What to Eat When You Have Traveler’s Diarrhea

Keep eating, and prioritize replacing lost fluids. That is the core dietary advice when traveler’s diarrhea strikes. The old idea that you should fast or stick to clear liquids only has been largely set aside by research showing that continuing to eat shortens recovery. Your gut still absorbs nutrients even during an acute bout, and giving it something to work with helps the intestinal lining repair itself. The details of what to choose and what to skip matter, though, and a few supplements can meaningfully speed things along.

Fluids and Rehydration Are the Top Priority

Traveler’s diarrhea causes you to lose water and electrolytes fast. In mild cases that means feeling tired and thirsty; in moderate or severe episodes it can become dangerous, especially in hot climates where you are already sweating. Replacing those losses is more urgent than any food choice you make.

Oral rehydration solutions, the packets of salts and sugar you dissolve in water, remain the gold standard. A trial comparing different formulations in children with acute diarrhea found that a reduced-osmolarity ORS and a rice-based ORS both shortened the average duration of illness by roughly 13 to 15 hours compared with the older WHO standard formula.¹ The reduced-osmolarity version is now the default WHO recommendation, and it is the one you will find in most travel pharmacies and convenience stores worldwide.

If you cannot find ORS packets, you can improvise. Salted rice water, diluted fruit juice with a pinch of salt, or even flat soda mixed with a salty snack are imperfect but better than plain water alone. Plain water is still helpful, but without some sodium and glucose your intestines absorb it less efficiently. Coconut water has a reasonable electrolyte profile on its own, though it is slightly low in sodium, so adding a pinch of salt helps. Avoid anything ice-cold if your stomach already feels churned up; room-temperature fluids tend to sit better.

Sip steadily rather than chugging large volumes. Your stomach is irritated, and gulping a full bottle can trigger vomiting, which makes the fluid deficit worse. Small, frequent sips throughout the day are the way to go.

What to Eat During Active Symptoms

The instinct to stop eating entirely is understandable but counterproductive. A Cochrane systematic review comparing early refeeding with delayed refeeding in acute diarrhea found no significant difference in vomiting episodes, need for intravenous fluids, or development of persistent diarrhea between the two groups.² In other words, eating earlier did not make things worse, and it kept hospital stays about the same length. The practical takeaway: start eating as soon as you can tolerate it.

That said, your food choices should be gentle on a gut that is already inflamed. The classic approach leans on foods that are low in fat, low in fiber, and easy to digest:

• White rice: One of the most widely recommended foods during diarrhea worldwide. It is bland, binding, and the starch helps your intestines reabsorb water. Rice porridge or congee is even easier to get down if you have no appetite.
• Bananas: A good source of potassium, which you lose heavily during diarrhea. They also contain pectin, a soluble fiber that can help firm stools somewhat.
• Plain toast or crackers: Simple starches with minimal fat. Avoid whole-grain versions for now, as the extra fiber can speed transit through the gut.
• Boiled or steamed potatoes: Another bland, starchy option. Skip the butter and sour cream.
• Plain chicken or fish: If you feel up to protein, lean options cooked simply (boiled, baked, steamed) are better tolerated than red meat or anything fried.
• Clear broths and soups: Chicken or vegetable broth provides fluid, sodium, and a small amount of calories. A simple noodle soup combines broth and starch in one bowl.

You do not need to limit yourself to these exact items. The principle is straightforward: bland, low-fat, low-residue foods that do not ask your irritated intestines to do much work. If you are traveling in a region where rice porridge or plain lentil soup is the local comfort food and appeals to you, go with it. Palatability matters because you need to actually eat.

Foods and Drinks to Avoid Until You Recover

Some foods actively make diarrhea worse, either by drawing extra water into the intestines or by being hard to digest when the gut lining is damaged.

Dairy products are a major one. Traveler’s diarrhea frequently causes temporary lactose malabsorption, a condition where the enzyme that breaks down milk sugar gets depleted because the cells producing it sit right at the tips of intestinal villi, which are the first structures damaged during infection.³ Drinking milk, eating ice cream, or having creamy sauces while your gut is inflamed often amplifies cramping and watery stools. Yogurt is sometimes tolerated better because fermentation breaks down some of the lactose, but if symptoms are active, it is safer to skip dairy altogether.

