Bananas and applesauce are the two most widely recommended fruits for diarrhea, but they’re not the only options. Several fruits contain soluble fiber that absorbs water in the intestines and firms up loose stools. The key is choosing the right fruits, preparing them properly, and avoiding a few that can make things worse.
Why Certain Fruits Help
Soluble fiber is the active ingredient that makes some fruits useful during a bout of diarrhea. When soluble fiber reaches your digestive tract, it absorbs water and turns into a gel-like substance. This slows digestion and nutrient absorption, giving your intestines more time to pull water back from stool. The result is firmer, less frequent bowel movements.
Not all fiber works this way. Insoluble fiber, the kind found in fruit skins, whole grains, and raw vegetables, does the opposite. It speeds stools through the intestines and can make diarrhea worse. That’s why preparation matters almost as much as which fruit you pick.
Best Fruits for Diarrhea
Bananas
Bananas are the go-to fruit for diarrhea, and for good reason. They’re rich in soluble fiber called pectin, easy to digest, and naturally replace potassium lost through loose stools. Ripe bananas are gentler on the stomach than green ones, which contain more resistant starch. You don’t need to cook or peel them beyond removing the skin you’d normally discard.
Applesauce and Cooked Apples
Apples are high in pectin, but a raw apple with the skin on contains enough insoluble fiber to irritate an already upset gut. Cooking and peeling removes most of that insoluble fiber while preserving the soluble fiber that helps. Peeled, cooked apples are lower in total fiber than raw apples with the peel, making them much easier to digest. Unsweetened applesauce works the same way and requires no preparation. Avoid sweetened versions, since added sugars can pull more water into the intestines and make diarrhea worse.
Cooked, Peeled Pears
Pears are another high-pectin fruit, but they come with a catch. Raw pears contain significant fructose and sorbitol, both of which can trigger diarrhea on their own. Cooking and peeling pears reduces their fiber load and makes them easier to tolerate. The soluble fiber that remains slows the movement of food through your intestines, helping control the volume and frequency of bowel movements. If you’re in the middle of active diarrhea, cooked pears are a safer bet than raw ones.
Blueberries
Blueberries are a low-FODMAP fruit, meaning they contain relatively small amounts of the poorly digested sugars that trigger digestive symptoms. They provide soluble fiber without the fructose load that makes some other fruits problematic. Small portions are generally well tolerated even during active diarrhea.
Cantaloupe, Oranges, and Kiwi
Monash University, the leading research institution on digestive-friendly diets, lists cantaloupe, kiwi, mandarin oranges, regular oranges, and pineapple as low-FODMAP fruits. These are less likely to ferment in your gut and draw excess water into your intestines. They won’t firm up stools the way banana or applesauce will, but they’re safe options when you want some variety and need to get vitamins back into your diet during recovery.
Fruits That Can Make Diarrhea Worse
Some fruits are high in fructose or sorbitol, two sugars that stimulate the gut to release water and electrolytes into the intestines. This loosens bowel movements, which is exactly what you don’t want. Harvard Health identifies peaches, pears (especially raw), cherries, and apples (with skin) as fruits with naturally high fructose levels. Many people who consume more than 40 to 80 grams of fructose per day will develop diarrhea from the sugar alone.
Fruit juice is a particularly common culprit. Juicing concentrates the fructose while stripping out the fiber that would otherwise slow absorption. Apple juice, pear juice, and cherry juice can all worsen or even cause diarrhea. Dried fruits like prunes, dates, and figs are similarly concentrated in sugars and have a well-known laxative effect.
Why Preparation Matters
The difference between a fruit that helps and one that hurts often comes down to how you prepare it. Peeling removes the skin, which is where most insoluble fiber lives. Cooking softens the remaining fiber and breaks down cell walls, making the fruit easier to digest. Together, peeling and cooking transform a potentially irritating food into something soothing.
Here’s a simple rule: during active diarrhea, peel it, cook it, or choose a fruit that’s naturally soft and low in skin fiber (like banana). As your symptoms improve, you can gradually reintroduce raw fruits with skins.
Beyond the BRAT Diet
The classic BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) has been the default advice for decades, but it’s more limited than it needs to be. Harvard Health notes there are no studies comparing the BRAT diet to other approaches, and while it’s fine for a day or two, a less restrictive diet makes more sense for recovery. Sticking only to those four foods can leave you short on protein and other nutrients your body needs to heal.
After the first day or so, you can expand to include oatmeal, brothy soups, boiled potatoes, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes without skin, avocado, eggs, and lean proteins like skinless chicken or fish. These are all bland and easy to digest while providing a broader range of nutrients. The fruits listed above, prepared correctly, fit well into this broader recovery approach and help you get vitamins and energy without aggravating your symptoms.