What to Drink and Eat After Vomiting and/or Diarrhea
Begin taking a few sips of water or oral rehydrating solution (ORS). ORS has the advantage of a proper balance of sugar and salt. Examples of brands are Pedialyte and Rehydralyte or mix your own:
- 1 quart water (4 cups)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup orange juice
- 4 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp baking soda
After a few sips of water or ORS, wait 30 minutes. If no vomiting or diarrhea, increase the amount taken every 30 minutes. Continue for about 1 to 3 hours, then advance to clear liquids.
Clear Liquids
- Sports drinks – the sugar content is higher than optimal for this purpose, so it is better to dilute by mixing 1 part drink and 2 parts water or ½ drink and ½ water.
- Clear broth or bouillon
- Jell-O
- Kool-Aid – decreased the sugar
- Tea – weak and decaffeinated is best
- Soft drinks – regular, decaffeinated and flat is best
Continue clear liquids until they are well tolerated, then advance to the Brat Diet. Eat small amounts several times a day. Returning to a nutritionally balanced diet as soon as possible promotes recovery.
Recommended Foods to Eat on the BRAT Diet
- Bananas
- Rice
- Bread
- Cheese
- Crackers
- Low fat yogurt
- Cottage cheese
- Dry cereal
- Canned fruit
- Cooked vegetables
- Lean meat
- Plain baked potato with no skin
- Plain mashed potato
Foods to Avoid
- Milk
- Alcohol
- Fatty foods
- Fried foods
- Raw foods
- Spicy foods
