Diarrhea after eating

Acute Diarrhea after eating can indicate allergies or intolerance to certain food (components). However, there may also have been salmonella contamination, incorrect fermentation, poisoning or spoiled food components. The time connection to the meal can be shorter or longer. Many other causes are also conceivable.

What is Post-Meal Diarrhea?

We always speak of diarrhea when more than three bowel movements are necessary per day. Often times, diarrhea is caused by spoiled food or poor hygiene in the kitchen.

Post-meal diarrhea can usually be directly related to a meal. According to the definition, diarrhea after eating is only a temporal assignment. It does not always have to be a causal relationship.

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For example, diarrhea after eating can also be caused by the norovirus. Those affected were usually infected with this in a completely different context. The fact that the diarrhea occurred after a meal actually has nothing to do with the food components just ingested. In this context, reference should be made to the EHEC epidemic. This was caused by germinated sprouts that the trade had unknowingly put into circulation. Nobody could have protected against it.

Since the connection to this component of an ingested meal was not established for a long time, the cause of the diarrhea epidemic was also not found. In most cases, however, the cause of the diarrhea can be identified. An exception is if the diarrhea indicates an unknown illness and is not due to a meal. The temporal connection with a meal could then lead to misinterpretations.

causes

Many causes can lead to diarrhea after eating. Contact with the contagious norovirus can be seen as an infectious cause. Contaminated and improperly stored or prepared food can also cause diarrhea after eating. Often, raw egg dishes or meat that has not been fully heated lead to increased levels of salmonella.

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But diarrhea can also indicate an intolerance to certain foods or food components. Lactose intolerance or celiac disease are examples that can lead to post-meal diarrhea. An allergy to certain food components or groups can also manifest itself in diarrhea after eating. Diarrhea after eating should not be underestimated if it is due to fish or meat poisoning or poisoned foods.

In many cases, irritable bowel syndrome or an irritable stomach cause diarrhea after eating. Whether these diagnoses are correct should actually be investigated. But when a patient with diarrheal symptoms goes to the family doctor after a meal, the composition of the intestinal flora is only checked in the rarest of cases.

Diarrhea after eating can also be triggered by an overgrown intestinal flora with an imbalance of good and bad germs. The intestinal flora is particularly damaged after the use of antibiotics. It must then be remedied by suitable measures if diarrhea occurs after eating while ingestion.

Diseases with this symptom

• abdominal influenza
• Crohn's disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Malnutrition
• Food poisoning
• Meat poisoning

• Food intolerance
• cholera
• Mushroom poisoning
• Intestinal inflammation
• Drug allergy
• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Intestinal polyps
• Colon cancer
• Appendicitis
• Amoebic dysentery
• Salmonella poisoning
• Fish poisoning

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Complications

Depending on the color, consistency, amount of blood and frequency, diarrhea after eating can lead to different complications. Post-meal diarrhea is especially dangerous for young children and old people. If it lasts longer, it can be a harbinger of a serious illness or intolerance.

Diarrhea caused by bacterial contamination, flora problems or other causes of diarrhea after eating should be clarified if it occurs repeatedly. One of the possible complications of persistent diarrhea can be dehydration with electrolyte loss. This complication can lead to life-threatening breakdowns in young children and old people, in chronically ill and immune-compromised people.

The diarrhea can be accompanied by additional vomiting. Diarrhea that has become chronic after eating can lead to nutrient imbalances and harmful bacterial overgrowths in the intestine. Cancers can turn out to be a particularly serious complication. In this case, the diarrhea after eating is only a first warning shot for an otherwise symptom-free development. If the diarrhea is ignored for a long time, complications are inevitable.

It makes sense to take preventive measures if diarrhea occurs frequently after eating. This is the only way to avoid complications later. A complication of antibiotic-related diarrhea that occurs after eating can result in rashes and discomfort. This can herald a dangerous allergic reaction to the antibiotics. Also not to be underestimated is diarrhea that occurs after consuming poisonous mushrooms, nuts contaminated with aflatoxins or other toxins in food. Under certain circumstances there is a danger to life.

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When should you go to the doctor?

If the acute diarrhea occurs only once after eating, a doctor's visit is usually not necessary. It is possible that there was something indigestible, fermented or spoiled in the meal. Rest, light foods and home remedies usually help. However, if the diarrhea persists for days after eating or if it recurs after consuming certain foods, a doctor or nutritionist should be consulted. If necessary, the family doctor will decide whether further measures are necessary.

The same applies to severe diarrhea and persistent liquid diarrhea with vomiting. There is a higher risk potential, especially in young children and old people. Therefore, the doctor is more likely to be consulted here than with a robust twenty-year-old who has looked too deep into the beer glass. At the slightest suspicion that the diarrhea after eating is due to poisoning with botulinum toxin, rat poison, toxins such as arsenic or fungal poisons, the emergency doctor should be called.

In this case, other symptoms are usually recognizable. These indicate poisoning more clearly than diarrhea. In the case of allergies and intolerances, the extent of the symptoms determines whether a doctor needs to be called. If necessary, the person affected should have the hospital clarified what they cannot tolerate. Otherwise, a gastroenterologist should be consulted. They can use interviews, colonoscopies, flora examinations and sonographs to find out what is causing the diarrhea after eating.

