There are lots of different causes for diarrhea and if you can identify the cause and stop, that’s your easiest solution. For example, if you get diarrhea every time you drink milk or eat yogurt, maybe it’s time to eliminate dairy from your diet for a while. But if you get diarrhea as part of your menstrual cycle, you probably can’t just stop menstruating. Life is cruel like that. So we’re going to focus on situations like the latter – when loose stools is a result of something biological rather than a life choice that you could just, like, stop doing.
The first advice I have while your shitting your brains out is to drink water. It sounds counter-intuitive to drink water while you’re on the toilet, but your body is shedding most of its fluids through your butt and you want to be actively replenishing so that you don’t suffer from dehydration as soon as the diarrhea passes.
Now eat something white to avoid having completely empty guts. Part of the pain of diarrhea is your muscles cramping to push while there’s nothing left in your stomach to evacuate. So stick to white foods: white bread, bananas, tofu, etc. And if you want to be very fancy, try some white food with probiotic benefits to replace the bacteria that may have exited during your illness: yogurt, soft white cheese, and pickles are good options.
And finally, ginger might help manage stomach pain and discomfort while you’re unwell. A ginger tea with lemon and honey is a great way to replenish your fluids while calming your tummy.