Q. Dietary Recommendations during Diarrhoea?
The diet should take into account the normal RDI and various adjustments made to the quantity and quality of the foods to be given. The following information will help you to understand these concepts.
Energy: During the acute phase of diarrhoea, the caloric intake can be increased gradually as per the tolerance of the patient. An increment of 200-300 Kcal is a feasible target. Patients suffering from diarrhoea should never be starved as even in acute diarrhoea digestive enzymes are functional and almost 60% digestion can take place. Resting the gut can be most damaging as it can bring about structural changes in the gut membrane, which call predispose an individual to associated complications, Recent studies indicate that children who are fed with appropriate type and amounts of food through the acute phase of diarrhoea show absorption of substantial amounts of nutrients, and are therefore at lesser risk to nutritional deficiency. These children show better weight gain, have shorter duration of diarrhoea1 episode and a quicker recovery. Calories can be provided through easily digestible carbohydrates. Excess sugar may be avoided to prevent fermentative effect, which may aggravate the diarrhoea.