What Foods to Eat to Calm Diarrhea?

October 23, 2025 •

3 min read

According to the Cleveland Clinic, dehydration is one of the biggest concerns associated with diarrhea, especially for infants and older adults. Knowing what foods to eat to calm diarrhea is a key strategy for managing symptoms and preventing complications like dehydration. This guide will walk you through the dietary adjustments you can make to help your stomach recover quickly.

Quick Summary

Learn about the best dietary choices to help alleviate and manage diarrhea symptoms. This guide covers the BRAT diet, other bland foods, and proper hydration to aid digestion and promote a quicker recovery.

Key Points

Start with the BRAT Diet: For the first 24-48 hours, focus on bananas, white rice, applesauce, and white toast to calm your digestive system and firm up stool.
Prioritize Hydration: Drink plenty of clear fluids like water, broths, and electrolyte-enhanced drinks to prevent dehydration, a major risk with diarrhea.
Avoid Fatty, Fried, and Spicy Foods: These can irritate the digestive system and make symptoms worse, so stick to bland, simple preparations.
Limit Dairy and High-Fiber Foods: Diarrhea can cause temporary lactose intolerance, and insoluble fiber can aggravate the gut. Choose plain yogurt with probiotics over other dairy and avoid raw vegetables and whole grains initially.
Reintroduce Foods Gradually: Once symptoms improve, slowly add other easy-to-digest foods like lean meats and cooked vegetables before returning to a full diet.
Consult a Doctor for Persistent Symptoms: Seek professional medical advice if diarrhea lasts longer than a few days, or if accompanied by fever, blood in stool, or severe pain.

The Importance of Dietary Changes During Diarrhea

When dealing with diarrhea, your digestive system is irritated and overactive. Eating the wrong foods can worsen symptoms, prolong recovery, and increase discomfort. Making specific dietary changes, like following a bland, low-fiber diet, can provide relief by being gentle on the stomach and helping to firm up stool. Beyond food, staying properly hydrated is critical to replace the fluids and electrolytes lost through frequent bowel movements.

The BRAT Diet and Other Binding Foods

The BRAT diet is a classic approach for easing digestive distress, focusing on foods that are low in fiber and can help bind stools.

Bananas: Rich in potassium to replace lost electrolytes and containing pectin, a soluble fiber that absorbs excess fluid.
White Rice: Easy to digest and low in fiber, which helps add bulk to stool.
Applesauce: A simple, pureed fruit that contains pectin. Choose unsweetened to avoid excess sugar, which can exacerbate symptoms.
White Toast: A bland, low-fiber carbohydrate source that is easy on the digestive system. Avoid butter or jam.

Expanding Beyond the BRAT Diet

While the BRAT diet is useful for the initial 24–48 hours, it lacks essential nutrients. As you begin to feel better, you can gradually introduce other bland, easy-to-digest options:

Cooked Starches: Plain oatmeal, cream of wheat, or boiled, skinless potatoes are excellent low-fiber options.
Lean Proteins: Unseasoned, baked, or broiled skinless chicken, turkey, or fish can provide needed protein without added fat. Scrambled eggs are also a good option.
Clear Liquids and Broths: Clear broths, weak tea, and electrolyte drinks help rehydrate and replenish salts and minerals.
Probiotics: Live microorganisms found in certain yogurts, kefir, or supplements can help restore the balance of good bacteria in your gut. Be cautious with dairy if lactose intolerant.

Foods to Avoid During Diarrhea

Just as important as knowing what to eat is knowing what to avoid. These foods can irritate the gut and worsen symptoms.

Fatty and Fried Foods: Greasy and high-fat foods are hard to digest and can aggravate the digestive tract.
Dairy Products (Lactose): Many people become temporarily lactose intolerant during diarrhea. Limiting milk, cheese, and ice cream can be beneficial.
High-Fiber, Gas-Causing Foods: Insoluble fiber, raw vegetables, and legumes can speed up bowel movements and cause gas. Avoid broccoli, cauliflower, beans, and corn.
Caffeine and Alcohol: These substances are diuretics and can worsen dehydration.
Sugary and Artificial Sweeteners: High sugar content, and especially artificial sweeteners like sorbitol, can pull water into the intestines, making diarrhea worse.
Spicy and Highly Seasoned Foods: These can act as irritants to the sensitive digestive system.

A Sample Meal Plan and Food Comparison

This table provides a simple dietary plan and contrasts recommended foods with those to avoid during a bout of diarrhea.


Food Category	Recommended Foods	Foods to Avoid	Notes
Starches	White rice, white toast, saltine crackers, plain oatmeal	Whole-grain breads and cereals, brown rice	Focus on low-fiber, easily digestible starches.
Proteins	Unseasoned baked chicken/fish, scrambled eggs, tofu	Fried or greasy meats, fatty cuts of pork, sardines	Stick to lean, simple preparations to avoid irritating fats.
Fruits	Bananas, unsweetened applesauce, ripe cantaloupe	Raw fruits with skin, citrus fruits, dried fruits, berries with seeds	Choose low-fiber, cooked, or peeled fruits initially.
Vegetables	Cooked or peeled carrots, potatoes, green beans	Raw vegetables, high-fiber or gas-producing vegetables (broccoli, cabbage)	Cooking breaks down tough fibers, making them easier to digest.
Dairy	Lactose-free milk, plain yogurt with probiotics	Regular milk, cheese, butter, ice cream	Limit or avoid lactose initially, as it can be difficult to digest.
Beverages	Water, clear broths, electrolyte drinks, weak herbal tea	Caffeinated drinks (coffee, soda), alcohol, sugary juices	Hydration with electrolytes is crucial to replace lost fluids.

Conclusion: Listen to Your Body and Reintroduce Foods Slowly

Following a bland diet of binding foods like the BRAT diet can significantly help calm diarrhea in the short term. The primary goals are to rest the digestive system, rehydrate effectively, and replenish lost nutrients without causing further irritation. Start with clear liquids, then advance to bland, low-fiber solids. When you feel ready, gradually reintroduce a wider variety of foods, paying close attention to how your body reacts. If symptoms persist for more than a couple of days, worsen, or are accompanied by fever or severe pain, it is important to consult a healthcare provider. By being mindful of what you eat, you can support your body's recovery and get back to feeling normal sooner.

Frequently Asked Questions

The BRAT diet is a traditional dietary plan for managing diarrhea that consists of bananas, white rice, applesauce, and white toast. These foods are bland, low in fiber, and can help bind stools and soothe the digestive system.

Staying hydrated is crucial during diarrhea. Good options include water, clear broths, and oral rehydration solutions or sports drinks to replace lost electrolytes. Avoid caffeinated and alcoholic beverages.

Yes, some research indicates that probiotics, the beneficial bacteria found in certain yogurts and supplements, can help restore a healthy balance to the gut and may shorten the duration of diarrhea. However, those with lactose intolerance should be cautious with dairy-based probiotics.

During diarrhea, it is best to limit or temporarily avoid most dairy products, as the condition can cause temporary lactose intolerance. Plain yogurt with live cultures may be an exception for some people, as it contains probiotics.

You should avoid fatty, greasy, and fried foods, spicy foods, high-fiber and gas-producing vegetables (like broccoli), caffeine, alcohol, and sugary drinks or foods with artificial sweeteners.

After starting with bland, simple foods, you can gradually reintroduce your normal diet after about 24 to 48 hours, or once symptoms have improved significantly. Listen to your body and reintroduce foods slowly.

When dealing with diarrhea, it's best to eat well-cooked or peeled vegetables that are low in fiber, such as carrots, potatoes, and green beans. Avoid raw or gas-producing vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower.