Acute diarrhea after eating may indicate allergies or intolerances to certain food (ingredients). However, it may also have been caused by salmonella contamination, faulty fermentation, poisoning, or spoiled food ingredients. The temporal connection to the meal may be shorter or longer. In addition, many other causes are conceivable.
What is diarrhea after eating?
Diarrhea is said to occur whenever more than three bowel movements are needed per day. Diarrhea is often caused by spoiled food or poor hygiene in the kitchen. Diarrhea after eating can usually be directly related to a meal that has been consumed. However, according to the definition, diarrhea after eating is merely a temporal association. Therefore, it does not always have to be a causal relationship. For example, diarrhea after eating can also be triggered by the norovirus. With this the concerning usually in a completely different connection infected themselves. The fact that the diarrhea occurred after the meal has actually nothing to do with the just ingested food components. In this context, the EHEC epidemic should be mentioned. This was caused by contaminated sprouts that the trade had unknowingly put into circulation. No one could have protected themselves against this. Since the connection to this ingredient of an ingested meal was not established for a long time, the cause of the diarrhea epidemic was also not found. In most cases, however, the causative agent of diarrhea is identifiable. An exception is when the diarrhea indicates an unknown illness and is not due to a meal. The temporal association with a meal could then lead to misinterpretation.
Causes
Many causes can lead to diarrhea after eating. One infectious cause is contact with the contagious norovirus. Contaminated and improperly stored or prepared foods can also be the cause of after-dinner diarrhea. Often, raw egg dishes or undercooked meats result in elevated levels of salmonella. Diarrhea can also indicate an intolerance to certain foods or food components. Lactose intolerance or celiac disease are examples that can lead to diarrhea after eating. An allergy to certain food components or groups can also manifest itself with diarrhea after eating. Diarrhea after eating should not be underestimated if it is due to fish or meat poisoning or poisoned food. In many cases, irritable bowel syndrome or an irritable stomach lead to diarrhea after eating. Whether these diagnoses are correct should actually be investigated. But when a patient with diarrhea after eating goes to the family doctor, the composition of the intestinal flora is only checked in the rarest of cases. Diarrhea after eating can therefore also be caused by an overgrown intestinal flora with an imbalance of good and bad germs. The intestinal flora is damaged especially after the use of antibiotics. It must be subsequently rehabilitated by appropriate measures if diarrhea after eating occurs while taking them.
Diseases with this symptom
- Gastrointestinal flu
- Crohn’s disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Malnutrition
- Food poisoning
- Meat poisoning
- Food intolerance
- Cholera
- Mushroom poisoning
- Inflammation of the intestine
- Drug allergy
- Irritable bowel
- Intestinal polyps
- Colorectal cancer
- Appendicitis
- Amoebic dysentery
- Salmonella poisoning
- Fish poisoning
Complications
Depending on the color, consistency, presence of blood and frequency, diarrhea after eating can lead to different complications. Diarrhea after eating is especially dangerous for young children and the elderly. If it lasts longer, it can be the harbinger of a serious illness or intolerance. Diarrhea due to germ contamination, flora problems or other causes of diarrhea after eating should be clarified if it occurs repeatedly. One of the possible complications of persistent diarrhea may be dehydration with electrolyte losses.This complication can lead to life-threatening collapses in young children and the elderly, and in chronically ill and immunocompromised people. The diarrhea may be accompanied by additional vomiting. Diarrhea that has become chronic after eating can lead to nutrient imbalances and harmful bacterial overgrowth in the intestines. Cancer may turn out to be a particularly severe complication. In this case, diarrhea after eating is only a first warning shot for an otherwise symptomless development. If diarrhea is ignored for a long time, complications are inevitable. It makes sense to take precautionary measures if diarrhea after eating occurs more often. This is the only way to avoid complications later on. As a complication of antibiotic-induced diarrhea that occurs after eating, skin rashes and malaise may develop. This can herald a dangerous allergic reaction to the antibiotics. Diarrhea that occurs after eating poisonous mushrooms, aflatoxin-contaminated nuts or other toxins in food should also not be underestimated. Here, under certain circumstances, there is a danger to life.
When should you go to the doctor?
If diarrhea occurs acutely only once after eating, a visit to the doctor is usually not necessary. It may be that there was something unhealthy, fermented or spoiled in the meal. As a rule, rest, gentle diet and home remedies help. However, if diarrhea persists for days after eating or recurs after consuming certain foods, a doctor or nutritionist should be consulted. If necessary, the family doctor will decide whether further measures are necessary. The same applies to severe diarrhea and persistent liquid diarrhea with vomiting. There is a higher risk potential especially in young children and the elderly. Therefore, the doctor should be consulted sooner than in the case of a robust twenty-year-old who has looked too deeply into the beer glass. At the slightest suspicion that diarrhea after eating is due to poisoning with botulinus toxin, rat poison, toxins such as arsenic or fungal poisons, the emergency physician should be called. In this case, other symptoms are usually apparent. These indicate poisoning more clearly than diarrhea. In the case of allergies and intolerances, the extent of the symptoms determines whether a doctor should be called. If necessary, the affected person should go to the hospital to clarify what he or she cannot tolerate. Otherwise, a gastroenterologist should be consulted. This person can find out what is causing the diarrhea after eating through interviews, colonoscopies, flora examinations and sonographies.
