When you have diarrhea, the best foods are bland, low-fat, and easy to digest: white rice, bananas, plain toast, boiled potatoes, skinless chicken, eggs, and broth. These foods provide calories and nutrients without irritating your gut. Equally important is replacing the fluids and electrolytes you’re losing, which matters more than any single food choice.
Why Bland Foods Help
Diarrhea happens when food moves through your digestive tract too quickly for your intestines to absorb water from it. Bland, low-fiber foods are gentle on an already irritated gut because they’re simple for your body to break down and they don’t stimulate extra movement in your intestines.
Soluble fiber, the type found in bananas, applesauce, oats, and white rice, is especially helpful. It dissolves in water and forms a gel-like material in your stomach that slows digestion. This gives your intestines more time to absorb water, which helps firm up loose stools. Insoluble fiber (the kind in raw vegetables, whole grains, and seeds) does the opposite: it speeds things along, which is the last thing you want right now.
The Best Foods to Eat
You don’t need to follow a rigid plan. Focus on foods from these categories and eat what appeals to you:
- Starches: White rice, plain white toast, boiled or mashed potatoes (no butter or cream), plain crackers, oatmeal
- Fruits: Bananas, applesauce, canned peaches in water (not syrup)
- Proteins: Skinless chicken or turkey, white fish, boiled or scrambled eggs, tofu, all prepared without added fat
- Soups: Clear broth, chicken soup with plain noodles or rice
The key thread connecting all of these: low fat, low sugar, minimal seasoning, and cooked until soft. Fat and heavy spices stimulate your digestive tract, and sugar pulls water into your intestines, both of which make diarrhea worse.
The BRAT Diet: Useful but Limited
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These four foods are fine choices, but sticking only to them for more than a day or two is a mistake. The BRAT diet lacks protein, calcium, vitamin B12, and enough calories to support recovery. The American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends it for children because it’s too restrictive and may actually slow gut recovery. For adults, treat it as a starting point rather than a complete plan, and add lean proteins and other tolerated foods as soon as you can.
Fluids and Electrolytes Matter Most
Dehydration is the real danger with diarrhea, not hunger. Every watery stool pulls sodium, potassium, and chloride out of your body, and replacing those electrolytes is more urgent than eating solid food. Sip fluids steadily throughout the day rather than drinking large amounts at once, which can trigger more cramping.
Your best options for rehydration are oral rehydration solutions (sold at pharmacies), clear broths, and diluted fruit juices. Coconut water is a solid natural alternative: it’s rich in potassium (roughly 51 milliequivalents per liter) and contains sodium and natural sugars in amounts that help your body absorb the fluid. Sports drinks work in a pinch, though they tend to have more sugar than is ideal. Plain water is fine for mild cases, but it doesn’t replace electrolytes on its own, so pair it with salty broth or an electrolyte drink.
Probiotics Can Shorten Recovery
Certain beneficial bacteria can cut the length of a diarrhea episode by roughly a day. A 2021 meta-analysis of randomized trials found that one strain in particular, a yeast-based probiotic called Saccharomyces boulardii, shortened diarrhea duration by about 1.25 days compared to placebo and significantly reduced the chance of diarrhea lasting beyond two days. Other strains showed similar benefits, though the evidence was strongest for S. boulardii.
You can get probiotics from yogurt (look for “live and active cultures” on the label), kefir, and fermented foods like miso. If dairy bothers your stomach during a bout of diarrhea, a probiotic supplement is a practical alternative. Look for products containing S. boulardii or a multi-strain formula.
Foods and Drinks to Avoid
Some foods actively make diarrhea worse by drawing extra water into your intestines or speeding up gut movement. Steer clear of these until you’ve been back to normal for at least a day or two:
- Greasy or fried foods: Fried chicken, bacon, sausage, burgers, anything cooked in heavy oil
- Dairy (for many people): Milk, ice cream, soft cheeses. Diarrhea can temporarily reduce your ability to digest lactose, even if you normally tolerate it fine. Plain yogurt is usually an exception.
- High-sugar foods and drinks: Soda, fruit juice concentrates, candy, pastries. Sugar pulls water into your intestines through osmosis.
- Sugar alcohols: Sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol are found in sugar-free gum, mints, and many “diet” or “sugar-free” products. Sorbitol causes gas, cramping, and diarrhea at doses as low as 5 to 20 grams per day. A single pack of sugar-free gum can contain over 20 grams of sorbitol. Sorbitol also occurs naturally in apples, pears, prunes, peaches, and dried fruits like dates and raisins.
- Raw vegetables and high-fiber foods: Salads, whole-grain bread, beans, nuts, seeds. These are great for everyday health but too rough on your gut right now.
- Caffeine and alcohol: Both stimulate your intestines and increase fluid loss.
When to Start Eating Normally Again
You don’t need to follow a strict reintroduction schedule. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, most experts don’t recommend fasting or following a restricted diet beyond avoiding the trigger foods listed above. Once you feel like eating, you can return to your normal diet. In practice, most people find it comfortable to stick with bland foods for the first day or two, then gradually add back vegetables, whole grains, and richer foods over the next few days as their stools firm up. If a food seems to trigger another round of loose stools, back off and try again the next day.
One thing to keep in mind: your gut lining takes a bit longer to heal than your symptoms suggest. Even after your stools return to normal, your intestines may be temporarily less efficient at digesting lactose and fats. Easing back into dairy, fried foods, and large meals over three to five days gives your digestive system the best chance to fully recover.