Diarrhea is a very common disease which affects everyone at some point during their lives, some more often than others and it is characterized by the passing of loose or watery stools very frequently. Diarrhoea can be caused by a variety of agents including contact with someone who is affected or food poisoning. Diarrhea can be treated using medication as well as using organic products that tackle the cause of the disease.

What’s causing your diarrhea?

The first step to preventing your diarrhea is to understand what causes it. The possible causes of your diarrhoea include:

• The main biological causal agents of your diarrhoea may be viruses, bacteria or parasites. The duration that your diarrhoea will last also depends on which of these biological infections caused it.
• When the gastrointestinal system is unable to digest a particular type of food, it can cause a reaction in the form of diarrhoea.
• Irritable bowel syndrome which can cause alternating diarrhoea and constipation.
• More severe diarrhoea may be symptoms of diseases of the endocrine system, rare tumours, inflammation of the intestinal tract or bowel cancer.

Prevention of Diarrhea – Hygiene

Since diarrhoea is a communicable disease, following basic hygiene can protect you from coming into contact with the infecting agent and coming down with the disease yourself.

• Ensure that you wash your hands before you eat and after using the bathroom
• Always wash your hands using warm water and soap.
• Use a hand sanitizer before you eat if you can’t wash your hands.
• If someone in your house has diarrhoea, make sure that you wash the toilet seat and the flush handle with a disinfectant cleaner after they use the toilet.
• Do not share plates or cutlery with someone who is suffering from diarrhoea.

Keep Your Food Clean

• Make sure that all fruits and vegetables are washed well before consumption.
• While cooking, take care that uncooked meats are kept out of contact of other foods. Do not use the same knife or cutting board to cut both items either without washing it first.
• Make sure that all meats are thoroughly cooked.
• Dairy products are pasteurized to get rid of bacteria, ensure that you use only pasteurized products.
• Keep kitchen countertops and utensils clean and dry when not being used to avoid the growth of bacteria.

Food to avoid when you have diarrhoea

Certain foods are soothing to the stomach when you have diarrhoea, such as plain white rice, oatmeal, bananas and boiled potatoes but there are certain foods that you must avoid when you have diarrhoea as it will only serve to aggravate it. These foods are:

• Fatty foods: Foods that are high in fat including fried food and greasy food are not easily digested and can make your diarrhea worse by inducing indigestion as well. Avoid them to help cure diarrhea.
• Milk and milk products: Milk products are generally fatty and difficult to digest and can be aggravating when your digestive system is already out of balance.
• Alcohol and caffeine: Avoid beverages that will dehydrate you like coffee and alcohol because you are already losing plenty of fluids from your body. Stick to water or herbal teas.
• Artificial sweeteners: Avoid the use of artificial sweeteners when you are trying to prevent diarrhea because they can have a laxative effect on gastrointestinal system which will only aggravate the problem.
• Food that causes gas: Avoid consuming foods that cause gas like cabbages and beans because they might induce more pain and discomfort and aggravate your diarrhoea.
• Contaminated food: Throw out food that might have been out for too long or stored improperly or gives you any cause to believe that it might be contaminated. If you have the slightest doubt that it may have gone bad, stay away from it.

Having good hygiene is the first step towards keeping diseases like diarrhoea at bay and your good health can be promoted by having a healthy lifestyle. By taking care of your body and enhancing its defences with the help of organic supplements that you can get right here, you can effectively protect yourself from coming down with diarrhea.