# How are some foods able to give me diarrhea so quickly **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973 "2003-02-27T20:51:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/41 "2010-05-09T18:38:25Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Does anyone find diarrhea immediately following coffee? When I have my first cup of the day, I need to be very sure a bathroom is close at hand–the weird thing is that sometimes I get an emergency while the coffee is still brewing–I haven’t literally had a drop to drink yet, but I have the diarrhea anyway. Psychological diarrhea? Conditioned diarhhrhea? It doesn’t make any sense to me. I have the same thing. Not diarrhea, just normal but somewhat urgent “time to drop a load”. It can be anything from just the smell of brewing coffee to 5 to 10 minutes into the first cup, and typically it is about a half hour after the first cup. If I don’t have morning coffee, the morning exercise is generally much less predictable and much less urgent when the desire arises. In my case, I think its a fair combination of “in the mind”, “in the body”,and “just that time of the morning” all working together. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/42 "2010-05-10T00:39:25Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Amazing that an admin’s posted twice in this thread and been so preoccupied with talking about her bowels that she’s not noticed it’s been resurrected from 2003. :rolleyes: Maybe she did, but she could give a shit. It is slight amusing, however, that the zombie creator signed up for just one post about his/her bowels. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/43 "2010-05-10T14:51:21Z")
> [@FranticMad](#): > > I’ve noticed the OP effect, and it’s real. I’ve seen bright green chopped spinach or parsley appears after 20 minutes of eating at a restaurant. And I hadn’t eaten these at any other time within at least a month so it’s not 24/48 hours old. I thought I was the only one who experienced this. I’ve had recognizable just consumed foods come out the other end within minutes too. ---
**Author:** ![suri96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/48db29/32.png) [@suri96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suri96)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/44 "2011-11-12T10:23:31Z")
I have noticed that every time I have ranch dressing I feel sick at night. And I’m sure its not anything I ate 12 to 24 hours before. I wonder if its an allergic reaction. My tummy starts to cramp and I end up with diarrhea for the night. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/45 "2011-11-12T11:34:08Z")
Double zombie! > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > It’s not the new food being excreted, it’s the food that has already traveled through your intestines. It’s from meals eaten as long as 48 hours before. Not everyone. I have diaorreahal IBS and after my third (urgent) BM of the morning, I am basically empty, every single day. Furthermore on occasion recognizable food has passed out of me, undigested, within a very short amount of time. One time apple =\> apple sauce in about 20-30 minutes, accompanied by violent cramps. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/46 "2011-11-12T13:06:59Z")
OMG, sorry, I can’t pass up the chance to make a zombie reference twice in the same thread! ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/47 "2011-11-12T20:32:29Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Unfortunately I seem to suffer from IBS and it sucks. > > The main problems, for me, are two-fold: > > 1. I have no idea what causes it. Most times I am fine. I eat a very varied diet (I like lots of different kinds of food) and despite years of this and paying attention when it happens (relatively rare) I can find no rhyme or reason to it. I eat super spicy stuff with zero problems for instance. Best I have come up with is it happens when I drink from glasses that are washed at the bar. That is, I have a glass of beer and the glass was washed in the bar rinse tubs it seems more likely to happen. Even then it is not a sure thing but as a result I tend to drink from bottles while at a bar if I can. Frankly though I have no clue despite careful analysis to figure what it is. > > 2. Almost no one believes me (or rather they think I am making much ado about nothing and cannot believe it occurs so fast [hour or so] after eating) and almost no one understands how debilitating it is while it happens (it is painful and it is urgent). Literally there have been times when I am nowhere near a bathroom and seriously wondered if I was going to shit myself in public. Worse, those cases are usually when I am out with friends or family so the embarrassment will be with people I know well (thank Og so far that has never happened but been close a few times). > > It is fairly rare for it to happen to me fortunately but not so uncommon that I don’t worry about it. Totally ruins my evening if it does which can be really bad if on a first date (yep…that happened to me once). ditto ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/48 "2011-11-13T15:58:40Z")
