Diet for diarrhea and diarrhea in a child

The health of the child is the most important thing for his parents. When the baby is sick, you need to pay attention to his treatment. Diarrhea is one of the most common childhood illnesses.

To cope with it, the child needs to be put on a diet. What should be the correct diet for diarrhea in children? Let's figure it out.

Causes of childhood diarrhea

Diarrhea is an abnormal condition in which a person has frequent urge to have a bowel movement. In children, as in adults, this ailment can occur for a number of reasons.

The most common causes of loose stools in children are:

1. Viral infection. Some pathogenic bacteria and viruses, getting into the human body, settle on the intestinal walls, provoking nausea and diarrhea. Such viruses negatively affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. With such diarrhea, it is necessary to remove the pathogenic bacteria that provoke loose stools from the body.
2. Binge eating. Children often overeat after meals, especially if they have eaten something sweet. The child's stomach should not be overloaded, as this will negatively affect the functioning of the digestive system. In this case, the overeating child may experience both diarrhea and constipation.
3. Eating high-calorie foods. When children eat large amounts of foods that are high in calories at one time, loose stools are produced. This is explained by the fact that the gastrointestinal tract does not easily cope with the digestion of such food. As a result, there is a failure in its work.
4. Inaccuracies in nutrition. In a child, diarrhea can be caused by eating poor-quality and stale food.
5. Diseases and pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. In children who suffer from any diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, diarrhea is one of the symptoms of their ailment.
6. Long-term use of antibiotics. If children have been treated for any illness with antibiotics, they may develop loose stools. In this case, this ailment is a side effect of taking the medication. It will go away right after the baby stops giving the antibiotic.
7. Drinking some fruit juices. The fact is that some fruit drinks contain a special sugar - sorbitol, which is not completely absorbed into the intestines.

This sugar draws fluid through the intestinal walls, so drinking juices that contain sorbitol is contraindicated in case of loose stools.

Whatever the reason that provokes the occurrence of loose stools in a child, he needs a diet for successful treatment.

Symptoms of childhood diarrhea

Watery stools are not the only symptom that manifests itself in children with this ailment. They may also complain about:

• A constant feeling of nausea.
• Vomiting. Vomiting may occur after every meal.
• Skin rash. Skin rashes with loose stools often occur in newborns. The reason for this is damp laundry or diapers.
• Weakness and lethargy.
• Drowsiness. It arises from the weakness of the body.
• Increased body temperature. This symptom is noted only if loose stools were triggered by a viral infection.
• Dehydration. This is one of the most dangerous symptoms. A clear sign of dehydration in children is sudden weight loss.

Fecal matter in infants with diarrhea is yellow.

General recommendations

A diet for diarrhea in young children must be followed. What should a child eat when he has loose stools?

The child's nutrition should be measured. He should be given broths and soups cooked on meat bones. The main requirement for liquid dishes is that they should not be greasy.

Do not cook bones for too long, because this diet completely excludes the baby's eating fatty foods.

You can cook soup for diarrhea in children without vegetables. There is no need to put cabbage or tomato in the soup. The main thing is that the broth is rich and nutritious.

The diet for diarrhea should include the use of baked apples, bananas and quince for children. These products have a positive effect on the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract.

How do they affect digestion? These fruits contain fiber and natural sorbents. Thanks to these substances, the work of the intestines returns to normal, and disease-causing toxins and bacteria are exported from the stomach.

Such a diet is especially effective for diarrhea if it was provoked by an intestinal infection.

For diarrhea in children, they are given porridge that forms mucus when cooking, such as oatmeal. Also, in the diet of a child suffering from this ailment, boiled eggs must be included.

During the day, he should eat 1-2 boiled eggs. They can also be served to him in the form of an omelet, as long as it is steamed.

Why should you only give a steam omelet? A diet for diarrhea in a child completely excludes eating fried foods. Sunflower oil will negatively affect the work of children's digestion.

What else can you give your baby? The diet includes the use of soups, broths, cereals and some fruits.

It is recommended to refrain from the rest of the products, as they can negatively affect the functioning of the digestive system and aggravate the child's condition.

Risk of dehydration

Parents of a child should remember that with diarrhea there is a risk of dehydration, because water is exported from the body along with feces. What should be done to avoid this risk?

