I used diarrhoea in a title. Is that a first here on A Balanced Belly? I usually use ‘gut health’ but it struck me that that word has just become synonymous with bloating at the moment.
There’s one thing that we still don’t talk about still and that is poo. diarrhoea. and, let’s be honest: shitting yourself (hey, if you haven’t done it, then why are you reading this blog?
)We’ve all done it at least once, even Charlotte from Sex and the City, so in a way it’s fashionable.
The internet can’t probably tell you what’s causing your diarrhoea (ooh, there we go again) but I can share some things that can help.
It goes without saying that diarrhoea can be caused by many things-including IBS, Crohn’s Disease, food poisoning, lactose intolerance, your period and all sorts of other conditions.
This post might help you in figuring out if it is IBS or something else. Before we begin: I am not a medical expert.
Occasional diarrhoea can happen to anyone but if it continues, please do see a doctor. I cannot provide medical advice; only my experience and knowledge of someone with a lot of diarrhoea (haha!)
1. Stop and breathe- it’s happened to ALL of us
Whether you’ve been glutened, are having a flare-up of IBS or IBD (which I am aware are very different), the first thing to know is it happens to all of us.
If you have IBD, you’ll know that but you might also try to play detective like me. You might also assume that you are having a flare-up but news flash: NORMAL HEALTHY PEOPLE HAVE DIARRHOEA OCCASIONALLY TOO.
So taking a deep breath and reminding yourself that ‘this too shall pass’ can help because our intestines regenerate its lining in a matter of days.
So in the next 24 hours, you may well feel much better but if not, do obviously consult your doctor and not this blog.
If you don’t have IBD, you may also feel embarrassed. I would tell you it is SO common but, at the same time, if it’s happening regularly do please see a doctor who won’t find it at all awkward or embarrassing I promise-about getting a diagnosis.
2. Step away (temporarily) from Insoluble Fibre
Many foods are touted as our good for our gut are actually not great for an inflamed, upset or sensitive one.
When you are suffering from diarrhea, foods high in insoluble fibre (like salad and whole grains) will most like cause irritation to an already inflamed or sensitive colon.
Insoluble fibre sweeps through the bowels; increasing transit time (aka time from eating to…um…expelling!), which is not ideal if you are already stuck on the toilet.
What’s more, these types of foods can be too tough to be broken down correctly when you’re unwell.
Just take a stick of insoluble fibre-rich celery and break it apart. You can see just how tough that can be.
Of course, this should only be a temporary measure: insoluble fibre is vital for things like promoting good gut bacteria but stepping away from it for a day or two might help.
3. Eat low residue foods
Make my baked banana recipe here
In contrast, low residue foods are your friend. These are low fibre and low fat (high in fat foods may stimulate gut contractions which can cause pain and diarrhoea).
Think mashed potato, banana, rice, white toast, stewed apples, rice noodle soup. This is sometimes referred to as the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Apple Sauce and Toast)
If in doubt, bland and beige/white foods are your friend. They’ll provide a comforting, soothing mixture which is easy to digest.
4. Try a small dose of psyllium husk
Psyllium husk is a type of soluble fibre which can actually help get rid of the water in your stools.
“Psyllium essentially helps diarrhoea become less ‘liquid-like’ and more ‘gel-like’ explains Dr Sammie Gill, a gut health dietician (find her over on twitter @GutDocSam for more gut health insight. I usually take a teaspoon mixed with water.
5. Do NOT drink caffeine
Caffeine is a known common cause of diarrhoea as it’s thought to increase gut motility (in other words how quickly things move through your gut)
6. Sip on bone broth or use it in soup
Bone broth is worth sipping on as it contains collagen which, in theory, can help support your gut lining.
I usually sip on a cup of it or add it to a soup. I made this gut rest soup every week before my soup maker broke!
I also sometimes add cooked chicken and rice noodles to bone broth for a soothing dinner.
7. Opt for fennel, mint and ginger teas
As well as sipping on bone broth, herbal teas can help. Ginger is great for digestion (you can just slice a piece in a cup, add water and lemon if you have it) and fennel and mint really help with discomfort, bloating and pain.
8.Introduce probiotics slowly
If you’ve suffered from diarrhoea for some time, probiotics can help but be warned probiotic supplements can also cause ‘die off’ symptoms (thought to be caused by the increase of good bacteria) which include diarrhoea and bloating.
If your diarrhoea is related to antibiotics, then it might be worth starting a probiotic supplement. If not, then it could be worth very slowly adding fermented foods like sauerkraut or my miso soup recipe.
9.Say no to RAW
Eating raw is another thing that is touted as being good for us, but if you regularly suffer from IBD and IBS, you might have to accept that healthier doesn’t always mean healthier for us.
Foods soften as they become cooked and even blended, meaning less effort is needed to digest them.
Think of cooking as giving your gut a little helping hand by doing the digestion for us.
If you do want to eat something uncooked, then blend it in to a smoothie. Smoothies KEEP the fibre but blends it to break it down. You can try my 5 smoothies for helping your digestion post
Why juicing might help more than smoothies
As mentioned above, smoothies keep the fibre but blends it. Juices get rid of the fibre altogether.
This isn’t ideal usually as it can give you a sugar spike (the fibre in fruit helps slow the release of sugar down). However, it does mean if you are struggling to eat food, juicing is a better option than smoothies as they’ll contain very little fibre and your gut will do very little work (Which is what you need to do to rest it).
I’ll be honest, before I had Jude I would juice all the time and it really helped. It’s just hard to do with a baby. So I’ll link all the posts here.
Free ebook: Juicing for digestive health ( this was written ages ago so drop me a message if the opt in doesn’t work)
Vegetables for juicing and their health benefits
very very well done for talking about it .i am impressed .i have BOTH Bladder
and Bowel problems .long list health issues ..ibs migraines ..M.e.list goes on .i take part in a lot lot research ..it gets very very very SHITTY and very very
very Soaking WET 7 days a week .people never see the every day effects
there views/judgements are very SNOTTY NOSED
my blog.http;//mark-kent.webs.com
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“Hey,
I read your blog. It is really helpful and easy to understand. I am sure it will help everyone. Thanks for sharing your Knowledge and experience with us.”