Diagnosis
Diagnosing diarrhea after eating is difficult at first. Often, the acute event prevents a prompt visit to the doctor. However, most often the diarrhea resolves itself after a day or two. The cause of the discomfort was then often due to the meal eaten. Self-diagnosis is usually sufficient. If a norovirus is at work, the emergency physician must often be called because of the severity of the symptoms. The latter makes the diagnosis based on questioning and symptoms. If the cause of recurrent or chronic diarrhea after eating is unclear, a more extensive diagnosis is necessary. This is often done by a gastroenterologist, a specialist in internal medicine or an allergy specialist. In addition to questioning and blood work, there are several diagnostic options to choose from. Sonography and examination of a stool sample could also be performed by the primary care physician. Routinely obtaining flora status would be useful. However, flora status is usually not obtained because health insurance companies do not cover this expense. A gastroscopy or colonoscopy can be performed in a clinic or by gastroenterologists specialized in this field. If the diagnosis is unclear or more precise, an MRI or CT scan may also be necessary. Usually, these diagnostic options yield a result that is informative.
Treatment and therapy
For self-treatment of diarrhea after eating, one day of diet or light diet is usually sufficient. If necessary, green healing clay and warm tea can help detoxify. Homeopathic remedies such as Okoubaka or Nux Vomica are possible supporters for self-treatment. The treatment of intolerances and allergies is more complex. The basis of improvement in both is usually given by consistent avoidance of the triggering foods.Sometimes a rotation diet is sufficient to relieve the organism. In exceptions, treatment by lactase can be helpful in case of intolerance to lactose. However, it is not suitable as a permanent treatment. Rather, anything containing lactose must be greatly reduced or avoided altogether. In celiac disease, the triggering gluten must also be avoided permanently. A diet with gluten-free foods is sufficient as a measure. The possible secondary diseases of a gluten-free diet require separate therapy. In the case of genuine allergies to food components, cross-allergies can complicate matters. Good education is therefore a therapeutic way to help the patient. The therapy of a poisoning depends on its severity. In mushroom poisoning, diarrhea is an alarm signal that requires immediate clinical treatment. The same applies to diarrhea after fish and meat poisoning. Here, the accompanying symptoms are so severe that complex detoxification and rehabilitation of the poisoned organism becomes necessary. All therapy options depend on the triggering element causing the diarrhea. The attending physician decides which individual measures become necessary.
Outlook and prognosis
The prognosis is good for acute diarrhea that occurs after eating. Usually, no medical treatment is necessary. However, the situation is different in the case of unrecognized and thus untreated food intolerances. The organism can get used to the allergen by frequent intake. It covers the symptoms and tries to cope with them. Thereupon, if the symptoms persist, damage to the intestinal flora, chronic nutrient deficiencies and metabolic derailments can be the result. If the intolerant foods are consistently avoided, the prognosis is better. The prognosis is less positive in the case of allergies and poisoning. The associated diarrhea and accompanying symptoms can be severe. The weaker the affected persons are and the later they receive professional treatment, the worse the prognosis. Consequential damage often lingers in poisonings that are treated late. In the case of allergies, desensitization can improve the prognosis. Homeopathic or naturopathic approaches are also helpful. However, consistent avoidance of allergens is even more important. For cancer-related diarrhea after eating, the prognosis is better if the early detection measures offered have been used. Keeping the intestinal flora intact through an appropriate diet improves the prospects of a symptom-free life. Avoiding antibiotics as much as possible, as well as meat from fattening farms contaminated with them, also helps to ensure a good prognosis.
Prevention
Not all diarrhea after eating can be prevented by humans. However, to prevent it, it is a good idea to always use sensitive foods fresh and to never eat eggs uncooked. Meat – especially minced meat – and fish should always be eaten cooked through. Good kitchen hygiene is the be-all and end-all of prevention. Appropriate storage and refrigeration of food can also prevent diarrhea after eating. Frequent hand washing prevents accidental transmission of feces bacteria to food. There is little you can do to defend against norovirus or food poisoning on a cruise ship. However, it is possible to choose one’s food in a way that avoids gluttony and too colorful a mix of incompatible, sensitive and hard-to-digest food. Drinking fermenting beverages such as sparkling wine, kombucha or beer can also cause diarrhea after eating. Sensitive people should avoid unfamiliar food and beverage combinations when traveling. This is especially true when visiting foreign countries. Here, all foods should be avoided that come from street kitchens or wild collection. Above all, only boiled water or mineral water from a tightly closed, not yet opened bottle should be drunk. Those who cannot tolerate certain foods but do not want to avoid them completely can try a rotation diet.
This is what you can do yourself
Each person can do a lot himself to not experience diarrhea after eating. If intolerances or allergies occur in the course of life, support groups are a good source of help. Reading appropriate books and collecting suitable recipes help those affected to eat a varied and healthy diet.Consultations in pharmacies and the health food store are available to people with lactose intolerance and celiac disease. The Internet also offers a wealth of information. Always having green healing clay at home to counter acute diarrhea is a good idea. If necessary, nutritional counseling can offer good approaches to improve the nutritional situation. This can often minimize the risks for diarrhea after eating.