[Del]Braiiins[/del] Poooooop! ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/49 "2011-11-13T16:39:17Z")
> [@Talking\_Meat\_Puppet](#): > > I have noticed a trend. When I eat at Chinese Buffet, I get bad diarrhea about 20 minutes after the meal is over. Since this is a double zombie (and the OP is probably long gone) I ask, why would one continue to eat something that has a trend of giving you bad diarrhea? ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/50 "2011-11-13T18:09:17Z")
Because he loves that shit! ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/51 "2011-11-13T18:28:26Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Since this is a double zombie (and the OP is probably long gone) I ask, why would one continue to eat something that has a trend of giving you bad diarrhea? Hey, a buffet is all you can eat right?. If the stuff you eat only hangs around for about 20 minutes you can eat there all day long (minus a few uhhh “breaks”) . This summer I went to a mexican place. Nothing seemed any different than any other mexican place I’ve been to (and its my most common eat out food choice). Lets just say the food I bought and ate there got left there. I suspect it was poorly washed glasses/iced tea container that left a soap residue. Anybody think thats a possibility? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/52 "2011-11-13T22:55:53Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > … > > In my case, I think its a fair combination of “in the mind”, “in the body”,and “just that time of the morning” all working together. Add smoking a cig to that and then you’ve really got a situation. ---
**Author:** ![inkoknidoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@inkoknidoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkoknidoe)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/53 "2013-10-16T06:03:25Z")
This thread is so amazing. Thanks everyone for the great discussion! I learned so much in the last half hour… ---
**Author:** ![bahimes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@bahimes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bahimes)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/54 "2013-10-16T07:00:41Z")
Is that triple or just double zombie? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/55 "2013-10-16T10:45:28Z")
That’s the triple! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/56 "2013-10-16T10:59:36Z")
I think at this point it’s officially chronic intermittent. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/57 "2013-10-16T18:49:27Z")
NM ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/58 "2013-10-21T10:07:14Z")
> [@Tamex](#): > > I think it’s grease, myself. I’ve noticed that I often get diarrhea after greasy meals, especially those involving sauteed onions. > > Hmmm…it could be that I’m allergic to onions, but raw onions don’t cause a problem. I still think it’s the grease. > > TGIFridays is my bane. I’m always sick after eating there. In fact, I’ve wondered if there’s something not quite right with the food there, but no one else in the party ever gets sick, so it seems to be just me. I avoid the place anyway. Hah! I was actually thinking about this thread recently after having some “issues” with some Trader Joe’s French Onion soup. And here it is! The TGIFridays I was talking about in this post has long been closed and torn down. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/59 "2013-10-21T13:06:30Z")
Ingesting onions causes me to have explosive diarrhea. I finally remembered to mention it to my Dr during a visit. I described the symptoms and he told me I didn’t actually have an “allergy” to them, what I had was a “sensitivity” to them. And that avoiding them and carrying around some immodium tablets was the best way to go. As to the question upthread “why eat them if they have bad results?”, some foods are difficult to avoid. People sneak onions into tuna salad, gravy, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973/60 "2013-12-14T00:32:57Z")
> [@FranticMad](#): > > I’ve noticed the OP effect, and it’s real. I’ve seen bright green chopped spinach or parsley appears after 20 minutes of eating at a restaurant. And I hadn’t eaten these at any other time within at least a month so it’s not 24/48 hours old. I thought I was the only one who experienced this. The odd thing is that there was no other sign, no stomach rumbling, no pain. I even asked my doctor “how is that possible?” Naturally, he had no answer, probably not believing me. I’m reviving this thread to add my comments about my own bowel movements, so the forum administrators can figure out how to use that information to generate ad revenue. I ate chili less than an hour ago, had diarrhea and there were beans in it. I haven’t eaten beans in days other than the chili. So somehow it passed right through me. Normally chili doesn’t bother me but I’ve been having stomach pains today. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-some-foods-able-to-give-me-diarrhea-so-quickly/157973.md?page=4)