Free

E-Newsletters

Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters

  • Housecall
  • Alzheimer's caregiving
  • Living with cancer

Lifestyle and home remedies

By Mayo Clinic staff

If you do get traveler's diarrhea, avoid alcohol, caffeine and dairy products, which may worsen symptoms or increase fluid loss. But keep drinking fluids.

Drink canned fruit juices, weak tea, clear soup, decaffeinated soda or sports drinks to replace lost fluids and minerals. Later, as your diarrhea improves, try a diet of easy-to-eat complex carbohydrates, such as salted crackers, bland cereals, bananas, applesauce, dry toast or bread, rice, potatoes, and plain noodles. Once diarrhea goes away, you may return to your normal diet. Just be sure to add dairy products, caffeinated beverages and high-fiber foods cautiously.

References
  1. Wanke CA. Traveler's diarrhea. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 21, 2011.
  2. Travelers' diarrhea. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/travelers_diarrhea/. Accessed April 26, 2011.
  3. de la Cabada Bauche J, et al. New developments in traveler's diarrhea. Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2011;7:88.
  4. Travelers' health: Self-treatable diseases. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/travelers-diarrhea.aspx. Accessed April 26, 2011.
  5. Sur DK, et al. Evaluating fever of unidentifiable source in young children. American Family Physician. 2007;75:1805.
  6. Pawlowski SW, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of acute or persistent diarrhea. Gastroenterology. 2009;6:1874.
  7. Frequently asked questions and information for travelers. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/cholera/technical/FaqTravelersNov2010.pdf. Accessed April 26, 2011.
  8. Traveler's diarrhea (turista). The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/print/sec02/ch016/ch016b.html. Accessed April 26, 2011.
DS00318 June 11, 2011

© 1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Print Share Reprints

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger