Common Foods Such as Rice and Bananas Can Help Calm Your Upset Stomach Caused by Diarrhea

First, I would just like to say that in no way am I a medical professional and would advise anyone with chronic stomach pain to visit their doctor. Instead, I'm simply a regular person who is occasionally faced with that most annoying of symptoms: an upset stomach. Sure, there are lots of over the counter medications that one can take to remedy the situation, but most of those are pink and don't taste that great, so instead, I offer up some different solutions.

As a preventative measure, it's best not to overstuff yourself. Sure, we've all been there. It's all you can eat night at the Mexican restaurant and you want to get your $8.95 worth, but the resulting pain is going to quickly make you forget your "deal". The Mayo Clinic says that one of the symptoms of indigestion is feeling too full when you've only had a little to eat. This could be brought on because you've eaten too fast. Instead, pace yourself, don't be greedy, and drink lots of cold water. If the irritation persists and full blown indigestion develops, the thing that has always worked best for me is to drink a Coke very fast and then try to burp. This releases a lot of the air in your stomach that's causing the irritation. I've taken three or more Tums and had them do nothing and then drank a Coke and had the resulting burp make the problem go away almost immediately. If your gas chooses to release itself in another way, you might want to excuse yourself to the bathroom.

When your indigestion turns to diarrhea The National Institute of Health recommends a variety of food that is used to harden stool. These include bananas, rice cereal (but remember to avoid adding sugar), toast, and gelatin. I was always given saltine crackers, occasionally with peanut butter. These are all bland foods that won't irritate your bowels and will instead digest properly. Avoid sugar as much as possible if you have diarrhea. This time, Coke won't cut it and milk can also exacerbate the problem. Instead, drink water, pure juice, or any drink that's rich in electrolytes.

Indigestion and diarrhea are too common problems that are often fixed with occasionally ineffective and not particularly tasty medication. If you're sick of going that route, remember to take a look at your diet and what foods tend to cause these problems and then try your best to treat them in a natural way, with food and drink that helps rather than hurts.

Sources:

"Bananas and Upset Stomach". Medline Plus. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002118.htm. Last updated 7 August 2009.

"Indigestion". Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/indigestion/DS01141/DSECTION=symptoms. 28 April 2009.