Sugar alcohols, the sweeteners found in sugar-free gum, mints, protein bars, and some diet drinks, can cause osmotic diarrhea even in healthy people. They are poorly absorbed, and once they reach the large intestine they pull water in.⁴ When your gut is already overwhelmed, adding a poorly absorbed sweetener on top is asking for trouble. Check labels for ingredients ending in “-ol”: sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, maltitol.

Other things to steer clear of while symptoms last:

• Caffeine: Stimulates intestinal motility and can worsen cramping. Skip coffee, strong tea, and energy drinks.
• Alcohol: Irritates the gut lining and is dehydrating, the opposite of what you need.
• Greasy or fried food: Fat slows gastric emptying but speeds colonic transit, a combination that increases nausea and loose stools.
• Spicy food: Capsaicin can irritate an already inflamed intestinal lining.
• High-fiber raw vegetables and fruit: Salads, raw peppers, and fibrous fruits like pineapple demand a lot of digestive work. Cook vegetables soft if you want them, or stick to ripe bananas and applesauce.
• Fruit juices in large amounts: High in fructose and osmotically active. Small diluted sips for flavor are fine; a full glass of orange juice can worsen symptoms.

Zinc and Probiotics

Two supplements have decent evidence behind them for shortening a bout of diarrhea: zinc and certain probiotics.

Zinc plays several roles in gut recovery. Research suggests it improves intestinal absorption of water and electrolytes, speeds regeneration of the gut lining, boosts brush-border enzyme levels, and enhances the immune response that clears the pathogen causing the illness.⁵ Most of the zinc supplementation trials have been in children in developing countries, where zinc deficiency is common, but the biological mechanisms apply broadly. A 20 mg zinc tablet daily for 10 to 14 days is the standard therapeutic dose recommended by the WHO for children; adults traveling in regions where zinc-rich diets are scarce could benefit from a similar approach, though formal adult dosing guidelines for traveler’s diarrhea specifically are less well established.

On the probiotic side, Saccharomyces boulardii, a yeast-based probiotic, has the strongest track record. Multiple clinical trials support its use for both prevention and treatment of various gastrointestinal infections.⁶ It works through several pathways, including competing with pathogens for binding sites in the gut and producing enzymes that neutralize certain bacterial toxins. Unlike bacterial probiotics, it is a yeast, so it is not wiped out if you happen to be taking antibiotics at the same time. You can find it in pharmacies in many countries under various brand names. Starting it at the onset of symptoms and continuing for a few days after they resolve is a common approach.

Bismuth Subsalicylate as a Bridge

Bismuth subsalicylate, the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol, has a surprisingly strong evidence base for traveler’s diarrhea. In prevention trials, taking it four times daily cut the rate of diarrhea by roughly 60 to 65 percent compared with placebo at the higher dose.⁷ It also reduced the likelihood of detectable pathogens in stool samples among those who still got sick, suggesting it has genuine antimicrobial activity rather than just symptom suppression.

For treatment rather than prevention, bismuth subsalicylate is most useful in mild to moderate cases. It coats the stomach lining, reduces inflammation, and binds some bacterial toxins. The downsides: you need to take it frequently (every half hour to hour during active symptoms, up to eight doses a day), it turns your tongue and stool black (harmless but alarming if you don’t expect it), and it should not be combined with aspirin or other salicylate-containing drugs. It is also not recommended for anyone with aspirin allergy or for children under 12.

When Food Is Not Enough and You Need Medical Help

Most traveler’s diarrhea resolves on its own within three to five days with fluids and sensible eating. But severe cases, defined as diarrhea that is disabling enough to prevent your planned activities, or accompanied by high fever or bloody stools, call for antibiotics. Expert panel guidelines recommend antibiotics for severe traveler’s diarrhea, with azithromycin as the preferred first choice.⁸ Fluoroquinolones are an alternative for severe cases without dysentery, though increasing resistance in parts of South and Southeast Asia has made them less reliable there.

If you are vomiting so much that you cannot keep fluids down, or if you notice signs of serious dehydration like dizziness when standing, very dark urine, or no urination for many hours, you need medical attention and possibly intravenous fluids. This is especially true for young children, older adults, and anyone with chronic health conditions. The dietary advice in this article assumes a functioning ability to eat and drink; once that breaks down, clinical care takes over.

