What to Eat After BRAT Diet?

What to Eat After BRAT Diet? – Overview

The BRAT diet foods, such as banana, rice, applesauce, and toast, are the most appropriate for loose bowels (diarrhea) and gastroenteritis.

However, restricting a diet to these four food varieties means that you deny your body other essential energy-boosting foods such as proteins, fiber, fat, fruits, complex carbs, vegetables, and other nutrients.

Eventually, you will need to extend your eating routine past the BRAT diet to include all the supplements your body needs.

However, recuperating takes time, and you do not go eating everything that you can lay your hands on.

While the choices of foods to eat past a BRAT diet are numerous, you will still need to choose what you eat carefully until your health finally returns to normal.

The following list of foods to eat after BRAT will get you back to your normal eating habits by giving you the nutrients and energy you need to get back on your feet.

We have also included a list of the foods to avoid after your BRAT diet.

Foods to Eat After BRAT diet

Looseness of the bowels can prompt extreme, dangerous lack of hydration, so drink a lot of liquid.

Take slow progress on your eating regimen immediately after your BRAT diet and pick it up gradually as you continue to regain your normal health.

Start by introducing foods that will not make your condition worse.

The foods to incorporate with your BRAT diet are bland foods such as crackers, porridge, grits, oatmeal, and any other soft foods.

Eat breakfasts, lunches, and suppers that contain plant-based ingredients. Eat an arrangement that incorporates whole grains, lean animal proteins, plant proteins, nuts, and seeds.

Also, continue hydrating because looseness of the bowels causes loss of water and electrolytes from the body.

However, you will also need to return to your normal breakfast, lunch, and dinner routine because you need the energy back.

Remember not to rush anything but take it a step at a time. Below is the complete list of what you should and should not eat after the BRAT diet.

Vegetables

Reintroduce veggies into your meals gradually to complement your BRAT diet. However, take them steamed or slightly cooked. Take small servings until you are off the BRAT diet and free from possible stomach upsets that could lead to IBS.

• Broccoli
• Bok Choy
• Bell peppers
• Bamboo shoots
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Green beans
• Fennel
• Endive
• Eggplant
• Half a cob of corn
• Common cabbage
• Collard greens
• Celery root
• Carrots
• Swiss chard
• Sweet potato
• Squash
• Spinach, baby
• Radicchio
• Potato
• Parsnip
• Parsley
• Tomato
• Turnip
• Water chestnut
• Zucchini
• Cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• Beets
• Asparagus
• Artichokes
• Shallots

Vegetables to Avoid or Limit

• Scallions (white parts)
• Peas
• Onions
• Okra
• Mushrooms
• Leeks
• Garlic
• Celery
• Any raw vegetables

Proteins

We cannot do without proteins in our daily food routines, but there is a limit to what you can eat after a BRAT diet.

Eating lean or plain proteins will not aggravate or stimulate loose stools. They also provide other nutrients such as zinc and iron that the body can tolerate after a BRAT diet.

The recommended lean proteins to eat are:

• Smoked Pork
• Lean Beef
• Lamb
• Fish
• Eggs
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Tofu and tempeh
• Shellfish

Proteins to avoid    

• Salmon
• Steak
• Pork

Fruits

Almost all fruits are fine to take, but a few might trigger some stomach discomfort.

The recommended fruits are:

• Kiwi
• Honeydew melon
• Grapes
• Cantaloupe
• Blueberry
• Banana
• Avocado
• Plantain
• Pineapple
• Papaya
• Orange
• Olives
• Mandarin oranges
• Lime
• Lemon
• Tangelo
• Strawberry
• Rhubarb
• Raspberry

Fruits to limit until you are back on a regular diet are:

• Canned fruit
• Dried Fruits
• Watermelon
• Pomegranates
• Plums and prunes
• Pears
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Mango
• Grapefruit
• Apples
• Apricots
• Blackberries
• Cherries

Grains

Grains are rich in prebiotic fiber that helps with gut healing. Choose the following products that have healthy, soluble fiber.

• Quinoa
• Oats
• Gluten-free products
• Bulgur wheat (limit to 1/4 cup cooked)
• Brown rice
• Amaranth
• Spelt

Grains to limit

• Farro
• Couscous
• Barley
• Wheat
• Semolina
• Rye

Sweeteners

If you are healing from IBS, maintain your BRAT diet for a while as you incorporate other foods.

You will probably want natural sugars in many cases, but you need artificial sweeteners for that extra energy after a BRAT diet.

You should, however, go slow on any sugar intake. The recommended sweeteners to eat after a BRAT diet are:

• Sugar (sucrose)
• Powdered sugar
• Maple syrup
• Glucose
• Brown sugar

Sweeteners to avoid until you recover fully are:

Maltitol

Isomalt

Honey

High fructose corn syrup

Fructose

Agave

Xylitol

Sorbitol

Molasses

Mannitol

Dairy

Low-fat dairy should be your preference during your post-BRAT diet. You can also do well with dairy alternatives.

• Lactose-free milk
• Plain low-fat yogurt
• Lactose-free ice cream
• Cheese-mozzarella, brie, parmesan, camembert
• Almond milk
• Coconut milk
• Hemp milk
• Rice milk
• Butter

Dairy products to avoid

• Whole milk
• Ice cream
• Whipped cream

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are great sources of good fat, proteins, and fiber that you need to restore your lost energy and nutrients.

However, you should limit your nuts to about ten until you regain your strength and resume your old eating routine.

• Walnuts
• Pine nuts
• Pecan
• Peanuts
• Macadamia nuts
• Hazelnuts
• Brazil nuts
• Almonds
• Seeds
• Sunflower
• Sesame
• Pumpkin
• Chia
• Caraway

Nuts and seeds to avoid are:

• Chunky nuts butter
• Whole nuts butter

Beverages

The most important item to take while on the BRAT diet, even after you are through with it,  is plain, pure water.

It would help if you stayed rehydrated at all times because IBS leaves you dehydrated.

You can also add other drinks into your diet, but whatever you add should not stimulate or aggravate bowel movement.

Besides water, you can also add the following beverages to your list.

• Apple juice should continue in your diet
• Flat soda
• Weak tea
• Herbal tea
• Coconut water
• Clear broths
• Jello

Drinks to avoid

• Caffeinated drinks
• Fruit juices
• Sodas
• Sports drinks
• Strong tea

Other foods to avoid

• Any processed foods
• Spicy, fried, or fatty foods
• Sugar-free gum and candy

There you have it. These are the things you should and should not eat after a BRAT diet. You can also work with a trained dietician to help you choose what is right over what is wrong.

Final words

The temptation of coming up with a diet outside the recommended food items might be overwhelming, but if you do not want to go back to the IBS and gastrointestinal problems, stick to what the body needs the most. 

If you experience any problems at any time while trying out the different food items, do not forget to seek medical attention.

See Also

BRAT Diet Recipes

What Can you Drink During Intermittent Fasting

List of Keto Vegetables

Intermittent Fasting Apps

Cutting Diet Plan