For elderly individuals with diarrhea, focus on bland, low-fiber foods like bananas, white rice, applesauce, and toast (the BRAT diet), plus smooth yogurts (probiotics), boiled potatoes, and broths to rehydrate and firm stools, while avoiding fatty, spicy, sugary, caffeinated, and dairy-heavy foods that worsen symptoms. Small, frequent meals are better, and hydration with water, broth, or electrolyte drinks (not sugary ones) is crucial.
Serve low-fiber foods such as bananas, rice, applesauce, mashed potatoes, dry toast, crackers, eggs, fish, poultry, cottage cheese, and yogurt. These foods are easier to digest than high-fiber vegetables and grains.
Eat BRAT diet foods
In addition to bananas, rice, applesauce and toast, other foods that fall into the BRAT diet are: Soups: clear broth, such as chicken, vegetable or beef. Liquids: cranberry, apple and grape juice, tea (without caffeine), water.
Toast can also help to absorb excess stomach acids and settle the stomach. However, it is important to avoid butter or margarine on toast, as these can increase symptoms of diarrhea. Toast is best eaten plain or with a light spreading of jam or honey.
Eat the BRAT diet, which includes bananas, (white) rice, applesauce and toast. These foods help firm up your stool.
What Not to Eat When You Have Diarrhea
To harden loose stools, cut out caffeine, be mindful of fruit intake, avoid OTC products that contain magnesium, eat probiotic-rich foods, or try fiber supplements. Antidiarrheal medications can help as well, but check with your healthcare provider before taking them.
Foods you should eat when you have diarrhea
Eat bland foods that are easy to digest like chicken, fish, eggs, puddings, mashed potatoes, noodles, rice, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream of wheat, farina, smooth peanut butter, white bread, bananas, applesauce, canned fruit, and well-cooked vegetables.
The BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast) is a gentle and effective diet for relieving diarrhea.
The bottom line
The best things to drink when you have diarrhea are clear liquids (like water), electrolyte drinks, and soup broth. Avoid caffeinated drinks, sugary drinks, and alcohol when you have diarrhea.
Broth-based soups, such as chicken noodle, vegetable soup, or miso soup, are excellent options for replenishing fluids and electrolytes when recovering from gastroenteritis. Avoid creamy, high-fat and spicy soups, which can further irritate the stomach and hinder healing from gastroenteritis.
Causes may include gastrointestinal infections, ulcerative colitis, and thyroid problems, among others. Loose stools may occur after eating or at other points in the day. They may be softer than a person's usual stools. They may also be watery, mushy, or shapeless and can have a strong, foul odor.
When the cells in your small intestine or colon are irritated, the relaxed and regular movement of your intestines can become overactive. Essential salts and fluids, as well as nutrients from the food that you eat, end up being passed through the colon too quickly.
A wide variety of conditions can cause diarrhea in older adults. They range from common causes, like infection, to less common causes, like autoimmune and endocrine disorders. Infectious Diarrhea typically has an abrupt onset. The etiology can be bacterial, viral, or parasitic.
Drink at least 1 cup (240 milliliters) of liquid every time you have a loose bowel movement. Eat small meals throughout the day, instead of 3 larger meals. Eat some salty foods, such as pretzels, soup, and sports drinks. Eat some high potassium foods, such as bananas, potatoes, and fruit juices.
To help you cope with your symptoms until the diarrhea goes away, try to do the following: Drink plenty of liquids, including water, broths and juices. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Add semisolid and low-fiber foods gradually as your stool returns to what's typical for you.
The most common dietary firmers are those high in soluble fibre, including oats, legumes, bananas, vegetables (such as sweet potato, carrot, green beans, potato, Brussel sprouts), nuts and seeds, such as chia seeds and flaxseeds. For some people, a fibre supplement may be needed to firm the stool.
To stop diarrhea, focus on bland, binding foods like the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast), lean proteins (chicken), boiled potatoes, crackers, and probiotic yogurt, while avoiding high-fiber, greasy, spicy, or dairy-heavy foods, and staying hydrated with water or broth to help bind stools and restore electrolytes.
Yes, most diarrhea is mild and runs its course in a couple of days, but hydration and rest are crucial, and you should seek medical help if symptoms are severe or persistent, as dehydration can be dangerous, especially for children, the elderly, or immunocompromised individuals, and you should avoid anti-diarrheal meds with fever or blood in stool.
To harden stool, focus on bland, low-fiber foods like the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), white pasta, potatoes, and cheese, as these help bind stool by being easily digestible and low in residue, with options like crackers, oatmeal, and smooth peanut butter also working well.
Foods best tolerated when diarrhea is severe
Eat bland and easy to digest foods such as chicken, fish, eggs, puddings, mashed potatoes, noodles, rice, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream of wheat, farina, smooth peanut butter, white bread, bananas, applesauce, canned fruit and well cooked vegetables.
Yellow poop can indicate an infection such as gastroenteritis or giardiasis. Typically, these infections will clear up on their own without treatment. If they persist, however, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to help your body heal from the infection.
Refer to our article Restoring Intestinal Floral Leads to a Healthy Gut and Happy Poop for more information on the topic.
A diet low in fibre has been linked to: