Diarrhea is a condition that has afflicted all of us at one time or another. People of all ages, from infants to the elderly, from all walks of life, from the impoverished to the most wealthy, have had to deal with what is probably the most embarrassing and inconvenient condition most of them will ever have to contend with. But taking a few minutes to understand what diarrhea is, and why it’s going to be pretty bad, can help you in handling the situation if someone has it.
The World Health Organization defines diarrhea as an absence of three or more bowel movements per day. Given that definition, you’d think diarrhea is an embarrassing condition, but it isn’t. It is an illness, and an illness that one can recover from. It is also painless, and if one has willpower, it can be cured.
Usually, diarrhea results from the loss of fluids. That usually means the loss of both the fluids in your body, and any electrolytes that you lose as well. Examples include dehydration, as simple dehydration can result in sagging eyes, dull skin, and decreased reflexes. Simple dehydration can also result in muscle cramping, which is usually nothing to worry about, but persistent dehydration can lead to more serious problems. Get enough fluids every day, but it’s often difficult to get enough. Children’s diarrhea, for example, is mostly caused by lack of fluids.
Wasting GI or GI vice versa is mostly a problem of the elderly. People with diabetes often make themselves sick by losing potassium, and if they were to snake down a bar of chocolate ice cream, a full glass of apple juice, or a few mouthfuls of carrot juice, they might get the nausea they were feeling.
But more often than not, the battle is fought with the buttermilk. People who are lactose intolerant do the same thing, just with the sugar in the milk. Unfortunately, chocolate ice cream has more sugar than regular ice cream. Should you have to pick between the two, my advice would always go for the regular ice cream. The chocolate one will have more sugar, but won’t have as many calories. You can always have a small piece of regular ice cream to sample, and figure out if you’d rather have the sugar or the dairy, and see which one makes you feel better. After a few times refining this, you’ll probably find that you can’t stomach the regular ice cream, but that doesn’t mean you’re in favor of it. Ice cream is supposed to be enjoyed.
What about just drinking water? Well, the short answer is that water will help, but mostly it really doesn’t do a whole lot else. Alcoholic beverages, like beer and vodka, and soda have various amounts of sugar. Diet sodas are made from artificial sweeteners, and they have just as much sugar, or more, so they’re not really a great option for a quencher. If you really needed a drink, the best thing to drink is tea, or black tea. Rooibos is a herbal tea that has no sugar, and only a little in calories. It also has no caffeine, which is a big plus.
You can always drink water after every one of your silly fitness appointments. Keep a water bottle with you, and take sips out of it frequently. Keep in mind that it’s not water that’s inside the bottle, it’s actually the same soothing fluid that’s inside your belly. Oh, and don’t get the fluoride, too. Aside from occasionally splashing some water on your teeth, fluoride is said to have the ability to hold cancer cells under the ground, and encourage them to come forth for awhile. Best to get the fluoride out through your tap, so avoid the stuff in bottles, or the stuff in processed foods.
One of the most effective ways to get fiber is through fiber shakes. Next time you go to your local health food store, ask for a Fiber One Bar or a Nature’s Path bar. I guarantee you’ll be wowed by the difference between the two. Both bars are 99% fiber, and the cost for both is relatively inexpensive. There is no added sugar, and if you read the labels, you’d be surprised to find much more protein than is listed on the label. There is also no cholesterol in either bar, just a few sugar calories. Amazing, and there is science to back it up.
Barring that, the only other alternative source of fiber is extra fiber added to your normal meals. Oatmeal and bran flakes are the only other food that I know of that have fiber, but even then it’s present in such incredibly small amounts that it’s not going to be easily digestible. If you’re really worried about getting fiber, there’s always the option of purchasing pre-packaged foods with the fiber already.
About The Author
Helena Eater
How much does the quality of food really matter? If you eat food that tastes good, your life will be better. If you eat food that tastes bad, your life will be worse. The difference between good and evil is partly subjective: what tastes good to me might taste bad to you. The difference is also partly objective: what restaurants I think serve good food might serve lousy food to you. But if we stick to objective measures — measures such as how much weight people gain or lose — we can cut through some of the subjectivity.
