Diarrhea is one of the most common problems as it can strike you anywhere and any time and often involves pain and a session of embarrassing social awkwardness. Even though you may be blaspheming the condition, it is one of the essential mechanisms of your body.
Through diarrhea, your body is expelling unwanted substances from the body. It is indispensable as we can become seriously ill and even die from infection and poison.
Diarrhea can be very uncomfortable, but most people can treat this condition quickly with proper rest and effective home remedies.
While suffering from diarrhea, you will have loose and watery bowel movements. Its symptoms can be uncomfortable and last for only a few hours or days; they will improve naturally. You need to keep in mind that you will be losing more water than you are consuming.
That will drain your body from electrolytes and essential minerals found in your urine, blood, and other bodily fluids. Electrolytes are necessary for your body as they will help you maintain the pH level and move nutrients and waste in and out of cells.
Although dehydration is the biggest problem with this condition, it is not the only one you must worry about. If diarrhea persists for more than a few days, then kidney and urinary problems can arise. It can also be a symptom of more severe health conditions such as Crohn’s disease, IBS, or an underlying infection.
Let’s see how you can treat diarrhea at home.
Helpful Home Remedies for Diarrhea
Diarrhea can be a troubling and embarrassing condition, but it can be treated without clinic visits. To treat this condition, try these home remedies for diarrhea.
The BRAT Diet
If your kid is suffering from an upset stomach, then The BRAT diet is the best home remedy for diarrhea. Banana, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast (BRAT) are the main ingredients of this diet and can help you calm an upset stomach. It can also help you deal with nausea.
The BRAT diet is full of low-fiber, high-binding foods as none of these foods contain any salt or spices, which can worsen your condition. This diet is the best option for you when you are sick but still have to eat something. You can also overcook the bread as the charred toast can prevent nausea.
Low in fiber and high in starch – this BRAT diet will help you produce more solid bowel movements, and it is also enriched with potassium and Pectin. However, you need to keep in mind that it is not advisable to follow this diet for more than two days as it is highly restrictive and does not offer balanced nutrition to your body.
Follow this diet for 24 to 48 hours of diarrhea. Then, gradually, add foods such as baked chicken breasts, chicken soup, and oatmeal into your diet.
Stay Hydrated
In diarrhea, you will be dehydrated very quickly due to your body’s loss of water and electrolytes. If not treated promptly, then it can cause some severe consequences, especially in children. If an infant has developed diarrhea, breastfeeding must be continued, and you must consult a doctor.
To rehydrate your body, drink plenty of water, clear juice, and vegetable broths. If you are suffering from a mild case of diarrhea, then you can even sip electro-rich sports drinks like Gatorade.
However, if you have a large-volume watery stool, then you should avoid drinking electrolyte fluids. Additionally, make sure that you pass clear urine at least five times a day despite suffering from diarrhea.
If your kid is suffering from diarrhea, then you can use pediatric rehydration drinks such as Pedialyte, Enfalyte, or Gastrolyte and initiate them in children and babies with diarrhea. Unlike adults, children should continue on a regular diet with rehydrating drinks instead of putting them on a restrictive diet.
If you don’t have any rehydration drink in your home available, you need not worry. All you need to do is visit the kitchen and mix some simple kitchen ingredients such as salt, sugar, and water. Add a pinch of salt, a fist of sugar, and then add a liter of boiled and cooled water to make this drink.
Sip this drink every 15 minutes to rehydrate your body. You can also find some oral rehydration formulations in nearby drugstores. All you need to do is mix the powder in water according to instructions given on its label and drink it.
Also, make sure you avoid drinking anything that can worsen your digestive tract, such as:
- Caffeinated drinks
- Alcohol
- Carbonated beverages
- Very hot drinks
OTC Drugs
Many OTC medications can help you deal with acute diarrhea. If your symptoms are not severe, you can get these medications from any pharmacy and take them as per instructions given on the label. Some of the best diarrhea over-the-counter medications are:
- Bismuth subsalicylate like Pepto Bismol and Kaopectate
- Loperamide like Imodium
However, these drugs will only relieve the symptoms of diarrhea but can’t treat the underlying cause of the condition. If you are suffering from diarrhea, you should avoid using these drugs without a doctor’s prescription.
