Nutrition for diarrhea in adults, what to do with diarrhea (menu and diet)

In this article, we will provide detailed nutrition for diarrhea in adults. We will tell you what diarrhea is and how it manifests itself, how to treat it and what the diet should be.

What is diarrhea

Diarrhea (commonly called diarrhea) is a change in the corresponding consistency of feces.

Although this pathology is common (3-5% of the population), there are a lot of concomitant diseases for differential diagnosis, their sum reaches several hundred nosologies.

Diarrhea is of three types: liquid, fatty (malabsorption) and inflammatory etiology (with the presence of blood and pus in the stool).

However, not all cases of diarrhea strictly fit these categories - there are combined cases. Liquid diarrhea is divided into osmotic (water retention due to poor absorption of nutrients), secretory (decreased water absorption), and functional (intestinal hyperkinesia).

A syndrome characterized by the acute development of watery diarrhea without blood (three or more fluids per day).

Diarrhea causes

Diarrhea occurs for a variety of reasons. It usually occurs with improper diet, poisoning of the body and some infectious diseases that affect the condition of the intestines.

Most often, a diet for upset stomach and intestines is prescribed depending on the cause of loose stools. Here are the main reasons why diarrhea occurs:

• heavy food, overeating. It most commonly causes diarrhea;
• eating vegetables, soups, liquid foods, dried fruits, such as dried apricots or prunes;
• individual intolerance to some components;
• bowel irritation;
• lung food poisoning;
• intestinal dysbiosis;
• pancreatitis;
• the use of sweeteners;
• the use of drugs and laxatives;
• gastritis and intestinal diseases;
• stomach ulcerdue to the bacteria Helicobacter pylori;
• in women - pregnancy, premenstrual syndrome and hormonal disbalance;
• poor quality and irregular food;
• severe toxicity.

If diarrhea is not caused by acute poisoning or intestinal diseases, then it passes quickly with proper nutrition, without causing additional unpleasant symptoms.

In such a situation, special nutrition for diarrhea in an adult is not needed: drink enough liquid and absorbent agents, for example, activated charcoal to remove all unpleasant symptoms.

If the diarrhea persists and is accompanied by other symptoms (dizziness, nausea, vomiting), an urgent need to change the diet.

What examinations need to be done (diagnostics)

The first step to establishing a diagnosis is a thorough history taking. It is important to collect an epidemiological history, including recent travel data.

A stay in the tropics significantly expands the list of diseases for differential diagnosis, but does not allow to exclude a frequent etiology. So, bloody diarrhea after traveling to Africa is most likely due to ulcerative colitis, and not amoebic dysentery.

Physical examination:

During the physical examination, additional clues are often found to determine the cause of the diarrhea. If postoperative scars are found (a surgical cause of diarrhea), increased peristalsis (auscultatory), tenderness to palpation (infection and inflammation), masses, perform rectal examination and fecal occult blood test.

Fistulas in the anus are typical for Crohn's disease. During sigmoidoscopy, ulcers or fecal impaction can be found, the latter symptom is a common cause of pseudo diarrhea or paradoxical diarrhea.

Laboratory examination:

Basic laboratory examination includes a detailed complete blood count with ESR, determination of the level of albumin, liver enzymes, thyroid-stimulating hormone and electrolytes.

A stool pH test is performed quickly in an outpatient setting if the patient is not on medication. Collect at least 0.5 ml of stool, touch with a nitrazine paper strip and compare the resulting color with the scale. If the pH is less than 5.5, this indicates increased acidity, which is characteristic of impaired lactose tolerance.

For differential diagnosis between secretory and osmotic diarrhea, you can determine the level of electrolytes in the feces. Although tests such as stool pH and electrolyte levels are of significant diagnostic value, they are often not prescribed during the initial examination.

Pathological results of laboratory examination make it possible to differentiate an organic disease from a functional one.

If the epidemiological history is difficult after travel, it is indicated stool culture with antibioticogram, worm egg test and parasites, determination of Giardia and Cryptosporidium antigens in feces. During a routine analysis of feces for eggs of worms Giardia and Cryptosporidium often do not show, although Cryptosporidium can be diagnosed by acid staining.

