Diet and diarrhea

Premise

The diet to combat diarrhea consists of a series of recommendations on the foods to choose and on those to avoid to help resolve the disorder and return to the body what is lost due to it.

First of all, it should be noted that diarrhea can be a sign of potentially serious conditions (chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, intestinal polyps, colon cancer, peptic ulcer, bacterial and parasite infections ...), which is why a medical consultation is always appropriate.

Foods to Avoid

Foods High in Fat

The diarrhea diet recommends avoiding particularly fatty foods, including condiments and fried foods.

The high lipid content can in fact exacerbate the contractions of an intestinal tract already sensitized by the disorder.

Foods with Lactose

The second category of foods to avoid, regardless of whether you suffer from lactose intolerance or not, is that of dairy products.

Diarrhea, in fact, reduces the intestinal enzymatic patrimony, including the lactase necessary to digest the typical sugar of milk.

The reduced activity of this enzyme prevents digestion and absorption of the lactose contained in food; consequently, there is a recall of water due to an osmotic effect and a series of symptoms such as bloating, flatulence, nausea and diarrhea.

Therefore, we do not recommend the consumption of milk, ice cream and fresh or fermented cheeses (even those with hard and aged cheeses which, although lactose-free, are too rich in fat).

Artificial sweeteners

Some sweeteners used to replace sugar have a marked laxative effect, which can aggravate the symptoms of this annoying disorder; this is the case, for example, of polyols (sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol and others).

Chewing gum, candies, sugar-free drinks and sweets, and sweeteners in tablets should therefore be excluded from the diet for diarrhea.

Foods That Cause Meteorism

The same goes for beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, peas and all other foods that increase intestinal gas, such as smoothies and carbonated drinks.

Irritating Foods

Due to their irritating effect on the mucous membranes of the digestive system, in the presence of diarrhea it is good practice to exclude coffee, chocolate, chilli and alcohol from one's diet.

Importance of Food Hygiene

Particular attention must be paid to the consumption of potentially dangerous foods, such as those not properly cleaned, prepared and stored.

Fish or not very fresh eggs, for example, represent a common vehicle for food poisoning, particularly dangerous in an organism already debilitated by the disorder.

For this reason, in the presence of diarrhea, it is even more important to respect some simple and fundamental hygiene rules, such as careful washing of food, generous cooking of eggs, meat and derivatives (mayonnaise, tiramisu, etc.), and scrupulous cleaning of the surface. on which food is prepared.

Hands must be washed carefully both before preparing food and after handling raw meats; the latter must be separated from the cooked ones to avoid cross contamination.