The best thing to drink when you have diarrhea is an oral rehydration solution, which contains a specific balance of water, salt, and a small amount of sugar. This combination works because sodium and glucose travel together across your intestinal lining, and their movement pulls water along with them. Plain water alone doesn’t replace the electrolytes you’re losing, and sugary drinks can actually make diarrhea worse. Getting the right fluids matters more than most people realize, because diarrhea can cause dehydration surprisingly fast.
Why Water Alone Isn’t Enough
Every loose stool pulls sodium, potassium, and chloride out of your body along with water. Drinking plain water replaces the fluid but not those electrolytes, which your cells need to function properly. You can and should sip water throughout the day, but pairing it with something that contains salt and a little sugar will help your body absorb that water far more efficiently.
Here’s the biology: your small intestine has a transport system that moves sodium and glucose into cells as a pair. When both are present in the right proportion, they create a small osmotic pull that draws water from your gut into your bloodstream through both the cells themselves and the spaces between them. This is the principle behind every oral rehydration solution on the market, and it’s why a simple mix of salt, sugar, and water can be remarkably effective.
Best Drinks for Diarrhea
Oral Rehydration Solutions
Store-bought options like Pedialyte or Drip Drop are formulated to match the electrolyte concentrations your body needs. They’re the gold standard for rehydration during diarrhea and are available at most pharmacies without a prescription. If you find them too sweet or too salty, diluting them slightly is fine.
Clear Broths
Chicken, beef, or vegetable broth provides sodium and a small amount of potassium in a form that’s gentle on an irritated gut. Broth also gives you a few calories when eating solid food feels difficult. Regular-sodium versions are better here than low-sodium ones, since replacing lost salt is the whole point.
Coconut Water
Coconut water is rich in potassium and contains some sodium and magnesium, making it a reasonable option for mild cases. It’s not a perfect substitute for a proper oral rehydration solution because its sodium content is lower than what clinical formulations provide. For mild diarrhea, though, it’s a solid choice, especially if the taste helps you drink more.
Diluted Juice
A small amount of 100% fruit juice mixed with water and a pinch of salt can serve as a basic rehydration drink. The key word is diluted. Straight juice contains too much sugar, which creates problems covered below. A ratio of about one part juice to three or four parts water keeps the sugar concentration low enough to help rather than hurt.
How to Make a Rehydration Drink at Home
If you can’t get to a store, you can mix an effective oral rehydration solution in your kitchen. The simplest recipe: combine 4 cups (1 liter) of clean water with 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of sugar and half a teaspoon (3 grams) of table salt. Stir until dissolved. The result won’t taste great, but it closely mimics the ratio that drives water absorption in your intestine.
For a version with more potassium, you can use a broth-based approach: dissolve one regular-sodium bouillon cube in 4 cups of water, then add a quarter teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. A miso-based version works too: mix about 2 tablespoons of miso paste into 4 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Both options provide sodium and some potassium in a more palatable form.
Getting the proportions roughly right matters. Too much sugar turns your homemade solution into a hypertonic drink, which will pull water into your intestines instead of out of them, worsening diarrhea. Stick close to the recipe.
Drinks That Make Diarrhea Worse
Soda and Fruit Juice
Full-strength soda and undiluted fruit juice are high in sugar, making them hypertonic, meaning their concentration of dissolved particles is higher than your blood. Hypertonic drinks pull water from your body into your intestinal lumen, the opposite of what you want. They also slow stomach emptying, which can increase nausea. A can of regular cola has roughly 39 grams of sugar. Compare that to the 20 grams in a liter of oral rehydration solution, and you can see the problem.
Coffee and Caffeinated Tea
Caffeine stimulates intestinal motility, speeding up contractions in your digestive tract. When your gut is already moving things through too quickly, caffeine adds fuel to the fire. If you’re a regular coffee drinker and worried about a caffeine withdrawal headache, a very small amount is unlikely to cause major harm, but it’s not helping your gut recover.
Alcohol
Alcohol draws water into your intestines and acts as a laxative. It also speeds up digestive contractions and irritates the intestinal lining, triggering inflammation that accelerates transit time. Even beer or wine can worsen symptoms. Avoid alcohol entirely until your stools return to normal.
Milk
Diarrhea can temporarily reduce your ability to digest lactose, even if you’re not normally lactose intolerant. The inflammation and rapid turnover of intestinal cells during a bout of diarrhea strips away some of the enzyme that breaks down milk sugar. Undigested lactose then ferments in the colon, producing gas, cramping, and more loose stools. You may want to avoid regular milk for a few days after symptoms start.
How Much and How Often to Drink
Small, frequent sips work better than large gulps, especially if you’re also experiencing nausea. Aim to drink after every loose stool. For adults, a good target is at least a cup (about 250 mL) of rehydration fluid after each episode, plus whatever you’d normally drink throughout the day. If you’re urinating less than usual or your urine is dark yellow, you need to increase your intake.
Temperature doesn’t matter much physiologically, but many people find room-temperature or slightly cool drinks easier to tolerate than very cold ones when their stomach is unsettled.
What to Give Children
Babies who are breastfeeding should continue nursing, with more frequent feeds than usual. Many breastfed infants can stay adequately hydrated through breast milk alone. If your pediatrician recommends supplementing, a pediatric electrolyte solution like Pedialyte is the standard choice. Formula-fed babies should continue their formula unless directed otherwise.
For children over one year, the same electrolyte solutions work well. Your pediatrician may recommend temporarily switching to lactose-free milk if regular milk seems to worsen symptoms. Avoid giving young children sports drinks, soda, or undiluted juice, all of which contain too much sugar for a small body dealing with diarrhea.
Signs That Drinks Aren’t Enough
Oral rehydration handles most cases of acute diarrhea effectively. But certain signs indicate dehydration is getting ahead of what you can manage by drinking:
- Extreme thirst or a very dry mouth that persists despite drinking
- Dark-colored urine or urinating much less than usual
- Skin that stays pinched when you pull it up and release it, instead of flattening back immediately
- Sunken eyes or cheeks
- Dizziness or lightheadedness when standing
In infants and toddlers, watch for no wet diapers for three hours or more, no tears when crying, or a sunken soft spot on the skull. These are signs that fluid loss has outpaced what oral intake can replace.