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Let's be real here, diarrhoea can really mess up your mood for the day
You've woken up early, getting ready to do everything you've planned for the day. Out of nowhere, your stomach starts rumbling and you find yourself glued to a toilet every 10 minutes.
And that's not all, diarrhoea can make you lose sleep, cause dehydration, and in extreme cases, lead to severe pain.
Besides medication, one of the ways to recover from diarrhoea is being careful with what you eat (and don't eat).
Here's a list of foods that may help you recover faster:
Bananas
Bananas are rich in potassium and easily digested. They also can help replenish lost electrolytes and prevent you from getting dehydrated.
White rice
White rice is also easily digested and can help you get the carbs you need for you to go about your day. Just make sure to avoid pairing it with spicy sambal or you might just make your diarrhoea worse.
Congee/Porridge
When your stomach is sensitive, warm porridge or rice congee can feel like a hug in a bowl. It provides fluids and starch, which helps with rehydration and energy.
You can add a small amount of shredded chicken or carrots for flavour, but skip the fried shallots and chilli oil for now.
Soups/Broth
Chicken soup and vegetable broth are great choices when you need hydration and sodium. Miso soup also helps as it contains probiotics that help with digestion.
Avoid oily or creamy soups as this might upset your stomach even more.
Kimchi
When your stomach feels a bit better, it's time to rebuild the healthy bacteria that diarrhoea flushed out. Kimchi is an excellent choice due to the probiotics it contains from the fermentation process.
Next, here are some foods to avoid, as they can make your diarrhoea worse:
Caffeine
Caffeine is a known laxative, and it's also a diuretic. This means that it's not only going to make you visit the toilet more, it's also going to make you lose more fluids in your body.
When you have diarrhoea, avoid caffeinated drinks like lattes, matcha, and energy drinks.
Greasy foods
Fried chicken, nasi goreng, and other oily foods are tough to digest when your stomach's already sensitive. The fat slows down digestion and can cause bloating and cramping.
Spicy foods
Yeah, the mutton curry at your nasi kandar spot might look delicious, but it's literally diarrhoea fuel. Spicy food can inflame an already irritated digestive system. Chilli, curry, and tom yum may prolong your recovery or make things worse.
Sugary drinks and food
When you have diarrhoea, sugary drinks and food like soda, cordial, cake, and desserts with too much added sugar can draw more water into your intestines. This makes your stools looser and can prolong the whole unpleasant experience.
Dairy products
Even if you're not usually lactose intolerant, diarrhoea can temporarily reduce your ability to digest dairy. Milk, cheese, and ice cream might lead to more gas and cramping.
The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a healthcare professional regarding the reader's own medical care.
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