Diet chart
What to eat in loose motions (diarrhoea)
Most loose motions from a stomach infection settle in a few days. The most important treatment is fluid: ORS after every loose stool. Eating does not make loose motions worse; light, simple food helps you recover faster than starving.
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Key goals
- ORS after every loose stool, sipped often
- Light, simple food as soon as you can eat
- No sugary drinks, juices or fried food until you recover
- Watch for warning signs: blood, high fever, very little urine
A sample day
Pick one option for each meal. Portions are for an average adult; adjust them to your hunger and weight.
VegEggNon-vegWestern
- ORS or coconut water, sipped
- A banana
- Idli, poha, or toast with curd
- Plain rice with curd
- ORS after each loose stool
- Banana or papaya
- Khichdi or curd rice with a little dal
- Chicken soup with rice
- Clear vegetable soup, rusk or a banana
- Chaas
- Khichdi, curd rice, or boiled potato with curd
- Chicken soup with soft rice
- ORS or water at the bedside
Daily targets
- Protein
- 0.8–1 g per kg of body weight (about 48–60 g, 60 kg)
- Fibre
- not a goal for now
- Fat
- under 40 g
- Vegetables
- 1 or more katoris
- Fruit
- 1–2 servings
- Water
- 10–14 glasses
- Fried food
- none
- Sugary food and drinks
- none
- Salty food
- at most 1 a day
Choose more
- ORS, sipped often
- Khichdi, curd rice, banana, dal water
- Coconut water and clear soups
- Curd and chaas
- Rest
Cut down
- Fried and spicy food
- Milk, if it makes motions worse
- Fruit juices, soft drinks and sweets, which pull water into the gut
- Large amounts of tea and coffee
- Anti-diarrhoea tablets without advice if there is blood or fever
Good to know
- Packaged WHO ORS is best. At home: 6 level teaspoons sugar and half a level teaspoon salt in 1 litre clean water
- Glucose drinks, sports drinks and juices do not replace ORS
- Blood in the stool, high fever or very little urine need a doctor
- Loose motions for more than two weeks need tests
If you also have
Diabetes
Illness can push sugar up or down. Keep taking fluids, check sugar more often, and ask your doctor about adjusting medicines, especially if you are not eating. Use ORS, not sugary drinks.
High BP or heart disease
If you take water pills or BP medicines and become dehydrated, dizziness and kidney strain can follow. Ask your doctor whether to pause them while you are unwell.
Kidney disease
Dehydration is risky with kidney disease. Seek care early, and do not take painkillers like ibuprofen.
Pregnancy
Keep up fluids, and see a doctor if you cannot keep fluids down or have fever or blood in the stool.
Age over 65
Older adults become dehydrated quickly. Watch for dizziness, confusion or little urine, and seek care early.
Track today's food
Tap what you have eaten. The diary compares your day with the chart, shows what is missing and suggests what to eat for the rest of the day.
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Common questions
What should I eat in loose motions?
Khichdi, curd rice, idli, poha, banana, toast, boiled potato, curd and clear soups, with ORS after every loose stool.
Is curd good in loose motions?
Yes, for most people. Curd is easier to digest than milk.
Should I stop eating during loose motions?
No. Light food helps the gut recover. If vomiting is so bad that you cannot keep anything down, see a doctor.
When to see a doctor
See a doctor the same day for blood in the stool, high fever, severe belly pain, vomiting that stops you keeping fluids down, or very little urine, and early if loose motions last more than 3 days in an older adult.
Other diet charts
General guidance for adults, not a personal prescription. Food values are estimates for a typical home serving. If you have kidney disease, are pregnant, or have been given a specific diet by your doctor, follow that advice.