When you have diarrhea, the best foods are bland, low-fiber, and easy to digest: white rice, bananas, plain toast, boiled potatoes, and simple broth. These foods give your gut less work to do while replacing some of the nutrients and electrolytes you’re losing. What you avoid matters just as much as what you eat, since fatty, spicy, and sugary foods can make things significantly worse.
The BRAT Diet and Beyond
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s been recommended for decades, and those four foods are genuinely gentle on an irritated gut. But there’s no clinical research showing the BRAT diet works better than a broader bland diet, and eating only those four foods for more than a day or two leaves you short on protein and other nutrients you need to recover.
A better approach is to use BRAT as a starting point and expand from there. These foods are all easy to digest and provide more balanced nutrition:
- White rice and plain pasta
- Boiled or baked potatoes (without butter or sour cream)
- Skinless chicken or turkey
- Baked or steamed fish
- Scrambled or boiled eggs
- Cooked carrots, squash, or sweet potatoes
- Saltine crackers or plain bagels
- Applesauce or ripe bananas
Stick to refined grains (white bread, white rice) rather than whole grains. Whole wheat bread and brown rice contain insoluble fiber, which speeds up digestion and can make diarrhea worse. Refined grains have had most of that fiber stripped out, so they move through your system more slowly and give your intestines time to absorb water.
Why Bananas and Potatoes Deserve Priority
Diarrhea drains potassium from your body quickly. Low potassium leaves you feeling weak and fatigued on top of already feeling miserable. Ripe bananas and boiled potatoes are two of the best sources of potassium that also happen to be easy on the stomach. Peach or apricot nectar, plain fish, and lean meat also help replenish potassium stores.
Bananas pull double duty here. They’re rich in soluble fiber, which dissolves in water and forms a gel-like material in the gut. That gel absorbs excess fluid and adds bulk to loose, watery stool. Oats and applesauce work the same way. If you can tolerate a small bowl of plain oatmeal, it’s one of the better recovery foods available.
Foods That Make Diarrhea Worse
Some foods actively increase the amount of water pulled into your intestines or speed up contractions in your colon. Avoiding them can be just as effective as choosing the right foods.
Greasy and fried foods. High-fat meals trigger a stronger gastrocolic reflex, the wave of contractions your colon makes after eating. Fatty foods cause your body to release more digestive hormones, more bile, and more enzymes, all of which stimulate stronger contractions in the small intestine and colon. That means food moves through faster, with less water absorption.
Spicy foods. These trigger the same exaggerated reflex. If your gut is already inflamed or irritated, capsaicin and other spice compounds add further irritation to the lining of the intestines.
Sugar alcohols. These are the sweeteners found in sugar-free gum, candy, protein bars, and diet drinks. Sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, maltitol, and erythritol are all poorly absorbed in the gut. When they sit in the intestines unabsorbed, they pull water in by osmosis, producing the exact effect you’re trying to stop. Check ingredient labels if you’re reaching for anything labeled “sugar-free” while you’re sick.
Dairy products. A stomach bug or food poisoning can temporarily damage the cells in your intestinal lining that produce lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose in milk. This creates a short-term lactose intolerance that typically lasts three to four weeks after the infection clears. During that window, milk, ice cream, soft cheese, and cream can cause bloating, cramping, and more diarrhea. Yogurt is sometimes tolerated better because the bacteria in it help break down some of the lactose, but if dairy seems to make things worse, skip it until your gut has healed.
Caffeine and alcohol. Both stimulate the gut and increase fluid loss. Coffee in particular speeds up colon contractions. Alcohol irritates the intestinal lining and interferes with water absorption.
Fluids and Electrolyte Replacement
Replacing lost fluid is more important than eating solid food, especially in the first 24 hours. Frequent watery stools drain water, sodium, and potassium faster than most people realize. Sip water, clear broth, or an oral rehydration solution throughout the day. Sports drinks can help in a pinch, though they contain more sugar than ideal. Avoid fruit juice in large quantities, as the fructose can pull more water into the intestines.
Small, frequent sips work better than gulping large amounts at once. If you’re vomiting alongside the diarrhea, take a tablespoon of fluid every few minutes rather than a full glass, which is more likely to stay down.
Probiotics Can Shorten Recovery
Probiotics aren’t just a wellness trend for diarrhea. A large review of clinical trials found that probiotics reduced the average duration of infectious diarrhea by about 30 hours compared to no treatment. They also lowered the risk of diarrhea still being present at the three-day mark by roughly a third. The strain with the strongest evidence is Lactobacillus GG (often sold as LGG), which was particularly effective for rotavirus-related diarrhea in children. A yeast-based probiotic called Saccharomyces boulardii also showed meaningful benefits.
You can find these in supplement form at most pharmacies. Some yogurts contain live cultures that may help, but the strain and dose vary widely between brands. If you opt for yogurt, choose one with minimal added sugar and check the label for specific strain names.
When to Eat and How Much
You don’t need to force yourself to eat if you have no appetite, especially in the first several hours. Focus on staying hydrated first. When you do feel ready to eat, start small. A few bites of plain rice, half a banana, or a couple of crackers is enough for a first meal. Eating smaller portions more frequently puts less strain on your digestive system than sitting down to a full plate.
As your symptoms improve, gradually reintroduce a normal diet over two to three days. Add lean proteins and well-cooked vegetables before reintroducing raw vegetables, whole grains, and dairy. If a food brings symptoms back, pull it out for another day or two and try again.
Signs That Dehydration Is Serious
Most cases of diarrhea resolve on their own within a few days with proper hydration and bland eating. But dehydration can escalate quickly, particularly in young children and older adults. If you notice confusion, fainting, a rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, or you stop urinating entirely, those are signs of severe dehydration that needs immediate medical attention. Bloody or black stool, a fever above 102°F, or diarrhea lasting more than three days also warrant a call to your doctor.