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Foods that cause diarrhea in babies


Diarrhea in infants: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

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Children who have diarrhea may have less energy, dry eyes, or a dry, sticky mouth. They may also not wet their diaper as often as usual.

Give your child fluids for the first 4 to 6 hours. At first, try 1 ounce (2 tablespoons or 30 milliliters) of fluid every 30 to 60 minutes. You can use:

  • An over-the-counter drink, such as Pedialyte or Infalyte -- do not water down these drinks
  • Pedialyte frozen fruit pops

If you are nursing, keep breastfeeding your infant. If you are using formula, use it at one half strength for 2 to 3 feedings after the diarrhea starts. Then begin regular formula feedings again.

If your child throws up, give only a little bit of fluid at a time. You can start with as little as 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of fluid every 10 to 15 minutes.

When your child is ready for regular foods, try:

  • Bananas
  • Chicken
  • Crackers
  • Pasta
  • Rice cereal

Avoid:

  • Apple juice
  • Dairy
  • Fried foods
  • Full-strength fruit juice

The BRAT diet was recommended by some health care providers in the past. There is not a lot of evidence that it is better than a standard diet for upset stomach, but it probably can't hurt.

BRAT stands for the different foods that make up the diet:

  • Bananas
  • Rice cereal
  • Applesauce
  • Toast

Bananas and other solid foods are most often not recommended for a child who is actively vomiting.

WHEN TO CONTACT THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

Contact your child's provider if your child has any of these symptoms:

  • Blood or mucus in the stool
  • Dry and sticky mouth
  • Fever that does not go away
  • Much less activity than normal (is not sitting up at all or looking around)
  • No tears when crying
  • No urination for 6 hours
  • Stomach pain
  • Vomiting

When your infant has diarrhea; When your baby has diarrhea; BRAT diet; Diarrhea in children

  • Bananas and nausea

Kotloff KL. Acute gastroenteritis in children. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 366.

Larson-Nath C, Gurram B, Chelimsky G. Disorders of digestion in the neonate. In: Martin RJ, Fanaroff AA, Walsh MC, eds. Fanaroff and Martin's Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 83.

Nguyen T, Akhtar S. Gastroenteritis. In: Walls RM, Hockberger RS, Gausche-Hill M, eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 84.

Updated by: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

When your child has diarrhea: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

Diarrhea is the passage of loose or watery stools. For some children, diarrhea is mild and will go away within a few days. For others, it may last longer. It can make your child lose too much fluid (dehydrated) and feel weak.

The stomach flu is a common cause of diarrhea. Medical treatments, such as antibiotics and some cancer treatments can also cause diarrhea.

This article speaks of diarrhea in children over 1 year of age.

It is easy for a child with diarrhea to lose too much fluid and become dehydrated. Lost fluids need to be replaced. For most children, drinking the kinds of fluids they normally have should be enough.

Some water is OK. But too much water alone, at any age, can be harmful.

Other products, such as Pedialyte and Infalyte, may help keep a child well-hydrated. These products can be bought at the supermarket or pharmacy.

Popsicles and Jell-O can be good sources of fluids, especially if your child is vomiting. You can slowly get large amounts of fluids into children with these products.

You may also give your child watered-down fruit juice or broth.

Do not use medicines to slow down your child's diarrhea without talking to a doctor first. Ask your child's health care provider if using sports drinks is OK.

In many cases, you can continue feeding your child as usual. The diarrhea will normally go away in time, without any changes or treatment. But while children have diarrhea, they should:

  • Eat small meals throughout the day instead of 3 big meals.
  • Eat some salty foods, such as pretzels and soup.

When necessary, changes in the diet may help. No specific diet is recommended. But children often do better with bland foods. Give your child foods such as:

  • Baked or broiled beef, pork, chicken, fish, or turkey
  • Cooked eggs
  • Bananas and other fresh fruits
  • Applesauce
  • Bread products made from refined, white flour
  • Pasta or white rice
  • Cereals such as cream of wheat, farina, oatmeal, and cornflakes
  • Pancakes and waffles made with white flour
  • Cornbread, prepared or served with very little honey or syrup
  • Cooked vegetables, such as carrots, green beans, mushrooms, beets, asparagus tips, acorn squash, and peeled zucchini
  • Some desserts and snacks, such as Jell-O, popsicles, cakes, cookies, or sherbet
  • Baked potatoes

In general, removing seeds and skins from these foods is best.

Use low-fat milk, cheese, or yogurt. If dairy products are making the diarrhea worse or causing gas and bloating, your child may need to stop eating or drinking dairy products for a few days.

Children should be allowed to take their time returning to their normal eating habits. For some children, a return to their regular diet can also bring a return of diarrhea. This is often due to mild problems the gut has while absorbing regular foods.

Children should avoid certain kinds of foods when they have diarrhea, including fried foods, greasy foods, processed or fast foods, pastries, donuts, and sausage.

Avoid giving children apple juice and full-strength fruit juices, as they can loosen stool.

Have your child limit or cut out milk and other dairy products if they are making diarrhea worse or causing gas and bloating.

