There are different types of diets, and most people associate them with the process of losing weight. But not all of them have that function, nor are all diets healthy. One of the diets that aims to improve our well-being and our stomach health is the astringent diet , designed to reduce the symptoms of diarrhoea.

The astringent diet is recommended in cases where a person suffers from diarrhea, regardless of the origin: transitory, due to enteritis, Crohn’s disease or secondary to intestinal surgery. In this article we are going to talk about this diet and we are going to deepen in its characteristics.

What is the astringent diet

The astringent diet is a diet aimed at taking care of the digestive system when someone suffers from stomach indisposition or diarrhoea.

Basically, with this diet, the subject includes in his or her diet some foods that are easy to digest and with which the body does not need excessive energy to process them, as well as foods that are high in minerals and vitamins, that do not contain much fiber and that help retain liquid.

In this way, the balance between the nutrients ingested and the energy spent on managing what has produced the disease is restored, while no digestive problems are caused by the delicate state of the intestinal flora. This is a temporary type of diet, normally used in relatively small time windows.

On the other hand, the astringent diet is useful for any age, including children and the elderly.

What causes diarrhea

All of us, at some point in our lives, have suffered from diarrhea, that is, when we have an increased need to go to the bathroom to defecate, often without being able to control the passage of the excrements, which have little consistency (they are not very solid). Diarrhoea can last from one day to two or three weeks in the case of acute diarrhoea, and up to several weeks in the case of chronic diarrhoea.

This condition, which is usually a symptom rather than a disease, has different causes. They are as follows:

  • Some parasites , such as those that cause giardiasis and amebiasis.
  • Viruses . Among those that stand out are the enterovirus, or the hepatitis virus.

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  • Distantis infections , either by food (or water) intake or by person-to-person contamination.
  • Bacteria . Some of the best known are: salmonella, shigella, clostridium E.coli.

Some medical conditions that do not include infection are:

  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Celiac disease
  • Lactose intolerance
  • Inflammatory bowel diseases. For example: ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease
  • Small bowel surgery
  • Pancreas problems, e.g., cystic fibrosis
  • Ischemic Bowel Disease
  • Surgical removal of the gallbladder
  • Certain diseases of the endocrine system. For example: overactive thyroid, diabetes, or Zollinger-Ellison syndrome

Recommendations for the astringent diet

Some recommendations to follow this diet are:

  • At meals, the amount to be consumed should be small.
  • Eat more often. For example, 5-6 meals a day.
  • Drink plenty of fluids, in small gulps, to avoid becoming dehydrated. A good option is to drink fat-free broths.
  • Avoid high-fiber foods
  • Eat in a relaxed manner to aid digestion.
  • Avoiding very hot or very cold foods
  • Do not eat foods that cause gas.
  • Food should be varied.

Phases of the anti-diarrhoea diet

When someone eats this diet, the stools become progressively harder and therefore the diet must be adapted to the degree of improvement. Therefore, this diet is composed of four phases .

1. Phase zero

This is the initial phase, in which no solid food is consumed . In the case of children, it lasts approximately 4 hours, in the case of adults, the first 12 hours. In this phase there is a great loss of minerals and liquids, so it is essential to consume special drinks or drinks with salts (for example, an envelope of dissolved hyposodium serum or medicines to recover minerals).

It is also possible to boil a litre of boiled water, add the juice of 2-3 lemons, half a spoonful of bicarbonate, half a teaspoon of salt and 2-3 spoons of sugar. Also, tea, chamomile, rice water, carrot water are ideal.

2. Phase two

After the previous phase, it is possible to incorporate other foods, such as boiled rice, potatoes and boiled carrots , boiled pasta without boiled fish, boiled chicken, baked apple, etc.

3. Phase three

In the third phase of the astringent diet, foods that promote recovery are: mashed vegetables (zucchini, carrots, beans, pumpkin), fruit juices, boiled vegetables and legumes, rice, boiled chicken or fish, white toast.

4. Phase four

The fourth phase consists of progressively introducing complex foods until a normal diet is consumed . For example, banana, boiled vegetables, grilled meat or fish, 0% fat yoghurt, decaffeinated coffee from a sachet, fresh cheese without fat, etc.

What foods to avoid

There are a number of foods that should not be consumed as part of this diet, at least during the first phases . It is possible to gradually introduce some foods into the diet, once the improvement is evident. Foods rich in fat are not at all positive for this type of diet, as are foods rich in fibre.

Neither are the industrial sweeteners found in soft drinks nor highly digestible vegetables such as garlic, raw onions or peppers. Chocolate, alcohol, fried foods, red meat, and butter should not be eaten. Dairy products should not be consumed either, at least until the fourth stage and always in their fat-free versions.

When we should not do this diet

The astringent diet is not a diet that can be harmful; however, when there is no need for it (since there are no stomach problems or diarrhea) it will not be helpful.

However, when a person has constipation, it is not advisable to go on the astringent diet as it would increase this condition and therefore increase constipation.

In addition, we must take into account that our physiology changes over time, and therefore it cannot be assumed that because this type of diet worked well for us years ago, it will always do so.

Bibliographic references:

  • Ciullo, P. A. (1996). Industrial Minerals and Their Uses: A Handbook and Formulary. William Andrew.
  • Dockery, G. L.; Crawford, M. E. (1999). Color Atlas of Foot and Ankle Dermatology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
  • Klemmer P.; et al. (2014). Who and what drove Walter Kempner? The rice diet revisited. Hypertension. 64(4): 684 – 688.
  • Valtin, H. (2002). “Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.” Really? Is there scientific evidence for “8 × 8”? American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 283 (5): R993-R1004.
  • White, L.; Duncan, G.; Baumle, W. (2010). Foundations of Basic Nursing (Fundamentos de la enfermería básica). Cengage Learning. pp. 395 – 396.