In the end, to confirm a specific diagnosis, it is often performed sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. The diagnosis of microscopic colitis can only be confirmed with a bowel biopsy. If it is necessary to differentiate secretory diarrhea from another type of diarrhea, then collect feces per day for quantitative assessment.

Nutritional principles for diarrhea in adults

Nutrition has the following goals:

• provide the body with all the necessary dietary fiber for normal digestion;
• remove the load of the digestive tract as much as possible, which is achieved by a special selection of products and their culinary processing (food is cooked in water or steamed, given in a pureed form);
• improve the overall functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract.

The irritated mucous membrane of the small intestine requires neutral food, which would not irritate it, but, on the contrary, soothed and enveloped it. Therefore, with loose stools, patients are prescribed diet No. 4, which provides maximum mechanical and chemical sparing of the intestines and a decrease in fermentation processes in it.

As a result of the processes of fermentation and decay (they occur when taking a large amount of carbohydrates and fresh milk), a large amount of gases are released in the intestines, which stretch and irritate the wall intestines.

What you need to eat with diet number 4:

• stale white bread or white bread croutons;
• ground lean meats and fish in the form of steamed meatballs or soufflé from boiled meat;
• soups on weak meat, fish or vegetable broth with boiled cereals (for example, with rice);
• freshly prepared cottage cheese, rubbed through a sieve;
• boiled or steamed eggs;
• mashed porridge cooked in water;
• weak tea, unsweetened and non-concentrated compotes from dried fruits or fresh apples, jelly;
• mashed raw and baked apples.

What needs to be excluded from the diet:

• any flour products (except those permitted);
• fatty rich soups and borscht with vegetables, strong broths from meat, fish, vegetables or mushrooms;
• fatty meat, fatty fish;
• canned and smoked foods;
• milk and dairy products (except cottage cheese);
• some cereals (millet, wheat groats);
• cereals (beans, lentils, beans), pasta;
• vegetables, fruits and berries, raw and not mashed;
• everything sweet, carbonated drinks, cold dishes.

The list of prohibited foods for diarrhea can go on for a very long time. The main thing with diarrhea is not to consume anything that can irritate the intestines and cause discomfort. It is advisable to drink a lot of liquids.

Sample menu for a day with diarrhea

Nutrition for diarrhea in adults for the day:

• First breakfast: 2 soft-boiled eggs or 2-egg omelet, steamed oatmeal, white bread crouton, weak tea;
• Lunch: curd pudding, orange or apple juice half diluted with water;
• Dinner: rice soup, boiled fish or steamed cutlet, mashed potatoes, jelly;
• Afternoon snack: biscuit, and mashed baked apple;
• First dinner: chicken steamed cutlets with mashed buckwheat porridge a glass of unsweetened rosehip broth;
• Second dinner (one hour later): jelly from blueberries, quince or pears.

Folk remedies for the treatment of diarrhea

Rice broth - for sure, many have heard of such a popular remedy for diarrhea as rice water.

This drink is much more effective than many of the advertised pills, it does not harm the body. And so, if we are talking about the pros, then it is impossible not to mention that this remedy well saturates the body with useful substances that are so necessary during diarrhea.

The recipe for such a useful medicine is simple:

To begin with, you should take a saucepan (preferably enameled), pour 0.5 liters of water into it and put it on fire. Then, two small spoons of rice should be dipped into boiling water, which was previously soaked in cold water. The potion should stand on the fire for at least fifty minutes. At this time, it needs to be stirred periodically.

The finished infusion is cooled and filtered through a tea strainer. It is worth taking depending on age. Adults - 150 ml. - every 3 hours a day. Children can be given from 50 to 100 ml. 3-4 times a day. Usually an improvement in the condition occurs within an hour after consumption. It is required not only to drink the infusion, but also to eat some rice. This remedy is also well suited for children because it does not cause allergies. After improvement, you can replace the broth with tea with simple crackers.