Your child should avoid fruits and vegetables that can cause gas, such as broccoli, peppers, beans, peas, berries, prunes, chickpeas, green leafy vegetables, and corn.

Your child should also avoid caffeine and carbonated drinks at this time.

When children are ready for regular foods again, try giving them:

  • Bananas
  • Crackers
  • Chicken
  • Pasta
  • Rice cereal

Call your child's provider if your child has any of these symptoms:

  • Much less activity than normal (not sitting up at all or not looking around)
  • Sunken eyes
  • Dry and sticky mouth
  • No tears when crying
  • Not urinated for 6 hours
  • Blood or mucus in the stool
  • Fever that does not go away
  • Stomach pain

Easter JS. Pediatric gastrointestinal disorders and dehydration. In: Bakes KM, Buchanan JA, Moreira ME, Byyny R, Pons PT, eds. Emergency Medicine Secrets. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 65.

Kotloff KL. Acute gastroenteritis in children. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 366.

Schiller LR, Sellin JH. Diarrhea. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 16.

Updated by: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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10 types of foods that can cause diarrhea

Diet-related diarrhea is often caused either by an individual intolerance to food components (most often lactose or gluten) [1], or when certain foods have been eaten or drunk in too much [ 2]. The most common example of such a situation is an excess of coffee or alcohol [2].

1. Spicy

Chili peppers and curries are spicy with capsaicin. This substance irritates the digestive tract, which is why spicy foods, eaten in large quantities, especially out of habit, can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and burning diarrhea [1].

2. Sugar substitutes

Polyols or sugar alcohols are often used as sweeteners in foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals. These nutritional supplements are often found in the following products [1]:

  • chewing gum;
  • desserts and sweets without sugar;
  • diet soft drinks;
  • some toothpastes and mouth rinses.

Unlike sucrose, polyols are less caloric, as they are absorbed more slowly in the intestines [3]. They practically do not affect the level of blood glucose and do not stimulate the release of insulin, therefore they are recommended for people with diabetes mellitus [3].

On the other hand, eaten in large quantities, polyols can cause diarrhea and bloating [1]. Therefore, in the European Union, goods containing more than 10% of these substances must have a special label warning of a possible carry-over effect [3]. Pay attention to the presence of the following food additives in the composition: sorbitol (E420), mannitol (E421), isomalt (E953), maltitol (E965), lactitol (E966), xylitol (E967) and erythritol (E968) [3].

3. Dairy products

If you notice loose stools after drinking milk or dairy products, this may be a sign of lactose intolerance. This means that there are no special enzymes in the body that break down milk sugar. Other symptoms include abdominal pain and bloating. In this case, it is enough to refuse whole milk, which can be replaced with lactose-free or vegetable milk [1].

4. Coffee

Coffee not only has an invigorating effect, but also stimulates colon motility. Therefore, 2-3 or more cups of this drink per day can provoke diarrhea. Diarrhea can also occur due to milk or artificial sweeteners that are added to coffee [2].

5. Products with caffeine

In addition to coffee, caffeine is found in chocolate, cocoa, cola, black and green tea, and energy drinks. All of them can also be products that cause diarrhea [1].

6. Fructose

Fructose is a natural high-calorie sugar found in fruits. It is because of her that fruits eaten in large quantities can provoke diarrhea. Also, fructose is often added to confectionery and drinks [1].

7. Onions and garlic

Onions and garlic contain fructans, carbohydrates that are poorly digested and can cause water to flow into the intestinal lumen, thereby leading to diarrhea [1].

If you want to replace onions and garlic in your diet, consider celery and fennel. They are able to give dishes a similar taste, but at the same time they are safer in terms of upsetting the stool.

8. Broccoli and cauliflower

These cruciferous vegetables are rich in fiber and nutrients but can be difficult to digest. For people not used to a high-fiber diet, cauliflower broccoli can cause gas or diarrhea. In this case, it is better to gradually introduce dietary fiber into your diet [1].

9. Fast food

Fatty and fried foods are rich in saturated and trans fats and contain little to no fiber. This is not only unhealthy, but also significantly speeds up the passage of such food through the gastrointestinal tract [1].

10. Alcohol

Drinking alcohol can lead to loose stools the next day. This is especially true for beer or wine. Try giving up alcohol and see if the diarrhea stops [1, 2].

Thus, diarrhea can be caused not only by an intestinal infection, but also by certain foods. The reason can be both in food intolerance, and in excessive consumption of food that is difficult to digest or stimulates intestinal motility. If you notice a connection between a violation of the stool and the intake of one of the above products, try removing it from the diet. If the diarrhea doesn't stop, see your doctor.

References

  1. What Common Foods Can Cause Diarrhea? Medically reviewed by Katherine Marengo LDN, R.D. — Written by Kathryn Watson — Updated on August 12, 2020 https://www.healthline.com/health/foods-that-cause-diarrhea#food-and-diarrhea
  2. Common Causes of Chronic Diarrhea. Adapted from IFFGD publication #150 by W. Grant Thompson, MD, FRCPC, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  3. Grembecka, M. Sugar alcohols—their role in the modern world of sweeteners: a review. Eur Food Res Technol 241, 1–14 (2015).

