Its an important question to ask “What to eat in loose motions” because Diarrhea or loose motion is one of the common diseases which take lives of around 1300 children each day or about 4,80,000 children per year making it the leading killer of the children below 5. 80% of the children die within the first two years of their life.
Diarrhea is the condition in which at least three loose, liquid or watery bowel movements take place. It generally lasts for 2 or 3 days resulting in the dehydration due to excessive loss of water from the body. Common symptoms of diarrhea include decreased urination, loss of skin color, a fast heart rate, loss of skin color, etc.
Diarrhea is mostly caused due to the infection of intestines due to a virus, bacteria, etc. These infections are acquired from contaminated food or directly from the infected person. It can be prevented by living in healthy and hygienic conditions, drink clean and boiled water, washing hands before eating.
What are loose motions or Diarrhea?
According to the definition stated by the World Health Organisation, “Diarrhea is the passage of 3 or more loose or liquid stools per day, or more frequently than is normal for the individual. It is usually a symptom of gastrointestinal infection, which can be caused by a variety of bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms. Infection is spread through contaminated food or drinking-water, or from person to person as a result of poor hygiene.”
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Causes of Loose Motions
Before learning What to Eat in Loose Motions, its important to discuss its causes. Generally, diarrhea is caused due to consuming contaminated food or water. Such food or water is contaminated by bacteria or parasites which leads to diarrhea.
Here are the common factors responsible for diarrhea:
- Bacteria: Eating contaminated food can transmit bacteria or parasites to your body. Generally, people who travel a lot have to eat junk foods and drink unhygienic water which causes diarrhea.
- Viruses: Some viruses are also responsible for causing diarrhea. Rotavirus is one of the common viruses which is responsible for causing diarrhea among the children.
- Antibiotics: Medicines or antibiotics are used to kill harmful bacteria present in our body. But these antibiotics kill both good and harmful bacteria thus causing a disbalance of natural bacteria present in our body.
- Lactose: Lactose is a form of sugar which is present in milk and other dairy products. Some people face difficulty while digesting these dairy products and thus it causes diarrhea.
- Unhygienic Water: Drinking unhygienic water contaminated with bacteria or parasites can cause diarrhea. So it is advised to always drink water after boiling.
Symptoms of diarrhea or Loose Motions
Signs and symptoms of diarrhea include:
- Loose, liquid or watery bowel movements
- Fever
- Cramps in abdomen
- Abdominal pain
- Blood in the stool
- Nausea
How to Prevent Loose Motions
Here are the necessary precautions which should be taken to prevent this disease:
- Drink Water: Reports suggest that drinking clean water decreases the risk of diarrhea. Some improvements include drinking boiled water, using water purifiers at home, using high quality piped water, etc. Eating contaminated food also causes diarrhea because the food is contaminated by bacteria brought by disease-carrying insects like a housefly, cockroaches, etc.
Not only drinking and eating healthy water and food but also living in a clean and hygienic places lowers the risk of diarrhea. It includes using toilets instead of going to an open area and proper sanitation. - Avoid Germs: Daily we come in contact with something where hands get dirty and filled with germs. So it is necessary to wash our hands before eating anything. Eating food with dirty hands leads to the consumption of bacteria or parasites thus causing diarrhea.
- Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding has numerous effects on diarrheal disease. Studies show that those children who received exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of their birth are better protected against the disease. One report found that those who are non-breastfed are 14 times more likely to die from diarrhea compared to those who are breastfed. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months with the continued breastfeeding for 2 years is recommended by the World Health Organization.
What to Eat in Loose Motions
People suffering from diarrhea don’t know what type of food to eat and what to avoid. These factors ultimately result in speeding the recovery time of your body.
Here are the foods which you should consider eating:
1. Yogurt
One of the well-known foods which are consumed during the diarrheal condition is yogurt. Now some of you might be thinking that dairy products should be avoided in this condition. Why yogurt then? Yogurt has probiotic live bacteria which helps in combating with the infectious bacteria which has caused diarrhea. So if you are suffering from diarrhea, then you can eat yogurt throughout the day. But remember, you should not eat it in large quantities because it will lead to acidity. Also, you must not add any kind of sugar in yogurt otherwise it will worsen the condition.
2. Bananas, Rice, Apple, and Toast
When you are suffering from diarrhea, it is recommended to eat BRAT diet. BRAT diet stands for Bananas, Rice, Apple, and Toast. Usually, high fiber foods should be avoided during diarrhea that’s why BRAT diet is recommend because it has low fiber which can be eaten. Also bananas have essential nutrients which helps you to get the nutrients which you have lost during excessive urination.
3. Water
During diarrhea, people suffer from dehydration which results in loss of water from the body along with nutrients. Dehydration can cause serious problems if not treated in time. To hydrate your body, you should consider drinking water mixed with salt and sweet because salt present in the water will slow down the water loss process while sugar will help your body to absorb the salt.
4. Citrus Fruits
You can eat citrus fruits like lemon, grapefruit, sweet lime when suffering from diarrhea. Eating citrus foods help in the elimination of toxic elements from your body thus helping in the treatment of diarrhea. But excessive consumption of citrus fruits leads to irritation and bloating.
5. Fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium. It helps in the excessive absorption of water in the intestines. Also, when you suffer from diarrhea, your body loses its energy thus making you feel exhausted, eating bananas in such condition will provide your body the much-needed energy.
Conclusion – What to Eat in Loose Motions
Daily, diarrhea takes lives of so many people especially children, living in the world inspite of having a simple treatment. So it is quite important to take necessary steps to prevent diarrhea. Diarrhea can be prevented if you are following a healthy diet and proper sanitation, drinking clean water, eating healthy food, washing hands before eating, etc.
If you still get unlucky and get affected by this disease, you can try eating the recommended foods during the diarrheal condition to lower the symptoms. Eating low fiber foods will help you to lower the symptoms and will give relief to your abdomen. But if you are seeing blood during urination then you should immediately rush to the hospital and consult a doctor.
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