When you’re dealing with diarrhea or vomiting from an upset stomach or bug, you don’t want to put anything else in your digestive system that will irritate it. To keep you from spending hours in the bathroom, here are Hospitality Health ER’s recommendations on what and what not to eat after a bout of diarrhea or vomiting:
What is Safe to Eat After Diarrhea or Vomiting?
Besides rehydrating with clear liquids with electrolytes, like Gatorade, you should stick to a bland diet with “binding” foods that are low in fiber and starchy. The BRAT diet is recommended as a safe bridge as you transition back to a normal diet. It can be used by both adults and children once they have stopped vomiting. If you’re dealing with diarrhea, you can start eating solids as soon as you feel hungry.
The BRAT Diet
Bananas
Rice
Apple Sauce
Toast
Besides these four foods, you can also help yourself to some saltine crackers, clear broths, and unseasoned potatoes. These foods help firm up stool and replace essential nutrients that your body loses during vomiting and diarrhea.
What Shouldn’t You Eat After Diarrhea or Vomiting?
- Greasy Foods: Foods high in fat can cause your already sensitive digestive system to speed up the contraction of your intestines and the overall digestion process. Remember, your goal is to slow the digestive process down, not speed it up.
- Spicy Foods: Spicy foods can easily irritate your stomach. No need to suffer any more than you already have!
- Gassy Foods: Certain foods like beans, onions, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower are proven to cause intestinal gas, which could lead to more diarrhea.
- Milk or Dairy Products: Diarrhea can cause you to lose lactase, an enzyme needed to digest the sugar found in dairy products. If this sugar, called lactose, goes undigested, you can wind up with more symptoms such as gas, bloating, nausea, and diarrhea.
- Alcohol, Caffeine, and Sugar-Free Stuff: These products can irritate the gastrointestinal tract, which can slow down your healing.
To read more articles like these, check out Hospitality Health ER’s tips for a constipated baby or how to tell the difference between a stomach ache and appendicitis.
