# How does the BRAT diet help when you have the runs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-brat-diet-help-when-you-have-the-runs/572783 "2011-02-27T07:19:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [February 27, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-brat-diet-help-when-you-have-the-runs/572783/1 "2011-02-27T07:19:14Z")
Bread (toast), rice, applesauce (but not apples), tea: standard operating procedure when you have a not-particularly-serious but one or two day bout of diarrhea. What are the physiological mechanisms by which these foods help, singly or in combination? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-brat-diet-help-when-you-have-the-runs/572783/2 "2011-02-27T09:52:18Z")
First off, the BRAT diet is bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. The one that includes tea is the BRATT diet. There’s also the BRAT(T)Y diet that includes yoghurt. These all have one thing in common: the foods are easy to digest. Diarrhea is a natural process for eliminating contaminants and irritants in the stool. If you add more irritation, then the body will stay in “diarrhea mode.” Plus, the water concentration of diarrhea itself is a problem: if you aren’t properly hydrated, the GI tract will dry out, and thus be easier to irritate. An analogy might be how it’s not a good idea to repeatedly pick a scab. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-brat-diet-help-when-you-have-the-runs/572783/3 "2011-02-27T13:04:34Z")
Actually the first question is if it does. It doesn’t. Current guidelines actually do not promote the BRAT diet even though it is commonly still advised in real life. Certainly it can be easily misused. While in the initial vomiting phase of gastroenteritis anything more than those foods are going to be messy and potentially slow down gastric emptying which may make vomiting worse. The priority then is getting in fluids that have some semblance of sufficient carbohydrates and electrolytes. The first solid foods should be bland boring and easy to clean in case of upchuck. After that it is actually better to segue into age appropriate real foods sooner than later as the BRAT diet for more than a day or so has inadequate nutrition to support recovery. [Here’s one review](http://journals.lww.com/em-news/Fulltext/2004/01000/BRAT_Diet__Axiom_or_Unsubstantiated_Myth_.21.aspx) if you are interested. > [@](#): > > While there is still some controversy about which types of food are optimal for feeding in the spectrum of gastroenteritis presentations, many studies have shown that unrestricted diets do not worsen the course or symptoms of mild diarrhea. For moderate to severe diarrhea, fatty foods and foods high in simple sugars (including sweetened teas, juices, and soft drinks) should be avoided. Appropriate foods include lean meats, yogurts, fruits, and vegetables, as well as complex carbohydrates like rice, wheat, potatoes, bread, and cereals.2 … > > … Depending on the severity of dehydration, the AAP recommends continued feeding or early reintroduction of age-appropriate feeding. Again, however, recent surveys of American physicians show that few follow published guidelines even when the dehydration has resolved. Common deviations from these guidelines include extended rehydration up to 24 hours, frequent use of lactose-free formulas such as soy-based formulas, and delay in the introduction of feedings until the diarrhea stops.1Unnecessarily withholding nutrition during the acute phase of illness can be counterproductive. Only a short interruption in feeding is warranted while undergoing rehydration therapy in patients with moderate to severe dehydration. ---
**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:** [February 28, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-brat-diet-help-when-you-have-the-runs/572783/4 "2011-02-28T02:20:49Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > First off, the BRAT diet is bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. The one that includes tea is the BRATT diet. There’s also the BRAT(T)Y diet that includes yoghurt. > > These all have one thing in common: the foods are easy to digest. (snip) > An analogy might be how it’s not a good idea to repeatedly pick a scab. IAMNA doctor, of course, so please bear (bare?) with me. I thought that the pectin in applesauce–hence Kaopectin, and the reason apple pies “set up” so easily–somehow solidified my guts. Other aspects running through my pea brain: toast = charcoal, rice = “soaking up stuff.”