First, you need to make sure that your baby drinks as much liquid as possible during the day. Drinking a child with diarrhea should be copious.

Secondly, parents should give their child water after each bowel movement. This is a preventative measure for dehydration.

With diarrhea in children, they can be given to drink not only mineral water. Also, parents can make him black tea. The main thing is that it is weak and not very sweet.

You do not need to often give your baby black tea, because, as you know, it contains a lot of caffeine, which, in case of diarrhea, only increases intestinal upset.

Nevertheless, black tea contains tannins, which, when entering the child's body, have a fixative effect on the intestines.

What other liquids can be used for desoldering

1. Carrot broth.
2. Green tea, preferably unsweetened.
3. Decoction of raisins.
4. Chamomile decoction.
5. Alkaline water without gas.
6. Dried fruits compote.
7. Rice infusion.
8. Rosehip tea, etc.

The main principles of the diet

The diet of a baby suffering from this ailment should be built on the following principles:

1. It is necessary to replenish the body's fluid supply on time. Therefore, there must be broths in the baby's diet.
2. Food should be gentle on the stomach and easily digestible.
3. You cannot load your stomach with a large amount of food eaten at one time. Meals should be fractional. The number of meals can be increased to 5-6, and the portions can be reduced.
4. Nutrition for this ailment should correspond to the age of the child.

Prohibited foods

Therapeutic diet for diarrhea in children is based not only on recommendations, but also on prohibitions. With loose stools in children, it is contraindicated for them to eat such foods and drinks:

• Mandarins.
• Raw fruits. You can only eat raw bananas.
• Pickles.
• Coffee and coffee drinks.
• Chips, nuts and croutons.
• Carbonated drinks.
• Bread and bakery products.
• Mushrooms.
• Flour products.
• Fried food cooked in sunflower oil.
• Fatty food.
• Dairy and fermented milk products.
• Beans.

The therapeutic diet should be based on the principle of the gradual introduction of certain products into the child's diet. If the baby feels a little better, this is not a reason to completely abandon the diet.

Even after a complete recovery, you should not include foods and drinks from the above list in the diet for several days. Why?

The fact is that even after the normalization of the intestines, there is a risk of recurrence of the disease.

If the baby begins to feel better with diarrhea, his diet should not be stopped. Some fruits can be introduced into the baby's diet, which he can eat raw.

As for dairy and fermented milk products and drinks, they can be introduced into the diet only after the child's final recovery.

It is recommended to wait 2-3 days after recovery so that the baby can eat beans and baked goods.

When can the diet end? The baby can return to his usual diet no earlier than 1.5 weeks after his final recovery.

When you need specialist help

Treatment of this ailment includes adherence to a therapeutic diet, drinking plenty of fluids and taking medications (if necessary).

Nevertheless, there are times when it is not possible to solve the problem of loose stools in a baby at home for several days.

If parents cannot help their child cope with this ailment for more than three days, he should be shown to a doctor.

This must be done, because if the liquid stool does not pass for a long time, this may indicate the presence of a disease or pathology of the gastrointestinal tract in the child's body.

A clear sign of gastrointestinal disease is diarrhea, accompanied by pain.

When to see a doctor

• The baby often has nausea. He started vomiting.
• Treatment of loose stools at home does not give any result for more than 2-3 days.
• The baby's body temperature has risen.
• He complains of pain. Painful sensations can be of any nature.
• The child's body is dehydrated. Signs of dehydration include loss of consciousness, pale skin, weakness and limited movement, etc.

If the baby, in addition to loose stools, has any of the above symptoms, he should be immediately sent to the nearest medical center for examination.

Only after qualified assistance provided to the baby can positive dynamics be observed.

Parents are not recommended to independently treat this ailment in their children, since their weakened body due to illness may negatively respond to treatment.

Therefore, you should either call a doctor at home, or take your baby to the hospital yourself.

If the watery stool was not triggered by a gastrointestinal disease, then, subject to all dietary rules, the ailment should go away after 2-3 days.

If it is due to an infection in the stomach, you should eat more fruits rich in natural sorbents. This will help to export the disease-causing infection from the body.

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