1. BRAT Basics
The BRAT diet, bananas, rice, applesauce and toast, is the diet of choice for people suffering from diarrhea. This is true for both adults and children. The BRAT diet is low in fiber and residue, which makes it easy on the stomach and gastrointestinal tract. Most doctors recommend beginning the BRAT diet after a day or two on clear liquids. This helps the GI tract settle down and get ready to receive food again. It also gives whatever virus or bacteria causing the diarrhea plenty of time to move out of the body.
2. Not just for Brats
Even though many pediatricians prescribe a BRAT diet for their little patients each day, the BRAT diet is also effective in treating adult diarrhea. Adults tend to turn immediately to anti-diarrheal drugs to get rid of symptoms quickly. However, if a virus is the culprit in your stomach issues, you still need a very light diet until the virus goes away.
3. Keep It Down
The Brat diet isn't just the answer for diarrhea, it also helps when you're feeling nauseated. Bland foods high in starch and low in fiber go down and stay down much easier than regular foods. When you have stomach flu symptoms, it's best to keep to clear liquids and use the Brat diet only when vomiting has subsided. Ice chips, Gatorade and Pedialyte help keep you well hydrated and restore electrolytes after vomiting. Once things settle down, use the Brat diet a little at a time until your stomach feels normal again.
4. BRAT for Beginners
Most parents with small children have the BRAT diet down to a science. With each new bout of diarrhea or nausea, the BRAT diet helps a child get back to normal. After one to two days on clear liquids, broth, water, ginger ale, or lemon-lime soda, start with dry toast. Dry toast is the lightest portion of the BRAT quartet. Add in applesauce or banana after the toast and see how the stomach reacts. Sometimes even too much of these two fruits may make diarrhea come back. Take it easy and pay attention to what makes symptoms return, and just back away from that food. Save the rice until last, as it is a little denser than the toast and fruit. Other foods in the BRAT family include plain white potatoes, crackers and plain pasta.
5. Take Your Time
Stay on the BRAT diet until your diarrhea is completely gone. Adults are less likely to follow the BRAT plan and typically don't give themselves enough time to recover from diarrhea before starting back on regular foods. After a few days of diarrhea or vomiting, the body needs time to readjust to solid foods. That's why even the BRAT diet needs time to work. If you go right back to fatty foods, raw veggies and caffeine without at least a week on BRAT, chances are your diarrhea will come back.
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