5 Ways to Stop Loose Stools and Get Your Life Back From the Bathroom
Last month in the blog, I talked about constipation, one of the most common digestive complaints in the United States.
Nearly as common, but lesser spoken out loud, are loose stools!
Loose stools can derail your social life and even make leaving the house challenging. I’ve had many clients reveal that they had a mental map of each public restroom in their town because, as we all know, when you gotta go, you gotta go!
Bowel habits can change due to many things—maybe the extra-spicy burrito wasn’t the best choice at lunch, and now you’re feeling the effects. Or perhaps you’re recovering from a lingering stomach bug or food poisoning.
In this blog, I’ll first address immediate solutions and my top strategies for stopping chronic loose stools.
Spoiler alert: I’ll cover the probiotics you need for loose stools, foods that might trigger loose stools, the impact of stress and medications on bowel function, and how fiber can make or break you.
But first…
Immediate solutions for loose stools
Acute loose stools are usually the result of illness, such as a stomach bug or food poisoning. If you’re dealing with loose stools secondary to an illness or stomach bug, most medical professionals recommend the BRAT diet.
BRAT stands for banana, rice, applesauce, and toast, but this doesn’t mean you have to eat these specific foods only; it’s more about focusing on bland foods that are low in fiber and aren’t irritating to the gastrointestinal tract.
This diet is only meant to be consumed while you’re ill and during the recovery phase.
It’s also not a guaranteed fix. If you find that you do great on a BRAT diet but eventually realize that you can’t tolerate anything else, this is a big flashing sign that something is not right in your gut.
Sometimes, a gut infection or round of antibiotics can lead to significant shifts in your native gut bacteria. When gut microbes become imbalanced (also called dysbiosis), changes in motility (how quickly foods move through your digestive system) can occur.
This might lead to chronic loose stools and difficulty tolerating foods. If you find yourself in this uncomfortable (and exhausting!) situation, it’s worth it to find a trusted practitioner who can get you on a gut-healing path.
The probiotic that provides fast relief from loose stools: Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745
You may also find immediate relief from loose stools by using a strain-specific probiotic like S. boulardii CNCM I-745. This specific probiotic has been proven to help with acute diarrhea (1) (2), and you may notice results immediately.
Even better, the beneficial yeast contained in this probiotic is excellent at killing pathogenic bacteria and resolving dysbiosis, so it can help you get better faster in the case of stomach flu or food poisoning.
This is the probiotic that I recommend when a client tells me they have a GI bug with loose stools as a symptom. It’s also the probiotic I recommend if antibiotics cause your diarrhea. Even better—it’s also safe and effective for children.
The best part is that you should be able to find it easily at your local pharmacy or supermarket— look for Florastor and Florastor Kids.
Tips for Chronic Loose Stools: 5 Ways to Stop Running to the Bathroom
Now that we’ve covered remedies for an acute problem, let’s look at what to do if loose stools are the norm.
Investigate food sensitivities
Food is one of the first things I look at, especially if other factors have been ruled out.
The most common trigger foods I have seen with my clients are eggs, wheat, dairy, nuts, and dietary fat. Let’s take a look at each one of these in more detail.
Eggs
Sensitivity to eggs can often manifest as loose stools. You may also notice that you can’t tolerate hardboiled eggs, but eggs in a baked good are ok, or vice versa. This is due to the difference in egg proteins from various cooking methods—your body might tolerate one but not the other.
Wheat and gluten
If you notice that wheat or gluten-containing products (like bread, pasta, crackers, and baked goods) speed up your motility, your doctor might want to test you for celiac disease. This is especially important if you have a relative with confirmed celiac or gluten sensitivity or if autoimmune diseases run in your family.
It’s good to do this test before going gluten-free since you need to consume gluten regularly for the test to be accurate.
Dairy
Dairy can undoubtedly trigger loose stools, especially if you’re lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance is widespread–about 65% of people worldwide are lactose intolerant.
If you suspect that lactose intolerance is upsetting your stomach, you may find that the amount and type of dairy is very important to keep in check.
Most people with lactose intolerance can tolerate up to 12 grams of lactose in one sitting (3), the amount found in a cup of regular milk.
Nuts
Sensitivity to nuts can lead to loose stools, and you may notice that certain nuts affect you more than others.
You might be sensitive to the fiber found in nuts or the nut proteins themselves, or you could be reacting to the high fat content of nuts, which brings me to the next food on the list.
Dietary Fat
If you notice that you run to the bathroom every time you eat a high-fat meal (think fried food, buttery sauces, and pizza), this urgency may be triggered by fat. This differs from food sensitivity because this reaction is usually caused by poor digestion. A high-fat meal will lead to diarrhea if your body struggles to properly digest or absorb fat.
I often help clients improve fat digestion and absorption, especially those who have had their gallbladder removed or struggle with other digestive symptoms, such as heartburn or nausea.
Keep in mind that everyone is unique, and you might be sensitive to food that isn’t on this list. Keeping a detailed food log and trying an elimination-reintroduction diet is the gold standard for identifying food sensitivities and intolerances leading to loose stools.
