No one wants to have diarrhea, but it is actually the body's way of defending itself. The best way for you to help your body if you are suffering from a case of running to the bathroom is to stave off dehydration. Diarrhea usually goes away on its own after a few hours to a day. But there are a few home remedies you can try to cure it quicker or at least avoid making it worse.
Replace the Lost Water and Electrolytes: It is important to keep drinking water if you have diarrhea - even if you are not thirsty. As for the electrolytes, these are comprised of sodium, chloride, and potassium. You can drink some sports drink or you can make your own electrolyte drink by simply adding half a teaspoon of salt to a liter of water along with four teaspoons of sugar. You can also add juice from orange or lemon.
Eat Bland Foods: Start with chicken broth, which is a good choice because it not only provides the body with water, but with electrolytes as well. Clear, bland foods can help stop diarrhea as they do not irritate your gastrointestinal tract.
Don't Drink Fruit Juices: Although juices from fruits are good for you, you may want to stop drinking them temporarily. These fruit juices, especially those in powdered form, contain large amounts of fructose. This is a type of sugar that requires a lot of work in order to be digested. When you have diarrhea, you don't want to overwork your digestive system.
Have the Brat Diet: Aside from bland foods, you should eat the BRAT diet, which consists of bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These can all soothe your digestive tract. Plus, both applesauce and bananas have pectin, which is a type of soluble fiber that can absorb the excess fluid found in your intestine. This will then cause your bowel movement to slow down. Although applesauce is recommended, you shouldn't substitute this with apple juice because this can make your diarrhea worse.
Have Some Yogurt: Yogurt can help restore the helpful bacteria in your intestine to their healthy levels. Make sure that the yogurt that you choose contains live cultures, which may include bifidobacterium and lactobacillus acidophilus.
If your diarrhea does not go away after three days or you pass 10 stools or water in one day, you may want to have yourself checked by a medical professional.