When you have diarrhea, the best thing to eat is a balanced but gentle diet of low-fiber, easy-to-digest foods like white rice, bananas, plain potatoes, toast, and broth-based soups. The old advice to stick strictly to the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) is outdated. While those foods are fine choices, eating only those four items can leave you short on protein, fat, and key nutrients right when your body needs them most. The goal is to keep eating a variety of simple foods, not to starve your gut into submission.
Foods That Help Firm Stools
Low-fiber, starchy foods are your best friends during a bout of diarrhea. They’re easy on the digestive tract and help add bulk to loose stools. Good options include white rice, plain white bread or toast, plain pasta, oatmeal, boiled or mashed potatoes (without butter or cream), and crackers like saltines. Bananas are particularly useful because they’re rich in potassium, one of the electrolytes you lose most rapidly with diarrhea.
For protein, stick to lean, simply prepared options: baked or steamed chicken breast, scrambled eggs, or plain fish. Broth-based soups, especially chicken soup with rice or noodles, pull double duty by delivering both fluids and easy calories. Applesauce and canned fruits in their own juice are gentle sources of energy and nutrients. The key is to eat small, frequent meals rather than three large ones, which puts less strain on your gut at any one time.
Why Hydration Matters More Than Food
Diarrhea drains water and electrolytes from your body fast. Replacing those losses is actually more important than what you eat. Plain water alone isn’t ideal because it doesn’t replace the sodium and potassium you’re losing. A simple oral rehydration solution based on World Health Organization guidelines takes about 30 seconds to make: stir half a teaspoon (3 grams) of salt and 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of sugar into 4 cups (1 liter) of water. The sugar isn’t just for taste. It helps your intestines absorb the sodium and water more efficiently.
If you don’t want to mix your own, other good options include coconut water (naturally high in potassium), diluted fruit juice with a pinch of salt, or broth. You can also make a rehydration drink from regular broth: mix 2 cups of chicken, beef, or vegetable broth with 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Sip steadily throughout the day rather than gulping large amounts at once. Signs of dehydration to watch for include dark urine, dizziness, dry mouth, and producing very little urine. Confusion, fainting, rapid heartbeat, or no urination at all are signs of severe dehydration that need immediate medical attention.
Foods and Drinks to Avoid
Some foods actively make diarrhea worse by pulling extra water into your intestines or irritating the gut lining. The biggest culprits fall into a few categories.
- Sugar alcohols: Sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, and maltitol are poorly absorbed and draw water into the bowel. They’re found in sugar-free gum, sugar-free candy, diet drinks, and many “low-sugar” packaged foods. Check ingredient labels.
- High-fat and fried foods: Greasy meals speed up gut contractions and can make cramping worse. Skip fried chicken, french fries, pizza, and creamy sauces.
- Dairy products: An intestinal infection can temporarily damage the cells that produce lactase, the enzyme that digests milk sugar. This creates a short-term lactose intolerance that typically resolves within three to four weeks as the gut lining heals. During that window, milk, ice cream, and soft cheeses may trigger more cramping and loose stools.
- Caffeine and alcohol: Both stimulate the gut and promote fluid loss. Coffee, energy drinks, and alcoholic beverages should wait until you’re feeling better.
- Spicy foods: Capsaicin irritates the intestinal lining and can intensify pain and urgency.
- High-fiber raw vegetables and legumes: Raw broccoli, cabbage, beans, and salads are harder to break down and can produce gas and bloating on top of diarrhea.
Certain fruits are also worth watching. Prunes, cherries, and pears contain naturally high levels of sorbitol. Apple juice and pear juice can worsen symptoms for the same reason, even though applesauce (which has less free liquid sugar) is generally tolerated well.
How Probiotics Can Help
Probiotics can shorten the duration of diarrhea and reduce how often you’re running to the bathroom. Two strains have the strongest clinical evidence behind them. The first, a beneficial yeast called Saccharomyces boulardii, reduced both the length of diarrhea episodes and stool frequency in a review of 22 trials involving over 2,400 participants. The second, a bacterial strain called Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (often labeled LGG on packaging), was most effective at doses of at least 10 billion colony-forming units per day.
If your diarrhea is caused by antibiotics, the evidence is especially strong. LGG cut the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea nearly in half in one large meta-analysis, and a European pediatric gastroenterology group recommends starting probiotics at the same time as antibiotics for people at higher risk. Look for products that list specific strain names and CFU counts on the label, and keep them refrigerated if the packaging says to.
Reintroducing Normal Foods
There’s no fixed timeline for getting back to your regular diet because recovery depends on the cause. A mild stomach bug might resolve in a day or two, while food poisoning or antibiotic-related diarrhea can linger for a week or more. The general approach is to let your symptoms guide you. As stools start to firm up, gradually add back more variety: cooked vegetables, then fruits with skin, then dairy, then fattier foods.
Fatty, fried, and spicy foods are usually the last things to reintroduce. Some people find they need to avoid these for a week or longer after the diarrhea itself stops, because the gut lining is still recovering. If dairy gives you trouble even after other foods are fine, that temporary lactose sensitivity is likely still resolving. Give it a few weeks before trying milk or soft cheese again, or use lactose-free versions in the meantime.
Throughout recovery, potassium-rich foods deserve extra attention. Diarrhea depletes potassium quickly, and low levels can cause muscle weakness and fatigue that lingers even after your gut feels better. Bananas, plain potatoes, coconut water, and lactose-free yogurt are all gentle ways to rebuild those stores.