Is your diet triggering diarrhea?

Having the experience of diarrhea or “the runs” is comparable to that sickening feeling you get when you have to do a full-out sprint to catch your flight before they close the doors.  The experience of frequent, watery bowel movements is one of the most unpleasant bodily conditions to have forcing you to be within close range of a restroom at all times.

The digestive drama of diarrhea can be caused by a host of different scenarios such as:

·         Bacterial or viral infection

·         Medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and some forms of cancer

·         Medications such as Metformin to treat diabetes

·         Stress

Our food choices can be added to this list as a possible cause of loose stools.  Here are some dietary triggers that could be the culprit:

·         Dairy foods

Milk contains the naturally occurring sugar called lactose which for some people is hard to digest completely.  This can result in annoying symptoms of bloating, gas and diarrhea.  Often reducing intake or making substitutions for milk, cheese and ice cream can help with this issue. 

·         Gluten

Found only in wheat, barley, and rye, gluten is a protein that for people either with celiac disease or gluten-sensitivity, have difficulties digesting and one symptom they experience is diarrhea.  The solution is to completely avoid any food product containing gluten – look for gluten-free items and read labels carefully.

·         Spicy foods

Think before you take a bite out of that Tex-Mex dish –it could backfire. For some people, eating spicy foods such as Buffalo wings, chili, or curry, may experience diarrhea and stomach pain.  Spicy foods can irritate the lining of the stomach leading to diarrhea.

·         Caffeine

Not all people are affected by this with caffeine, but if you are prone to diarrhea after drinking coffee, tea, chocolate, sodas or eating other foods containing this substance, there is a reason.  Caffeine speeds up the digestive system and when contents of the stomach are sailing through fast, bowel movements don’t have time to form solidly like normal.

·         Sugar

There are many reasons for cutting back on sugar intake but diarrhea is another to add to the list.  Ingesting a lot of sugary foods or beverages stimulates the intestinal tract to release more water and electrolytes which loosen bowel movements.  The sugar fructose found naturally in fruits or added to various foods and drinks such as applesauce, soda and juice beverages, can trigger this response.  Up to 75% of people consuming more than 40 to 80 grams of fructose a day will experience diarrhea.  Another substance to watch out for are the reduced calorie sweeteners of sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol which are found in sugar-free gum, candy and medications. Refer to this food intolerance diagnostic tool to find out the grams of fructose in certain foods. 

·         Fried or fatty foods

When your body has to get down to business digesting a meal of greasy fried chicken, a loaded baked potato and creamy coleslaw, it may have a hard time of digesting the high fat content of that meal.  A high fat meal can result in causing the colon to secret fluid that provoking diarrhea.

·         FODMAPS

The word FODMAPS stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols – quite a mouthful!  These are all types of sugars that include fructose, artificial sweeteners and lactose, all which can be poorly digested carbohydrates causing diarrhea for some people.  Other sources of FODMAPS that can precipitate a bout of diarrhea include onions, garlic, legumes, honey, wheat, rye, cashews, pistachios, asparagus, and artichokes.