Foods to Alleviate Diarrhea

We know that digestive upset often comes with the territory of endometriosis. Some experience constipation, and others experience diarrhea. And if you’re #teamdiarrhea, your symptoms may get worse the closer you get to your period. Oh joy!

So, let’s take a look at the foods that can be most helpful to you in getting your elimination back on track. After all, it’s not fun spending your day running to the bathroom.

Foods to Avoid

Fried food

High fat and greasy foods are a definite no-go if you have diarrhea. I would also include foods with heavy sauces in this category too. They can make symptoms almost immediately worse. If you’re craving fries, try baking some at home.

Dairy

Whether you have a true dairy allergy, intolerance, or even just a sensitivity, dairy can be an aggravating food group on the digestive system. This includes milk, cheese, cream, and ice cream. Yogurt may be the one exception, as it’s the best tolerated thanks to it probiotics.

If you truly can’t imagine your life without cheese, at least switch over to goat or sheep dairy for at a month. If you get relief from diarrhea, it will be a lot easier to forgo dairy moving forward when you’ve now experienced the benefit of it.

Coffee

Sorry endofriends, I know this one isn’t going to be a popular one, but you should truly avoid coffee if you’re experiencing diarrhea. It has a laxative effect, not to mention it often includes dairy and sugar – two other GI aggravators. If you can’t go a day without caffeine, try transitioning over to tea.

Foods to include

You’re likely familiar with the BRAT diet to recover from diarrhea: bananas, white rice, applesauce, and white toast. Let’s take a look beyond this to expand your food options a bit.

Boiled potatoes

If you’re sticking with plain, boiled potatoes seasoned with just salt and pepper, the starchiness in the potatoes is binding helping to reduce reoccurrence of diarrhea. Remove the skins before you boil them too, as they make it a bit harder to digest.

Baked chicken breast

Skinless chicken breast is a pretty gentle way to get protein in. Make sure you bake it with little to no seasoning.

Gluten-free crackers

Plain crackers are a pretty neutral food to digest. I suggest gluten-free because gluten tends to be a more inflammatory food in general, so we might as well get the added bonus of going gluten-free here too.

Also keep in mind that it’s important to stay hydrated if you experience diarrhea on a regular basis, because you lose not only fluids but electrolytes too. It’s best to have smaller sips of water throughout the day versus drinking a lot all at once.