Bird cherry - Another great remedy for eliminating diarrhea is bird cherry. This is how people were treated in ancient times. Today, for proper treatment, it is worth using the bark and flowers of the plant. But it is worth drinking such a decoction only if the diarrhea is non-infectious.

It is quite simple to prepare a medicinal drink at home. It is necessary to rinse the bunches under the tap. Pour them into a glass halfway. Then fill the pan with the contents of the glass, in which the product will be prepared.

You also need to pour 2 glasses of hot water directly there, and then send it to a water bath for half an hour. After that, the broth should stand under the lid for about 30 minutes. Further, the drug must be filtered. Be sure to mix the drink with the same amount of blueberry juice.

The resulting product will become simply an irreplaceable assistant in the fight against diarrhea in an adult. This drink must be taken every hour 1 tablespoon.

Infusion of pomegranate - pomegranate peels have useful properties in the treatment of diarrhea. They need to be prepared in advance. To do this, cut off the red layer of the pomegranate and dry it in the oven.

To prepare a medicinal broth, the crusts need to be ground to a powder state and boiled for a quarter of an hour in a water bath, previously flooded with boiling water. It is necessary to take a small spoon only 1 time per day. Repeat the procedure until the patient is fully recovered.

Activated carbon - for sure, there are no people who would not know this tool. This black pill has been known to modern humans since childhood. Such a remedy will not work well in all cases. Of course, coal removes all harmful substances from the body, but vitamins go along with them. It must be applied 3 times a day. The course of treatment is 10 days.

Strong tea - in order for the drink to really work, it must be prepared correctly. This requires high quality black tea without various additives (flavors and dyes). It is necessary to brew the tea leaves quite tightly and take it as a medicine, not stretching the pleasure, but in one gulp.

When does a person need medical attention?

In some cases, it is simply impossible to do without the help of specialists. It is worth calling a doctor when the diarrhea does not stop, and all of the above remedies do not help. In no case should you be delayed with this. There are examples when people who ignored seeking qualified help died.

The most serious sign is blood in stool.

Prevention and recommendations

Diarrhea can be caused not only by an excess of food, especially high-calorie and heavy foods, but also by an improper diet, excessive food restrictions.

When overeating, an adult should listen to the following recommendations:

• avoid spices, spicy and fatty foods;
• you can starve for a while;
• drink plenty of water;
• food should be low in fat;
• you can eat semi-liquid mashed potatoes with pickled cucumber;
• after diarrhea, it is advisable not to eat anything for a while until the feeling of hunger appears;
• you can eat rice, vegetables, herbs;
• helps cabbage juice, dill, salads with their addition.

With diarrhea caused by overeating, it is advisable to eat nothing at all for a while. Avoid ketchup, fast food, corn, and alcoholic beverages.

It is advisable to drink plenty of water immediately after diarrhea, drink black / green tea without sugar. You can drink an activated charcoal tablet and wash it down with plenty of water.

They will help you to regain strength porridge (in moderation), low-fat salads, herbs. It is undesirable to consume meat, condiments and sauces, as they can increase intestinal upset.

If insufficient nutrition is the cause of your diarrhea, focus on the following foods:

• porridge: buckwheat, rice and oatmeal;
• strong tea without sugar;
• you can use strong coffee, but not instant, but ground coffee.
• you can eat a small amount of boiled chicken without salt and additional additives;
• Whole grain bread or croutons (you can eat crispbread);
• bananas for diarrhea can be consumed in small quantities.

Intestinal upset with insufficient food intake can be caused by the characteristics of the past diet. Diarrhea can be provoked by vegetables and fruits, lack of solid food, especially during a strict diet.

Important! If diarrhea persists after a few days of eating, it is advisable to consult a doctor. The occurrence of serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract is possible.

Depending on the cause of the disease, the doctor will select the therapy. The exact recommendation depends on the cause of the diarrhea. If it is caused by diseases of the liver, gastrointestinal tract, the underlying disease should be treated.