BRAT Diet Food List – Overview
BRAT is short for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Back then, pediatricians would endorse the BRAT diet for children to treat stomach issues.
The BRAT diet comprises bland foods and low fiber foods, and it’s often recommended for short term relief of digestive problems such as acute diarrhea and gastroenteritis in both adults and children.
The notion is that these easy-to-digest foods, part of the BRAT Diet Food List, can calm the symptoms of stomach illness and lessen the amount of stool produced.
Sticking to a diet after diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting can help you feel better quicker. (1)
Although the BRAT diet may offer temporary relief, nutritional risks are associated with adhering to a diet low in protein, fat, and dietary fiber over an extended period.
Some experts believe the BRAT diet might not be the best option to correct stomach issues. However, some advocate for it.
This review will explore what to and what not to eat when on the BRAT diet and whether this diet can work for you.
Foods to Eat If You’re On The BRAT Diet
Breakfast Foods
BRAT Diet Food List – Healthy English Breakfast
The traditional BRAT diet focuses exclusively on bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Here is a 15-minute sugar-free applesauce recipe.
Some of the foods you can add to your breakfast when on the BRAT diet include:
1. Soft fruits such as applesauce, avocados, bananas, melons, pumpkin, and canned fruits are packed in water instead of heavy syrups.
2. Oatmeal and rice cereal.
3. Flavored rice cakes.
4. Waffles without syrup.
5. Boiled or scrambled eggs with a little oil or butter.
6. Plain, low-fat yogurt with active bacterial culture.
Lunch & Dinner Foods
BRAT Diet Food List – Lunch Fresh Diet Healthy Meal Dinner Food Salad
The BRAT diet consists of low-fiber, bland foods, specifically bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast, and does not initially include a variety of protein-rich foods.
Do note that your body might not tolerate excess fats, so your diet composition should include:
1. Boiled or steamed vegetables, including carrots, potatoes, and green beans.
2. Low-fiber starch such as wheat cream noodles, saltine crackers, and white rice.
3. Skinless and unseasoned baked chicken, duck, or turkey.
4. Drinks such as apple juice, bone broth, coconut water, Pedialyte, and weak tea
5. Also, try an oral rehydration solution to prevent dehydration. An oral rehydration solution should comprise one liter of boiled water, six teaspoons of sugar, and half a teaspoon of salt.
BRAT Diet Food List
Foods to Avoid If You’re On The BRAT Diet
As you attempt to ease the effects of diarrhea and other stomach problems, some foods can trigger nausea and vomiting; these include:
Alcohol: Alcohol is a diuretic and can lead to dehydration.
Artificial sweeteners: Including sucralose and sorbitol, can cause diarrhea.
Beans (only if you have digestive issues): They can cause bloating and intestinal gas. While this is not usually a problem for many, it can be an issue if you’re experiencing stomach upsets.
Caffeine: Black tea, black coffee, and cola drinks all contain caffeine, which is a diuretic.
Certain vegetables: Such as cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, can cause bloating.
Dairy products: Cheese, cream, and milk can be difficult to digest if you have an upset stomach. However, plain yogurt is okay because it has probiotics.
Heavy proteins: Beef, pork, and salmon are difficult to digest and cause additional stress on the stomach, especially if they have a lot of fat.
High-fat and fried foods: Greasy foods are hard to digest and can worsen diarrhea.
Spicy foods: They can trigger an already sensitive stomach.
Sugary foods: Cakes, chocolate, cookies, and sodas can worsen symptoms.
BRAT Diet Meal Plan
There is limited research on how to follow the BRAT diet exactly. However, there are recommendations for a 3-day plan.
First 6 Hours
Within the first 6 hours of stomach upsets, it may be advisable to skip food entirely, including items from the BRAT Diet Food List. Then, rest your stomach and don’t eat until diarrhea and vomiting have stopped completely.
Try and have some ice chips, popsicles, sports drinks, and even water as you wait to eat. This will help replace the water and electrolytes lost due to diarrhea and vomiting.
First 24 Hours (Day One)
Gradually start taking clear liquids once vomiting has stopped. A good way to start is to have a sip or two after ten minutes.
Some fluids you can take include apple juice, Jell-O, non-greasy broth or bouillon, water, and any beverages rich in electrolytes.
If nausea and vomiting symptoms return, stop taking fluids, wait for a couple of hours and try again.
Day Two
On the second day, add bland and low-fat foods such as applesauce, bananas, chicken, and cooked cereal such as flour and cream of wheat, jelly, steamed carrots, toast, and turkey.
Again, take small portions after a couple of hours.
Day Three
On the third day, you can gradually add normal foods to your diet if you’re up for it. Start with soft-cooked eggs, white meat, chicken or turkey, and vegetables.
It is important to pay attention to your body’s cues. If you eat various foods too soon, nausea and vomiting can return.
Does The BRAT Diet Work
The BRAT diet food list has been a traditional recommendation for gastrointestinal issues. Still, recent evidence suggests that a more varied diet may support better recovery, as the BRAT diet alone lacks comprehensive nutritional support.
In most instances, diarrhea is caused by intestinal infections that clear up independently after a couple of days.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reintroducing a normal, balanced diet appropriate for the child’s age as soon as possible after rehydration, rather than relying solely on the BRAT diet, due to its lack of sufficient nutrients. It recommends a more balanced dietary approach during recovery from gastrointestinal issues.
However, if you’re an adult, adopting the BRAT diet can help you feel better while your immune system battles symptoms.
Moreover, you will probably feel hungry, and BRAT foods are much less likely to worsen your symptoms.
Final Thought
The BRAT Diet Food List was designed to help people recover from stomach problems.
However, it also comes in handy in other situations, such as post-surgery, where smooth digestion is required.
So, if you decide to adopt this diet, follow it for about two or three days until digestion improves.
| Breakfast | |
|---|---|
| Soft fruits such as applesauce, avocados, bananas, melons, pumpkin, and canned fruits packed in water | Alcoholic beverages |
| Oatmeal and rice cereal | Artificial sweeteners, including sucralose and sorbitol |
| Flavored rice cakes | Beans |
| Waffles without syrup | Caffeinated drinks such as black tea, black coffee, and cola drinks |
| Boiled or scrambled eggs with a little oil or butter | Certain vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli |
| Plain, low-fat yogurt with active bacterial culture | Dairy products such as cheese, cream, and milk |
| Lunch & Dinner | Heavy proteins such as beef, pork, and salmon |
| Boiled or steamed vegetables, including carrots, potatoes, and green beans | High-fat and fried foods |
| Low-fiber starch such as wheat cream noodles, saltine crackers, and white rice | Spicy foods |
| Skinless and unseasoned baked chicken, duck, or turkey | |
| Drinks such as apple juice, bone broth, coconut water, Pedialyte, and weak tea | |
| Oral rehydration solution to prevent dehydration |
See Also
7 Day Intermittent Fasting Diet Meal Plan
