Astringent diet: how to carry it out and benefits

There are different types of diets, and most people associate them with the weight loss process. But not all of them have that function, nor are all diets healthy. One of the diets that aims to improve our well-being and our stomach health is the astringent diet, thought to reduce the symptoms of diarrhea.

The astringent diet is recommended in cases where a person suffers from diarrhea, regardless of the origin: transitory, due to enteritis, Crohn's disease or secondary to surgical interventions intestinal In this article we are going to talk about this diet and we are going to delve into its characteristics.

What is the astringent diet

The astringent diet is a diet that aims to take care of the digestive system when someone suffers from stomach upset or diarrhea.

Basically, with this diet, the subject includes in his diet some foods that are easily digested and with which the body does not need excessive energy to process them, in addition to foods high in minerals and vitamins, which do not contain much fiber and which help retain fluid.

In this way, the balance between the nutrients ingested and the energy expended in managing what has been produced is restored. the disease, while digestive problems are not generated due to the delicate state in which the flora is found intestinal. It is a type of stopgap diet, typically used for relatively short time windows.

On the other hand, the astringent diet is useful for any age, even children and the elderly.

What causes diarrhea

Everyone, at some point in our life, has suffered from diarrhea, that is, when we have a greater need to go to the toilet to defecate, often without being able to control the deposition of the excrements, which have little consistency (they are little solid). Diarrhea can last from one day to two to three weeks for acute diarrhea, and up to several weeks for chronic diarrhea.

This condition, which is usually a symptom rather than a disease, has different causes. They are as follows:

• Some parasites, such as those that cause giardiasis and amebiasis.
• Virus. Among which are the enterovirus, or the hepatitis virus.
• Distantis infections, either from food (or water) intake or from person-to-person contamination.
• Bacteria. Some of the best known are: salmonella, shigella, clostridium E.coli.

Some medical conditions that do not include infection are:

• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Celiac Disease
• Lactose intolerance
• Inflammatory bowel diseases. For example: ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease
• Small bowel surgery
• Pancreas problems, for example cystic fibrosis
• Ischemic bowel disease
• Surgical removal of the gallbladder
• Certain diseases of the endocrine system. For example: overactive thyroid, diabetes, or Zollinger-Ellison syndrome

Recommendations for an astringent diet

Some recommendations to follow this diet are:

• At meals, the amount to be consumed should be small.
• Eat more often. For example, 5-6 meals a day.
• Drink plenty of fluids, in small sips, to avoid dehydration. A good option is to have fat-free broths.
• Avoid foods rich in fiber
• Eat in a relaxed way to promote digestion.
• Avoid very hot or very cold foods
• Do not consume foods that cause gas.
• Food should be varied.

Phases of the diet against diarrhea

When someone consumes this diet, the stool progressively becomes harder and, therefore, it is necessary to adapt the diet to the degree of improvement. So, this diet consists of four phases.

1. Phase zero

This is the initial phase, in which solid foods are not consumed. In the case of children, it lasts approximately 4 hours, in the case of adults, the first 12 hours. In this phase there is a great loss of minerals and fluids, so it is essential to consume beverages special drinks or drinks with salts (for example, a packet of dissolved low sodium serum or medicines to recover minerals).

It is also possible to boil a liter of boiled water, add the juice of 2-3 lemons, half a tablespoon of bicarbonate, half a teaspoon of salt and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. Also, tea, chamomile, rice water, carrot water are ideal.

2. Phase two

After the previous phase, it is possible to incorporate other foods, such as boiled rice, potatoes and boiled carrots, boiled pasta without boiled fish, boiled chicken, baked apple, etc.

3. Phase three

In the third phase of the astringent diet, the foods that promote recovery are: pureed vegetables (zucchini, carrot, beans, pumpkin), fruit juices, boiled vegetables and legumes, rice, boiled chicken or fish, white bread toasted.

4. Phase four

The fourth phase consists of progressively introduce complex foods until a normal diet is consumed. For example, banana, boiled vegetables, grilled meat or fish, 0% fat yogurt, decaffeinated coffee, fat-free fresh cheese, etc.

What foods to avoid

There are a series of foods that should not be consumed as part of this diet, at least during the first phases. Progressively, it is possible to introduce some foods into the diet, once the improvement is evident. Foods rich in fat are not at all positive for this type of diet, as well as foods rich in fiber.

Neither are industrial sweeteners found in soft drinks or highly digestible vegetables such as garlic, raw onion, or bell peppers. Chocolate, alcohol, fried foods, red meat, butter should not be eaten. Dairy products should not be consumed either, at least until the fourth phase and always in their fat-free versions.

When should we not do this diet?

The astringent diet is not a diet that can be harmful; however, when there is no need to perform it (since there are no stomach problems or diarrhea) it will not be useful.

However, when a person has constipation, it is not advisable to carry out the astringent diet since it would enhance this condition and, therefore, constipation increases.

In addition, it must be taken into account that over time our physiology changes, and therefore it cannot be given Of course, due to the fact that years ago this type of diet worked well for us, it will forever.

Bibliographic references:

• Ciullo, P. TO. (1996). Industrial Minerals and Their Uses: A Handbook and Formulary. William Andrew.
• Dockery, G. L.; Crawford, M. AND. (1999). Color Atlas of Foot and Ankle Dermatology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
• Klemmer P.; et al. (2014). Who and what drove Walter Kempner? The rice diet revisited. Hypertension 64(4): 684 - 688.
• Valtin, H. (2002). "Drink at least eight glasses of water a day." Really? Is there scientific evidence for "8 × 8"? ". American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 283 (5): R993-R1004.
• White, L.; Duncan, G.; Baumle, W. (2010). Foundations of Basic Nursing. Cengage Learning. pp. 395 - 396.