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diagnosis

Diagnosing diarrhea after eating is difficult at first. Often the acute incident prevents a prompt doctor's visit. Most of the time, the diarrhea resolves itself after a day or two. The cause of the discomfort was often the result of the meal. A self-diagnosis is usually sufficient.

If a norovirus is at work, the emergency doctor must often be called because of the severity of the symptoms. This makes the diagnosis based on questioning and the symptoms. If the cause of a recurring or chronic diarrhea after eating is unclear, more extensive diagnostics are necessary. This is often done by a gastroenterologist, a specialist in internal medicine or an allergy specialist. In addition to questioning and blood count, there are various diagnostic options to choose from.

Your family doctor could also perform an ultrasound scan and examination of a stool sample. Routinely raising the flora status would make sense. The flora status is usually not collected because the health insurances do not cover these costs. A gastrointestinal or colonoscopy can be performed in a clinic or by a gastroenterologist who specializes in it. If anything is unclear or a more precise diagnosis is required, an MRI or CT examination may also be necessary. As a rule, these diagnostic options give a result that is meaningful.

Treatment & Therapy

For self-treatment of diarrhea after eating, one day of diet or light food is usually sufficient. If necessary, green healing clay and warm tea can help detoxify. Homeopathic remedies such as Okoubaka or Nux Vomica are possible supporters for self-treatment. The treatment of intolerances and allergies is more complex. In both cases, the basis for improvement is usually given by consistently avoiding the triggering foods.

Sometimes a rotation diet is enough to relieve the organism. In exceptional cases, treatment with lactase can be helpful in the event of an intolerance to lactose. However, it is not suitable for long-term treatment. Rather, everything that contains lactose must be greatly reduced or avoided entirely. In celiac disease, the triggering gluten must also be avoided permanently. A diet with gluten-free foods is sufficient as a measure. The possible secondary diseases of a gluten-free diet require separate therapy.

With real allergies to food components, cross-allergies can make things more difficult. Good education is therefore a therapeutic way of helping the patient. The therapy of poisoning depends on its severity. In the case of mushroom poisoning, diarrhea is an alarm signal that requires immediate clinical treatment. The same applies to diarrhea after fish and meat poisoning.

Here the accompanying symptoms are so severe that a complex detoxification and rehabilitation of the poisoned organism is necessary. All therapy options depend on the triggering element that is causing the diarrhea. The attending physician decides which individual measures are necessary.

Outlook & forecast

The prognosis is good for acute diarrhea that occurs after eating. Medical treatment is usually not necessary. The situation is different with unrecognized and therefore untreated food intolerances. The organism can get used to the allergen through frequent intake. He covers the symptoms and tries to deal with them.

If the symptoms persist, this can result in damage to the intestinal flora, chronic nutrient deficiencies and metabolic disorders. If the incompatible foods are consistently avoided, the prognosis is better. The prognoses for allergies and poisoning are less positive. The associated diarrhea and accompanying symptoms can be serious. The weaker the affected are and the later they receive professional treatment, the worse the prognosis.

If poisoning is treated too late, consequential damage often remains. In the case of allergies, desensitization can improve the prognosis. Homeopathic or naturopathic approaches are also helpful. Consistent avoidance of allergens is even more important. In the case of cancer-related diarrhea after meals, the prognosis is better if the early detection measures offered are used.

Keeping the intestinal flora intact through a suitable diet improves the chances of a symptom-free life. Avoiding antibiotics and meat from fattening farms contaminated with them as far as possible also helps to achieve a good prognosis.

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➔ Medication for diarrhea

prevention

Not every diarrhea after eating can be prevented. As a preventive measure, however, it makes sense to always use sensitive foods fresh and never eat eggs uncooked. Meat - especially minced meat - and fish should always be eaten well cooked. Good kitchen hygiene is the alpha and omega of prevention.

Appropriate storage and refrigeration of food can also prevent diarrhea after eating. Frequent hand washing prevents accidental transfer of germs from Feces bacteria to food. You can hardly defend yourself against the norovirus or food poisoning on a cruise ship. However, it is possible to choose your food in such a way that gluttony and an overly diverse mix of intolerable, sensitive and difficult to digest food are avoided.

Drinking fermented drinks such as sparkling wine, kombucha or beer can also cause diarrhea after a meal. Sensitive people should avoid unfamiliar food and drink combinations when traveling. This is especially true for visits abroad. Here you should avoid all food that comes from street kitchens or wild collection.

Above all, only boiled water or mineral water from a tightly closed, not yet opened bottle should be drunk. If you can't tolerate certain foods but don't want to avoid them completely, you can try a rotation diet.

↳ More information: Home remedies for diarrhea

You can do that yourself

Everyone can do a lot to avoid having diarrhea after eating. If there are intolerances or allergies in the course of life, self-help groups are a good help. Reading appropriate books and collecting suitable recipes will help those affected to eat a varied and healthy diet.

Consultations in pharmacies and health food stores are available to people with lactose intolerance and celiac disease. The Internet also offers a wealth of information opportunities. Always have green healing clay in the house to counteract acute diarrhea is a good idea. If necessary, nutritional advice can be a good starting point for improving the nutritional situation. This can often minimize the risk of post-meal diarrhea.