Diarrhea

Diarrhea is frequent, loose and excess bowel movements and is your body’s way of ridding itself of toxic substances. It is often accompanied by low fever, fatigue, and abdominal cramps. The body often is able to cleanse itself within a day or two, but if it continues for three or more days one can become dehydrated and this is dangerous. Natural remedies and diet can help, but you should contact your health provider if your diarrhea lasts more than 3 days.

What are the causes of diarrhea? It could be allergies to dairy or wheat (lactose or gluten), medications, cleansing reaction to bad food, the flu, or often intestinal parasites.

Therapeutic Foods and Beverages

• Food should contain plenty of fiber, but be low in roughage. Vegetables should be lightly steamed or sautéed. Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Organic pesticide-free foods are best!
• Drink plenty of water.
• Miso soup or vegetable broth
• Papaya fruit or juice, apples, bananas
• Whole grains, such as brown rice, basmati rice, quinoa, barley, wild rice, oats.
• Seeds and nut butters - sesame (tahini), sunflower, almond. (Avoid seeds and nuts  in whole form. They can get stuck in a sensitive area of the gut and cause great pain.
• Cultured foods - yogurt and kefir.

Limit these foods and beverages

• Wheat products and wheat bran.
• Dairy - milk and milk products.
• Alcohol (especially yeasty beer), caffeinated and decaf drinks - coffee, soda pop.
• Avoid pork.
• Raw vegetables, head lettuce.