Diarrhoea (and frequent bowel movements)

Should I be worried if I have diarrhoea? 

Occasional diarrhoea is a common issue and is rarely serious, except in young children and older adults. However, if diarrhoea is chronic or recurrent, the underlying cause needs to be investigated as the loss of fluids and electrolytes (minerals) can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Why do I have diarrhoea? 

Diarrhoea can exist alone or as a symptom of other problems. Among the many possible causes of diarrhoea are:

• The incomplete digestion of food
• Food poisoning
• Food allergies
• Excess alcohol consumption
• Gastroenteritis from a bacterial (eg campylovacter or salmonella), viral (eg norovirus) or other infection (giardia)
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) 
• Caffeine, magnesium, laxatives, and artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol are all known to cause diarrhoea in some people
• The use of certain drugs, including antibiotics, NSAIDs and SSRIs 

Inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis or Crohn’s disease can lead to severe intestinal upsets. Emotional stress can also trigger diarrhoea.

What is normally prescribed for diarrhoea?

There are many over the counter drugs available to slow the number of bowel movements, but many of these have unpleasant side effects and only offer temporary relief at best. Altering your diet is the only effective way to address this annoying problem once and for all. 

How does healthy nutrition help treat diarrhoea naturally? 

You should let a mild case of diarrhoea run its course *excuse the pun!). It is your body’s way of cleaning out toxins, bacteria and other foreign invaders. 

However, chronic, recurrent diarrhoea shouldn’t be an inevitable part of eating and changing your diet is key to getting rid of the problem once and for all. 

How to be less regular

If you are trying to control the frequency of bowel movements, there are certain foods you may need to be cautious with. 

Sometimes it is even the temperature of food, or portion eaten, that may increase the frequency of bowel movements. If you have chronic diarrhea, it is a good idea to keep a food diary so that you can identify problem foods, difficult times of the day, and symptoms.

In most people, chronic diarrhoea can usually be resolved by focusing on avoiding offending foods, identifying non-obvious triggers, drinking plenty of fluids, testing for infections, managing stress, as well as the appropriate natural supplements and home remedies.

Find out more about the Foodwise Digestive Health Program here