When you have diarrhea, the best foods are soft, low-fat, and rich in soluble fiber: think white rice, bananas, plain toast, eggs, chicken breast, oatmeal, and smooth yogurt. These foods are easy to digest and help firm up loose stools. Just as important is what you avoid, since certain foods and drinks can make things significantly worse.
The BRAT Diet Is a Start, Not a Plan
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s been the go-to recommendation for decades, but most major health organizations no longer endorse it as a strict protocol. The problem is that those four foods lack calcium, vitamin B12, protein, and fiber. Following a strict BRAT diet for more than a day or two can actually slow your recovery because your gut needs real nutrition to heal.
A better approach is to use BRAT foods as a foundation and build from there. Bland, soft foods are still the goal, but you have far more options than four items on a list.
Best Foods to Eat
Soluble fiber is your best friend during a bout of diarrhea. It dissolves in water and forms a gel-like material in your stomach, slowing digestion and absorbing excess fluid in your intestines. That’s exactly what firms up loose, watery stools. Good sources of soluble fiber include oatmeal, bananas, white rice, peeled apples, and carrots.
For protein, stick with lean, simply prepared options. Baked or steamed chicken breast, white fish, eggs, soft tofu, and cottage cheese are all well tolerated. Smooth nut butters work for some people too. The key is to avoid added fat: no frying, no heavy sauces, no butter. Fatty foods that aren’t absorbed properly in the upper digestive tract travel to the colon, where they get broken down into fatty acids that trigger the colon to secrete fluid, making diarrhea worse.
Stanford Health Care recommends what they call a modified “white diet” during recovery: bananas, rice, applesauce, white toast, plain noodles, chicken breast, white fish, eggs, soft tofu, cottage cheese, and smooth yogurt. It’s a practical shopping list that covers your nutritional bases while keeping things gentle.
What to Drink
Replacing lost fluids matters more than food choices in the first 24 hours. Diarrhea pulls water and electrolytes out of your body fast, and dehydration is the main risk. Start with small, frequent sips rather than gulping large amounts. Water, clear broth, diluted apple or grape juice, and oral rehydration solutions all work well. Make sure drinks are flat and clear. Avoid anything carbonated.
Skip coffee. Caffeine stimulates muscle contractions throughout your digestive tract and speeds up motility. Coffee also contains compounds that trigger the release of a stomach hormone called gastrin, which further accelerates gut movement. Alcohol is similarly problematic since it irritates the intestinal lining and contributes to fluid loss.
Foods That Make Diarrhea Worse
Some foods actively pull water into your intestines, which is the opposite of what you need. The biggest culprits are poorly absorbed sugars.
- Fructose: Found naturally in peaches, pears, cherries, and apples, and added to sodas and juice drinks. People who consume more than 40 to 80 grams per day commonly develop diarrhea. For context, a 16-ounce regular cola contains close to 30 grams of fructose on its own.
- Artificial sweeteners: Sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol (common in sugar-free gum, candy, and some medications) are poorly absorbed and draw water into the bowel.
- Lactose: The natural sugar in milk, soft cheese, and ice cream. Many people who can normally handle dairy become temporarily lactose intolerant after a diarrheal illness because the infection damages the cells lining the intestine that produce the enzyme needed to break lactose down.
- Greasy and fried foods: Fried meats, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and rich sauces cause the colon to secrete extra fluid when fat reaches it undigested.
- Spicy foods: Spicy sauces often contain hidden fat, and hot spices can cause burning and irritation on the way out.
Fructose, artificial sweeteners, and lactose all belong to a broader category of poorly digested sugars called FODMAPs. Other high-FODMAP foods to be cautious with during active diarrhea include onions, garlic, beans, lentils, chickpeas, honey, wheat, and rye.
When to Reintroduce Dairy
That temporary lactose intolerance after a stomach bug typically resolves within three to four weeks, once the intestinal lining regenerates. During that window, you may notice bloating, gas, or worsened diarrhea after drinking milk or eating soft cheese. Yogurt is often tolerated earlier because the bacterial cultures in it help pre-digest some of the lactose. Cottage cheese is another option that tends to sit well. Start with small portions and increase gradually as your symptoms improve.
A Practical Recovery Timeline
If your diarrhea started with vomiting (as with food poisoning or a stomach bug), the recovery process typically follows a predictable pattern.
In the first several hours, when nausea is at its worst, stick to ice chips or a popsicle. Once that stays down, move to sipping clear liquids: water, broth, or diluted juice. After about 24 hours, you can try bland solid foods like rice, toast, bananas, plain oatmeal, or crackers. From there, gradually add lean proteins and cooked vegetables over the next few days. Most people are back to their normal diet within about a week.
If diarrhea isn’t accompanied by vomiting, you can skip the ice chip stage and go straight to clear fluids and bland solids as tolerated.
Probiotics Can Shorten Recovery
Adding a probiotic during a bout of infectious diarrhea can reduce how long it lasts by roughly 30 hours, based on a large Cochrane review of clinical trials. It also lowered the risk of diarrhea still being present at the three-day mark by about a third. The two most studied strains are a type of Lactobacillus (often labeled LGG on supplement packaging) and a yeast-based probiotic called Saccharomyces boulardii. Both are widely available over the counter. Yogurt with live active cultures provides some probiotic benefit as well, though at lower concentrations than supplements.
Signs of Dehydration to Watch For
Dark-colored urine, extreme thirst, dizziness, and urinating much less than usual are the most reliable signs that you’re becoming dehydrated. Another quick check: pinch the skin on the back of your hand. If it doesn’t flatten back immediately, you need more fluids. Confusion and unusual sleepiness are later signs that indicate more serious fluid loss.
In young children, watch for fewer wet diapers than usual (none in three hours is a red flag), no tears when crying, a dry mouth, sunken eyes, or skin that stays tented after a gentle pinch. Diarrhea lasting more than 24 hours, a fever above 102°F, or bloody or black stools are all reasons to call a doctor rather than continuing to manage things with diet alone.