Eating Your Way Back to Normal After Recovery

When the worst passes and your stools start to firm up, the temptation is to celebrate with a big meal. Go slow. Your gut lining needs time to fully regenerate, and the enzyme systems that handle fats and complex sugars take a few days to bounce back.

Gradually reintroduce foods over three to five days. Start by adding cooked vegetables, lean proteins, and small amounts of healthy fats. Save dairy for last because of that temporary lactose malabsorption mentioned earlier. In some people, that lactose sensitivity can linger for weeks after the infection clears.³ If milk or cheese brings back bloating and loose stools after you thought you were better, that is probably why. It almost always resolves on its own, but it can take a month or more.

A more stubborn aftermath affects a smaller but meaningful group: post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome. A meta-analysis found a strong association between traveler’s diarrhea and the later development of IBS symptoms, including ongoing cramping, irregular stools, and bloating that persists long after the original infection.⁹ The mechanism involves disruption of gut bacteria and a sensitized immune response in the intestinal lining. If your digestion still feels off months after a bout of traveler’s diarrhea, this is worth discussing with a doctor. Dietary strategies for post-infectious IBS, such as a temporary low-FODMAP diet, differ from what you do during acute illness and benefit from professional guidance.

Soluble Fiber After the Acute Phase

While you should avoid high-fiber foods during active diarrhea, soluble fiber has a role once the acute phase winds down. A trial in ICU patients on tube feeding found that adding guar gum, a soluble fiber, to their nutrition reduced diarrheal episodes.¹⁰ The setting was different from a traveler recovering in a hotel room, but the principle holds: soluble fiber absorbs water in the colon and adds bulk to stools. Foods naturally rich in soluble fiber include oatmeal, peeled apples (cooked or as applesauce), and ripe bananas. Introduce them once you are past the watery-stool stage and can eat comfortably.

Insoluble fiber, the kind found in raw salad greens, whole grains with intact bran, seeds, and the skins of fruits and vegetables, is worth delaying a bit longer. It speeds transit through the colon, which is exactly what you do not want while your gut is still recovering.

Reducing Your Risk Through Food Choices While Traveling

The advice to “boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it” has been around for decades, and its evidence base is honestly mixed. A systematic review of prevention strategies for traveler’s diarrhea found that careful food and beverage selection, while recommended for travel to high-risk areas of Latin America, South Asia, and Africa, has unproven value in controlled studies.¹¹ That does not mean caution is pointless. It means that in practice, restaurant kitchens in many developing countries have hygiene conditions travelers cannot control. One study found that personal hygiene precautions could prevent traveler’s diarrhea when an expatriate was supervising their own kitchen, but that poor restaurant hygiene in most developing countries created a risk that was difficult to overcome through personal vigilance alone.¹²

That said, some precautions are still sensible. Avoid tap water and ice in regions where the water supply is unreliable. Eat food that is freshly cooked and still hot rather than room-temperature buffet items. Peel your own fruit. Choose busy restaurants with high turnover, since food sitting under heat lamps for hours grows bacteria. And wash your hands before eating, a simple step that is easy to forget when you are exploring a street market. None of these individually guarantee safety, but together they meaningfully reduce your exposure. And now that you know what to eat if prevention fails, you can manage the situation rather than just endure it.

Ginger, Peppermint, and Other Traditional Remedies

Herbal remedies for digestive upset have a long history across cultures, and a few have at least some scientific backing. Ginger has been studied primarily for nausea and vomiting, with reasonable evidence that it helps with both. During traveler’s diarrhea, nausea is often as miserable as the diarrhea itself, and sipping ginger tea or chewing on a piece of candied ginger can take the edge off without introducing anything that worsens the diarrhea. Peppermint has antispasmodic properties and can ease the cramping that accompanies intestinal infections. It is most commonly consumed as tea. Chamomile tea is another traditional option that is gentle on the stomach and provides fluid.

None of these replace rehydration, sensible food choices, or medical treatment in severe cases. But they are safe, widely available, and can make you feel meaningfully better while your body fights off the infection. If you are packing a travel health kit, a few ginger chews and some peppermint tea bags take up almost no space and are worth having.