Bananas are often defined as the perfect fruit. They are loaded with fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, folate, potassium, and complex carbohydrates, but they do not have fat, cholesterol, or sodium. It is easy to eat a banana, which makes it a popular snack for babies and seniors. It's even a decent heartburn and acid indigestion cure as well.
But because diarrhea is encountered about four times a year by the average adult, that's when you'll be more than thankful for this wonderful fruit. Bananas are the best fruit for relieving diarrhea.
While diarrhea can be caused by several reasons, the pain it causes is largely attributable to too much water in your intestines. This can occur when water passes into your intestines to dilute the material that gives you trouble or because more fluid is secreted by your intestinal cells than normal when they are disturbed by bacteria or an allergen.
Either way, diarrhea can make you lose a lot of fluid, which may contribute to electrolyte imbalances and dehydration. You should drink between eight and ten eight-ounce glasses of water per day while you have diarrhea and snack on foods containing salt and potassium to ensure that you remain hydrated until everything is back to normal.
Besides drinking lots of water, following the BRAT diet briefly will even make you sleep better. This diet recommends consuming bananas, potatoes, applesauce, and toast, both of which contain a form of fiber known as indigestible starch and are bland foods. In order to consume more liquids, vitamins, and nutrients, this starch speeds down metabolism, and you may not catch yourself going to the toilet as frequently. Indigestible starch also offers fuel in your intestines for the "good" bacteria, stimulating their growth and helping to get rid of any "bad" bacteria that may make you sick.
In fact, bananas are a renowned home remedy for diarrhea. One research showed that after just 24 hours after eating a banana, patients with diarrhea improved. In comparison, they were less likely to use IV fluids for rehydration and recovered better than patients who did not eat bananas. Since one banana contains approximately 422 mg of potassium, it also helps avoid any electrolyte imbalances that can occur from the lack of diarrhea-associated fluids and nutrients.
You may believe that eating will make your diarrhea worse, but your dietary habits will help alleviate your symptoms and ensure that your health does not deteriorate.
When diarrhea lasts more than a couple of days, however, it's time to call the doctor. When you feel extreme discomfort or the diarrhea contains large quantities of blood or pus, visit the doctor as well.