Chronic diarrhea can last more than 15 days and have different causes than acute diarrhea.
You need to be extra careful if your kid is suffering from diarrhea because it can cause dehydration, which can be life-threatening in young children. OTC medications are not recommended for kids, so talk to your doctor. If a three-month-old infant is suffering from diarrhea, it should be taken to the doctor without delay.
If you notice blood in your stool, have a fever, suffer from abdominal pain, or have these symptoms for more than a week, then you should consult a doctor and ask for immediate medical attention.
Eat a Recovery Diet
When you are recovering from diarrhea, eating small and frequent meals is better than eating three large meals a day. If you are suffering from diarrhea, you can eat:
- Foods that are rich in Pectin, like fruits
- High potassium foods like potatoes and sweet potatoes
- Foods that are filled with electrolytes like miso soup and sports drinks
- Cooked or boiled soft vegetables
- Foods that can provide you with enough amounts of protein
You can also have a liquid diet for the first 24 hours of diarrhea to help settle the digestive system. Also you can add bland soups, salty broths, and drinks. You can also add other bland food such as baked chicken, oatmeal, baked potatoes, and chicken soup with saltines.
Additionally, make sure you avoid foods that can cause gas, such as carbonated drinks, beans, cucumber, legumes, and cruciferous vegetables. This diet can prove to be one of the best home remedies for diarrhea as it will not put stress on your bowels.
Drinking Tea is Essential
Some herbs are essential, and drinking teas like chamomile tea, ginger tea, green tea, lemon tea, etc., can prove to be one of the most effective home remedies for diarrhea in adults. These teas can reduce the symptoms of the condition.
For example, chamomile tea is rich in antibacterial and antiviral properties and can have calming effects by getting rid of the parasites and harmful pathogens causing diarrhea. Diarrhea caused by an inflamed gastrointestinal tract can be treated by having tea made from myrrh, coffee charcoal, and chamomile.
You can also make ginger tea to treat diarrhea, as ginger has been used as a home remedy for treating various stomach ailments. Consuming ginger tea can help you deal with abdominal pain and relieve the feeling of nausea by improving your digestion and increasing blood flow.
You can also try lemongrass tea as lemon is enriched with antioxidants and its chemical compounds can help get rid of the diarrhea-causing bacteria and viruses.
Drinking green tea can also reduce stomach pain and inflammation. It is full of catechins that help your body fight diarrhea-causing infections and promote healthy and firm bowel movements.
Introduce Probiotics
Incorporating probiotics in your food or taking supplements can help you shorten the bout of diarrhea because they are live bacteria and yeast beneficial for our digestive system. Due to diarrhea, you will lose loads of healthy bacteria from your gut and intestine.
Probiotics will make sure that these healthy bacteria are replaced quickly and help you restore normal bowel function. Among these probiotics, S. boulardii is the most potent as it can exert powerful antidiarrheal effects.
To add probiotics to your diet, you can consume yogurt and kefir as they are incredibly beneficial. You can also try other natural probiotics such as:
- Aged soft cheeses
- Beet kvass
- Cottage cheese
- Dark chocolate
- Green olives
- Kimchi
- Kombucha
- Sauerkraut
- Miso
- Natto
- Pickles
- Sourdough bread
- Tempeh
Avoid Certain Foods
Now, you will have an idea about what to eat while you are suffering from diarrhea. However, you need to learn about foods that you need to avoid so as not to worsen the situation. The big No to fried, and greasy foods high in fiber as these can cause bloating.
Avoid consuming too much fruit juices as it can give you excessive fructose, which can be hard to digest. Avoid foods that are enriched with roughage like cabbage, beans, Brussel sprouts, etc.
You should also avoid eating artificial sweeteners, broccoli, alcohol, cauliflower, coffee, milk, peas, corn, chickpeas, peppers, etc. Try to avoid food that can put stress on your gastrointestinal tract, such as:
- High-fat foods
- Greasy foods
- Spicy foods
- Foods containing artificial sweeteners
- Foods with high levels of fructose
Final Words
Commonly, this condition can be cured within two days, without consulting a doctor, with the help of these home remedies for diarrhea. However, if it lasts for more than two days, you seek medical attention without any delay to avoid complications.
