The best drinks for diarrhea in adults are water, oral rehydration solutions, clear broths, and diluted sports drinks. The goal is replacing both the water and the electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) your body loses with each loose stool. Plain water alone isn’t enough because it doesn’t contain the minerals your gut is flushing out.
Why Electrolytes Matter More Than Water Alone
Diarrhea pulls water and dissolved minerals out of your intestines faster than your body can reabsorb them. Drinking plain water replaces the fluid but not the sodium and potassium that keep your muscles, heart, and brain working properly. That’s why you can drink plenty of water during a bout of diarrhea and still feel weak, dizzy, or foggy.
Your small intestine absorbs water most efficiently when sodium and glucose are present together in roughly equal proportions. This is the principle behind oral rehydration solutions: the combination of salt and a small amount of sugar actually pulls water across the intestinal wall and into your bloodstream faster than water by itself.
The Best Fluids, Ranked by Effectiveness
Oral Rehydration Solutions
These are the gold standard. Products like Pedialyte and DripDrop are formulated with the right balance of sodium, potassium, and glucose to maximize absorption. Despite the “Pedia” branding, they work just as well for adults. If you have diabetes, kidney disease, or a weakened immune system, check with your doctor first, since certain formulations or volumes may need adjusting.
You can also make a simple version at home: mix 4 cups of water with half a teaspoon of table salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir until dissolved. It won’t taste great, but it’s effective and costs almost nothing. Getting the ratio right matters. Too much sugar will pull more water into your intestines and make things worse.
Clear Broths
Chicken broth, beef broth, and vegetable broth supply sodium along with a small amount of calories. They’re easy on a sensitive stomach, and the warmth can feel soothing when you’re not up for eating solid food. Low-sodium versions won’t do you much good here. You actually want the salt.
Diluted Sports Drinks
Sports drinks like Gatorade contain 35 to 200 mg of sodium and 15 to 90 mg of potassium per eight ounces, along with 2 to 19 grams of carbohydrates. That’s a much lower electrolyte concentration than a proper rehydration solution, and some varieties pack in a lot of sugar. Diluting a sports drink with an equal amount of water brings the sugar content down to a safer level for your gut while still giving you some electrolytes. It’s a reasonable option when you don’t have ORS on hand.
Water
Still important. Sip water between other fluids throughout the day. It won’t replace electrolytes on its own, but it contributes to your overall fluid volume and helps prevent the headaches and fatigue that come with dehydration.
Herbal Teas
Caffeine-free teas like chamomile or ginger tea add fluid without irritating your gut. Ginger in particular may help with the nausea that sometimes accompanies diarrhea. Avoid sweetening them heavily.
Drinks That Make Diarrhea Worse
Sugar is the main culprit. When a large amount of sugar hits your intestines, it draws water and electrolytes into your bowel, loosening stools even further. This is why undiluted fruit juice, regular soda, and energy drinks can turn a mild case of diarrhea into a miserable one. Apple juice and pear juice are especially problematic because they’re high in fructose and sorbitol, both of which are poorly absorbed.
Caffeine speeds up the movement of your colon, so coffee, black tea, and caffeinated sodas can increase the frequency of loose stools. Alcohol is dehydrating on its own and irritates the gut lining. Milk and dairy-based drinks may also be a problem during diarrhea, because the enzyme that digests lactose can temporarily drop when your intestinal lining is inflamed.
How Much to Drink
A practical starting point is to drink at least one cup (about 8 ounces) of fluid after every loose stool, on top of your normal daily water intake. Small, frequent sips tend to stay down better than large gulps, especially if you’re also feeling nauseous. If your urine is dark yellow or you’re urinating much less than usual, you’re not drinking enough.
Most adults need somewhere between 8 and 12 cups of total fluid per day under normal circumstances. During active diarrhea, your needs can easily double. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty. By the time thirst kicks in, you’re already mildly dehydrated.
What About Probiotic Drinks?
Fermented drinks like kefir and kombucha contain live bacteria that may help restore balance to your gut. Some research on probiotic supplementation has shown meaningful reductions in diarrhea severity, with benefits to intestinal microbial balance. However, most of that evidence comes from specific clinical settings rather than typical stomach bugs. During the worst of an acute episode, the sugar and acidity in kombucha could irritate your gut further. Kefir is generally gentler, but if you’re not already used to it, introducing it mid-illness is a gamble. These are better suited for recovery, once your stools start firming up.
Signs That Drinking Isn’t Enough
Mild to moderate dehydration usually responds well to increased fluids at home. But severe dehydration requires medical treatment, typically intravenous fluids, because your gut can no longer absorb fast enough to keep up with losses. Watch for these warning signs:
- Extreme thirst that doesn’t go away with drinking
- Very dark urine or barely urinating at all
- Dizziness or confusion
- Skin that stays “tented” when you pinch the back of your hand, instead of flattening back immediately
- Sunken eyes or cheeks
Diarrhea lasting more than 24 hours, a fever above 102°F, bloody or black stools, or an inability to keep any fluids down are all reasons to seek medical care rather than continuing to manage things at home.