2. Manage stress
Psychological stress has a profound effect on gut health. Increased stress hormones—like adrenaline, can stimulate the colon and cause loose stools.
Stress is a significant factor for those with IBS—both IBS-C (constipation) and IBS-D (diarrhea) symptoms are made worse by stress (4).
I have witnessed clients who have significant reductions in perceived stress by adding one (or all!) of the following strategies to their daily routine:
Deep breathing (also called diaphragmatic breathing or box breathing)
Mindfulness meditation
Regular exercise (even 10 minutes of walking daily counts towards exercise goals!)
3. Check your medicine cabinet
Loose stools are a side effect of several common medications, and even over-the-counter meds can be a sneaky factor behind persistent tummy troubles.
Some people notice this side effect immediately, but it can also appear weeks after beginning a new medication (5).
Below is a list of common medications that may frequently cause loose stools:
Antibiotics
Proton pump inhibitors (acid-blocking medications)
Anti-depressants and SSRI medications
ADHD medications, like Adderall
If you suspect your GI irritation is caused by a medication, it’s important to bring this to your prescribing physician’s attention.
If an antibiotic seems to be the culprit, the probiotic I mentioned earlier, Florastor, is quite miraculous for resolving antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
4. Try a probiotic to slow motility
It is true (and scientifically proven) that Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 (Florastor) is very effective at helping loose stools, especially when it results from illness or gut dysbiosis. (And to be clear, I have no financial obligation to promote this brand!)
However, you might find that this probiotic doesn’t help you much, and that’s okay. There are many others out there that might be a better fit for you, and it never hurts to try a different probiotic.
Here are two other probiotic options that can help loose stools:
Bio-Kult (also called Bio-Kult Everyday)
This multi-strain probiotic blend may be especially helpful for those with IBS-D-type symptoms (IBS-D is diarrhea-dominant irritable bowel syndrome).
In one study, adults with IBS-D experienced a significant reduction in bowel movements—from an average of six a day to only three a day, after taking the probiotic supplement for one month.
The number of bowel movements dropped to an average of 2.5 after five months of daily supplementation (6).
Yakult yogurt drink (Lactobacillus casei Shirota)
This specific fermented yogurt contains a strain of beneficial bacteria that helps improve stool form (7) and can protect the gut from stress-induced symptoms (8).
Many grocery stores and big box stores (like Walmart or Target) carry this drink, particularly stores that cater to Asian shoppers.
5. Check your soluble fiber intake and supplement if needed
Last but not least—fiber.
Fiber is tricky to navigate because, for some, it can irritate the gut and increase motility, while others benefit from its stool-bulking and loose stool-slowing qualities.
Something I always look at with my clients who are trying to slow their motility is the amount of soluble fiber they are eating.
All plant foods contain a blend of soluble and insoluble fiber, but some foods contain more soluble fiber. Soluble fiber absorbs water, and its gel-like consistency is great for those who tend towards loose stools.
Soluble fiber-rich foods include:
Oats
Flaxseeds
Chia seeds
Apples
Bananas
Barley (if you tolerate gluten)
Fiber supplements can also be a game-changer for slowing down digestion.
My fiber supplement go-to’s for loose stools are psyllium husks and Sunfiber (partially hydrolyzed guar gum).
I love psyllium because it is very high in soluble fiber and is a prebiotic-like food, meaning it helps boost good bacteria in the gut.
Sunfiber is great because it's gentle and well-tolerated for those with IBS or FODMAPs sensitivity. Sunfiber is also a prebiotic, which means it boosts specific good bacteria, like Bifidobacteria.
I typically recommend that women aim for a minimum of 25 grams of fiber daily, including both soluble and insoluble fiber. However, you might need more or less depending on your background and symptoms.
If you’ve been eating a low-fiber diet for years (for reference, the average intake is 10-15 grams a day), suddenly doubling your intake might make digestive complaints worse. You may feel better taking it slow and gradually adding a little more each week.
Here’s an example of what 30 grams of fiber could look like:
Morning: 1 skin-on apple (4.5 grams fiber) & 1-ounce pumpkin seeds (5 grams fiber)
Lunchtime: 1/2 cup baked winter squash (3 grams fiber) & 1 cup brown rice (4.5 grams)
Snacktime: 2 Mandarin orange cuties (4 grams fiber)
Dinner: 1 cup sauteed asparagus (4 grams fiber) & ½ cup lentils (8 grams)
Total: 33 grams of fiber
Add protein and fat to these fiber-rich foods, and you have a balanced meal!
Finally, if you’ve been struggling with loose stools for more than two weeks without improvement, seek the help of a nutrition or medical professional.
And if you’re also experiencing abdominal pain, distention (when your stomach blows up like a balloon), pain during bowel movements, blood in your stool, or mucus in your stool, please see your primary care physician ASAP.
Loose stools can be so frustrating, especially when you’re unsure when they’re going to occur.
It may take time to pinpoint what’s going on in your gut, but try experimenting with the tips on this list; your chances of coming back into balance are high!
Click here if you’d like to talk about more targeted gut support or check out my upcoming cooking class targeting gut health I’m here to help
