If your kid has ever had an upset stomach, you?ve probably been told this classic advice from your doctor or a well-meaning relative: follow the BRAT diet. BRAT stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast and this popular diet was recommended by paediatricians for decades because these foods were thought to be easy to digest and helpful for slowing down digestive issues like diarrhea.
But that advice is more than a little outdated. The American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends the BRAT diet and other experts in health care agree.
?The BRAT diet is a terrible idea,? says Toronto paediatrician Rahul Saxena. ?It?s a carb loaded diet and it?s been shown to increase the duration of diarrhea.? That?s because simple carbohydrates can stimulate your body to bring water into the gut and cause loose bowel movements. This is in contrast to the original thinking behind the BRAT diet?that the low-fibre, starchy foods would help bind together loose stool. And in any case, there?s usually a reason for the diarrhea. ?You have to accept the fact that the diarrhea is serving a purpose,? says Saxena. ?It?s trying to get rid of the virus so you need to let it run its course.?
Toronto dietitian Ahuva Magder Hershkop similarly doesn?t see the benefit of BRAT diet. ?If your child only ate rice for a day because they weren?t feeling well, will it do any harm" Probably not,? she says. But Hershkop?s concern is that this bland diet will likely leave your kid lacking in importan...