Introduction
If a patient suffers from diarrhea, there is often only one symptomatic treatment that can help. By far the most important thing in diarrhoea diseases is a sufficient supply of fluids and salt, as a lot of fluid as well as many electrolytes are lost during diarrhoea. In order to compensate the losses, some, mostly herbal, preparations are available. Beside these vegetable preparations also general measures can be used, which are to ensure also above all the liquid and salt supply. From a medical point of view, measures that stop the diarrhea are not recommended, since the diarrhea causes pathogens and their toxins to be excreted in a (indeed unpleasant, but) natural way.
General information on nutritional behavior
First of all, it is important to eat several small meals a day rather than a few sumptuous ones. Also in the first days of a diarrhea illness the complaints can be adapted to the quantity of the meals. That is, if the patient suffers from strong diarrhea, possibly also with stomach pain, the meals should be rather small.
With increasing improvement of the complaints then the quantity can be increased. It is important that one should do without bloating and souring food first completely. Also strongly sugary or very carbohydrate-containing food should be likewise avoided during an acute failure illness.
At least as important as the foods that should be consumed during a diarrhea illness in order to alleviate the symptoms as quickly as possible is the daily amount of food you drink. Diarrhoea leads to a loss of fluid that is unusual for the body. The body usually loses this fluid within the first acute days of a diarrhoea illness.
If the loss of fluid is not compensated for, the abdominal cramps typical of diarrheal diseases occur. For this reason it is important to drink at least 2-3 liters of fluid. In particular, low-carbonated mineral water or tea (fennel and chamomile tea) should be drunk.
Acidifying juices such as lemon or orange juice should be avoided to protect the stomach and intestines. There are some recommendations for suitable foods that can be taken in case of diarrhoea. Mostly, these are particularly gentle foods that relieve the intestines.
Oat flakes are among the gentle foods that can be taken without any risk of diarrhoea. Above all, melting flakes should be eaten. A flake soup can also be mixed with water and consumed.
Although many types of fruit acidify the stomach, eating apples is harmless in cases of diarrhoea and even leads to an alleviation of the symptoms. Since the skin of the apple contains the substance pectin, the watery diarrhoea will soon improve after eating the apple. It is very effective if apples are grated and then eaten.
Bananas are also very rich in pectin and are also very suitable for consumption in acute diarrhoea. Since many minerals are washed out of the body in addition to the fluid, it is important to return the salts and minerals to the body as soon as possible to prevent a deficiency. Vegetable broth is best suited for the mineral intake.
Here you take in liquid as well as minerals and salts. Carrots are easy on the stomach and calm the gastrointestinal tract. The classic of diarrhea nutrition – rusk – is also part of the daily diet for diarrhea and calms the gastrointestinal tract.
There are also foods that should not be eaten during an acute diarrhoea illness. They can even worsen the diarrhoea and extend the treatment time. Dairy products that should not be taken during the period of acute diarrhoea should be mentioned in particular.
On the one hand, this is because dairy products always have a high fat content, on the other hand, it is also possible that diarrhoea is accompanied by a temporary lactase deficiency, so that dairy products cannot be broken down and digested properly. All this can lead to a prolongation of the diarrhoea disease. Spicy foods that put a lot of strain on the intestines should also be avoided.
These include chili, peppers and onions.Furthermore, food that is very difficult to digest and puts a lot of strain on the intestines should be avoided. In this context, greasy and oily foods should be avoided. Deep-fried food should therefore rather not be eaten.
The drinking of coffee should also be strongly restricted. Coffee tends to have a laxative effect and for this reason can even prolong the recovery process. Sugary drinks should also be avoided, as highly sugared foods and drinks even have a laxative effect.
Cola, which used to be recommended for diarrhoea, should therefore be avoided. If a patient suffers from acute diarrhea, he should adjust his diet accordingly. This should always be accompanied by a sufficient amount of drinking so that the lost fluid can quickly return to the body.
In the morning, for example, oat flakes can be eaten with water, along with grated apples with peel. Camomile or fennel tea would be recommended as suitable drinks, which additionally protect and preserve the gastrointestinal tract. Rusk can be eaten at lunchtime, and bananas, which also have a protective function, can be served as a side dish.
Bread can also be eaten. However, pure wheat bread should be avoided as well as wholemeal bread. In the evening, for example, the lost minerals and salts can be recovered with the help of a vegetable soup.
Overall, the amount of food should be limited and rather smaller meals should be eaten. In most cases, a gentle diet is sufficient for the time when the diarrhea is acute. Usually after only a few days there is a quick improvement of the diarrhea disease under the right diet.
A long-proven tip for diarrhoea diseases is the consumption of cola and salt sticks. But is this home remedy treatment still valid today? Partly yes and partly no.
It is true that diarrhoea deprives the body of minerals and salts that cannot be easily replenished with the usual diet. Pretzels in combination with salt lead to a quick replenishment of the lost salts and minerals. For this reason, the claim that “salt sticks help with diarrhoea” can certainly be accepted.
With cola it is something different. Here, too, it was assumed that this sugary caffeine drink leads to a quick improvement of diarrhoea. Since cola consists almost exclusively of sugar, however, we must advise against drinking cola in the case of acute diarrhoea. Because sugar has an additional laxative effect and can even significantly prolong the recovery time.
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