BRAT Diet Instructions
Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
Can the Brat Diet assist with quelling diarrhea?
Need a littlehelp fighting off diarrhea? The BRAT diet might just be your solution to this explosive ailment that can some times turn serious. It's very mild and has the ability to settle the digestive system - and it's works as a natural remedy for diarrhea.
With that said, let's bring on The Big Four.
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Bananas, white Rice, unsweetened Applesauce and plain, dry Toast - the foursome fighters of diarrhea. All are easy on the stomach, as well as the intestines.
How the BRAT Diet Works
Eliminate Solid Food
1. The individual eliminates all solid food from their daily diet.
Sip Water at Room Temperature
2. Next the sip room temperature water for hydrating purposes. How much? At least 2 cups per hour and be certain to sip - not gulp all at once. We'd like to insert a health note as well as a warning here.
Be sure to ask your doctor before you add an abundance of water to your daily diet. The electrolytes can become imbalanced and this can be a life-threatening incident.
Reintroduing Solids Into the Diet
3. The BRAT Diet suggests slowly introducing bananas, rice, applesauce and dry toast into the diet. Another concern we have is that bananas contain substantial potassium content which encourages water to be flushed from the body. Again the electrolyte situation comes into play.
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If you have experienced milk diarrhea, the BRAT diet may be of help but if your condition continues for more than twenty-four hours you need to get checked out so that dehydration doesn't become an issue.
Persistent Diarrhea Could Be an Indication of a Serious Issue
Also, there are certain medical conditions such as appendicitis which may produce this uncomfortable ailment but not the other symptoms generally associated with the condition such as abdominal pain and vomiting or nausea. If the diarrhea is due to appendicitis, the appendix could rupture and this is a life-threatening condition.
My mother had appendicitis when she was in her twenties - back in the 1950's. For three days she had horrible pain in her right side but not the classic ill tummy or diarrhea. When the pain became unbearable and she started having a fever, my father coaxed her into going to the hospital.
Before he took her she insisted on stopping at a department store and purchasing a proper gown.
The doctor saved her life but it was touch and go; he gave her four hours to live after completing the surgery and seriously doubted her survival.
The appendix had ruptured and he had to dig all the way into her back to remove it all. He was exhausted after the surgery.
She did recover; back then the surgery that was performed was very hard on the patient. Her scar was about a foot long and marred her stomach. These days we have laser and it's such a simple surgery.
What aggravates diarrhea?
Sugar, solid foods, hot drinks, cold drinks and dairy products can all aggravate or worsen your condition.
Be sure to get with your family doctor if diarrhea is severe. As noted previously, severe diarrhea can lead to dehydration very swiftly, particularly in the young, the elderly and in those individuals who are suffering from certain ailments.
And be certain to get with your doctor before trying the BRAT diet for his/her thumb's up.
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