods listed above.
Foods and Drinks to Avoid
Certain foods actively make diarrhea worse by irritating the gut lining or pulling more water into the intestines.
Greasy, fried, and heavily spiced foods are hard to digest and can increase cramping. Raw vegetables and high-fiber whole grains (bran cereal, whole wheat bread, raw salads) add bulk that your irritated gut isn’t ready to handle. Fatty cuts of meat and rich sauces fall into the same category.
Sugar alcohols like sorbitol and xylitol deserve special attention. They act as osmotic laxatives, drawing water into the intestines. A CDC investigation into a diarrhea outbreak traced it to dietetic candies sweetened with sorbitol. Studies show that as little as 10 grams of sorbitol causes bloating and gas in most people, and 20 grams triggers cramping and diarrhea even in healthy adults. Check labels on sugar-free gum, mints, protein bars, and “diet” or “no sugar added” products.
Alcohol is especially problematic. It irritates the intestinal lining, disrupts normal digestion, draws excess water into the gut, and speeds up intestinal contractions. It’s essentially a laxative when your digestive system is already compromised. Avoid it entirely until symptoms have fully resolved.
The Dairy Question
Milk and ice cream are commonly listed as foods to avoid during diarrhea, and there’s a real reason. Infections that cause diarrhea, whether viral or bacterial, can temporarily damage the lining of your small intestine. That lining produces the enzyme that breaks down lactose (the sugar in milk). Without enough of that enzyme, undigested lactose ferments in your gut, producing gas, bloating, and more diarrhea.
This temporary lactose intolerance typically resolves within three to four weeks as the intestinal lining heals. During that window, you may want to limit milk, ice cream, and soft cheeses. Yogurt is usually tolerated well because the bacterial cultures have already partially broken down the lactose. Hard aged cheeses like cheddar and parmesan are also low in lactose and generally safe.
Probiotics Can Shorten Recovery
One specific probiotic yeast, Saccharomyces boulardii, has strong evidence behind it for acute diarrhea. A meta-analysis found it reduced the duration of diarrhea by roughly 1.5 days on average. The effect was even more pronounced for rotavirus infections, where it shortened symptoms by about 2 days. It’s available over the counter in capsule form at most pharmacies.
Yogurt and fermented foods like kefir also introduce beneficial bacteria to your gut, though the strains and amounts are less standardized than a supplement. Either way, replenishing your gut bacteria during and after a bout of diarrhea supports faster recovery.
Feeding Children During Diarrhea
The old advice to withhold food from a sick child and let the gut “rest” is outdated. CDC guidelines are clear: children should continue eating their usual diet during diarrhea episodes, and withholding food for more than 24 hours is inappropriate. The goal is to return to a normal, age-appropriate diet as quickly as possible.
Breastfed infants should continue breastfeeding throughout the illness, including during rehydration. Formula-fed infants should continue their regular formula at full strength. Switching to a lactose-free formula is usually unnecessary unless the child is malnourished or dealing with a severe intestinal infection. For older children eating solid foods, offer complex carbohydrates, lean meats, yogurt, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid giving large amounts of juice, soda, or gelatin desserts, as the high sugar content worsens diarrhea.
How to Reintroduce Your Normal Diet
Most acute diarrhea from a stomach bug or food poisoning resolves within two to three days. You don’t need to wait until symptoms completely stop before expanding what you eat. Start with the bland foods above, and as your stools begin to firm up, gradually add back your regular meals over the next few days. Reintroduce one food category at a time so you can identify anything that triggers a setback.
Dairy (other than yogurt) is worth reintroducing last, given the possibility of temporary lactose sensitivity. If milk or ice cream causes bloating or loose stools even a week after you’ve recovered, give it another couple of weeks. The enzyme production in your gut typically bounces back within a month.