Experts Say the BRAT Diet Isn’t Enough for an Upset Stomach

As the number of cases of cyclosporiasis--the intestinal parasitic infection that leads to frequent and horrific diarrhea--increases in Kentucky, folks may be turning to a popular dietary option that includes nothing but bland foods.

The BRAT Diet for Diarrhea and Stomach Illness

It's called BRAT, and it stands for "bananas, (white) rice, applesauce, toast." In other words, it's a very bland diet. And if you've ever had any form of diarrhea, blandness is what you seek. It's certainly what I seek. Either that, or I just don't feel like eating at all.

Of course, eventually you're going to have to eat something, even if you are plagued with something like cyclosporiasis. Just as important is staying hydrated, since diarrhea can cause significant fluid loss. Water and other fluids can help replace what your body is losing. The BRAT diet certainly sounds like a viable option, but experts are now discouraging its implementation...at least over the long term.

Why Experts No Longer Recommend the BRAT Diet Long Term

It's understandable that Harvard Medical School would want us to avoid going this route for too long a time. Think about those four components. There's hardly any protein, vitamins, fat, and calcium there at all. These are potent weapons your body uses to help you recover from illness and to repair your stomach lining.

What to Eat Instead of Just Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast

Harvard actually thinks that the "BRAT" acronym is too short; its experts also suggest crackers, boiled potatoes, unsweetened dry cereals, oatmeal (again, unsweetened), and brothy soups. But even that expanded list needs to be broadened, after a couple of days, to include more nutritious, but still relatively mild, foods like cooked carrots and squash (butternut or pumpkin), fish, skinned sweet potatoes, eggs, avocado, and skinless poultry.

Cyclosporiasis Cases Continue to Rise in Kentucky

As of this writing, the Kentucky Department of Public Health has reported 735 cases of cyclosporiasis across the state, with the heaviest concentrations  in Jefferson, Madison, and Fayette Counties. The agency also says there have been 30 hospitalizations due to the infection.

Now that hundreds of cases have been reported in Kentucky, folks are going to be looking for the best ways to settle their stomachs. The old BRAT diet can still provide a starting point, but the current advice is pretty clear..."bland" doesn't have to mean nutritionally empty, especially when an illness lasts more than a day or two.