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Contents:

Take care of your digestive system
Good eating habits
Foods and drinks that cause diarrhea
How to avoid food provocateurs
Keep a food diary
Eliminate foods that are not suitable for you
Do you have a food intolerance?
Is fiber a problem for you?

To normalize digestion, you need to watch not only what you eat, but also how you do it.

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Take Care of Your Digestive System

Just because you have a sensitive gut doesn't mean you can't enjoy life. Just follow some rules in order to help your digestive system.

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Good Eating Habits

  • Eat more slowly. Your stomach needs 20 minutes to signal to your brain that it is full. Therefore, if you eat slowly, you can eat less food and, accordingly, reduce the load on the digestive system.

  • Chew your food. When you chew your food thoroughly, you not only slow down the intake of food, but also help the digestive system by providing it with small pieces to digest.

  • Do not swallow food quickly. When you swallow food quickly, you also swallow air, which can lead to bloating and poor digestion.

  • Eat smaller and lighter meals. Large amounts of heavy food take longer to digest, making it harder for the digestive system to work.

  • Do not eat late at night. Your digestive system is less efficient at the end of the day, so try to eat at least 3 hours before bed.

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Foods and Drinks that Cause Diarrhea

Everyone is unique, so our body reacts differently and at different times. Foods that can cause diarrhea in one person may not cause it in another. You may also find that a product that did not cause a reaction yesterday is causing a problem today.

Check out some foods that can cause diarrhea.

  • Alcohol. Your favorite wine or other alcoholic drink can be a stomach irritant. But drinks affect everyone differently, so try not to drink those that do not suit you.

  • Spicy food. Recent studies show that fatty and spicy foods, such as Indian and Chinese dishes, may exacerbate abdominal pain in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

  • Fried and fatty foods. Such food can increase the contraction of the intestinal muscles during digestion and cause diarrhea.

  • Fibrous food. Many products are rich in insoluble fiber. For example, bran and wheat are difficult to digest and can lead to diarrhea. Look on the back of a cereal package to see what types of fiber it contains and may not be right for you.

  • Excess fruits and vegetables in the diet. Eating large amounts of plums, kiwi, beans, broccoli and cabbage can cause diarrhea in some people.

  • Dairy products. Milk, cheese, sour cream and other dairy products are known to cause diarrhea. Look for non-dairy alternatives such as almond or soy milk.

  • Coffee and tea. Caffeine causes digestive problems in many people who often suffer from diarrhea. Try to limit your caffeine intake and drink herbal and green teas instead.

  • Sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners (such as sorbitol and fructose) found in diet drinks and sweets can cause diarrhea. This is partly because they are poorly absorbed in the small intestine. Pay attention to the information on the packaging and try to choose natural analogues.

Remember that symptoms may not be caused by the food you just ate, but by the food you ate the day before. Also, not the food itself, but the speed, time and amount of food eaten may be to blame for their appearance.

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How to Avoid Food Provocateurs

If your diarrhea is caused by certain foods, you can identify them by keeping a diary of the food you eat each day and when your diarrhea episodes occur.

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Keep a Food Diary

  • Keep a notebook and make entries daily.

  • Write down absolutely everything you eat, including seasonings, spices (if possible), and drinks.

  • Indicate the degree of stress during the day. You will be surprised how powerful the impact of stress on the digestive system can be.

  • Study the composition of food. Pasta, pizza, and sandwiches are different foods, but they can all contain wheat.

  • Start with a general approach and then look at the ingredients. This way, by learning first about the products that are not suitable for you, you will be able to determine which individual ingredients you should avoid.

  • Keep a diary for a long time. At first, you may not notice the connection, but over time everything will become clear, and you can discuss the problem with your doctor.

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Eliminate Unhealthy Foods

You may have found that eating pasta with tomato sauce causes diarrhea, but you don't know which ingredient is causing the problem. To identify it, try eating pasta without tomato sauce, and vice versa. This applies to all types of food.

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Do you have a food intolerance?

The most common causes of food intolerances are:

  • gluten, a protein found in many types of grains, including wheat, barley, and oatmeal;

  • lactose is a sugar found in milk and other dairy products.

If you think you have a food allergy or intolerance, talk to your doctor.

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Is fiber a problem for you?

A high-fiber diet may cause or worsen diarrhea in some people. But keep in mind that there are two types of fibers.

Soluble dietary fiber. It is found in most citrus fruits and vegetables such as potatoes and legumes. This fiber can be helpful for diarrhea as it absorbs water and makes the stool firmer.

Insoluble fibre. It can be found in bran, whole grains, rice, and the skins of some fruits and vegetables. It can help with constipation, but worsen the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and recurrent diarrhea. This does not mean that you should avoid insoluble fiber when you have diarrhea. Just be mindful of what you eat and what effect these foods have on you.

The information in this article is for reference only and does not replace professional medical advice.

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