Last reviewed on 12 September 2026.
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This page covers what to drink first, which foods sit well while the gut recovers, what to leave alone, and the signs that need a doctor rather than a kitchen. It follows WHO guidance, which defines diarrhoea as three or more loose or watery stools in a day.
What is the first thing to have in loose motion?
ORS, oral rehydration solution, is the first thing to have. Plain water replaces water but not the sodium and potassium lost in the stool, and those salts are what hold fluid inside the body. ORS works because glucose and sodium are absorbed together in the small intestine and pull water in with them, even while the gut is inflamed. WHO and UNICEF have recommended a low-osmolarity formula since the early 2000s because it reduces stool output and vomiting. Look for a sachet that states the WHO formula on the pack; ready-to-drink electrolyte beverages stacked beside them are often much sweeter and are not the same thing.
How much ORS should you drink, and how often?
Sip it after every loose stool, a little at a time, rather than downing a large glass at once. WHO home-treatment guidance suggests roughly 50 to 100 ml after each stool for a child under two, 100 to 200 ml for a child aged two to ten, and as much as they will take for older children and adults. If vomiting interrupts, wait ten minutes and then carry on more slowly, a spoonful every minute or two. Mix each sachet in exactly the volume of clean water printed on it, never stronger, and throw away whatever is left after 24 hours.
| Who | After each loose stool |
|---|---|
| A child under two | roughly 50 to 100 ml |
| A child aged two to ten | roughly 100 to 200 ml |
| Older children and adults | as much as they will take |
Sip it rather than downing a glass. If vomiting interrupts, wait ten minutes and carry on more slowly, a spoonful every minute or two.
Can you make ORS at home?
Yes, as a fallback when no sachet can be had. WHO guidance for a home solution is six level teaspoons of sugar and half a level teaspoon of salt dissolved in one litre of clean drinking water, boiled and cooled if you are unsure of the source. The spoons must be level and the volume must be a full litre, because too much salt is harmful to a small child and too much sugar can drag more water into the bowel. A chemist's packet is still better: it adds potassium and citrate and removes the guesswork.
Should you keep eating during diarrhoea?
Yes. Starving the gut does not rest it; it slows the repair of the intestinal lining and leaves a person weaker when the illness passes. WHO advice is to keep feeding throughout, and for children to add an extra meal a day for a couple of weeks afterwards to make up lost ground. Appetite is usually poor for the first day, so small portions every two to three hours work better than trying to finish a full thali.
Which Indian foods are easiest on the stomach in loose motion?
Soft, starchy, lightly salted foods are easiest: khichdi, curd rice, idli, boiled potato, rice kanji, ripe banana and a thin, well-cooked dal. They are low in fat, gentle on an irritated gut, and carry some salt and potassium back in; a banana also brings pectin, which helps firm the stool a little. A light vegetable khichdi of rice and moong dal, made with less ghee and fewer vegetables than usual, gives carbohydrate and protein in one bowl. Lightly salted rice kanji, the starchy water from soft-cooked rice, is a good extra fluid, though it does not stand in for ORS. Season with salt, cumin and a little turmeric, and hold back the chilli.
Is curd good for loose motion?
Curd usually suits people well during and after loose motion, and it is better tolerated than plain milk. Diarrhoea can temporarily reduce lactase, the enzyme that digests milk sugar, so a big glass of milk sometimes brings the cramps straight back. The bacteria in curd have already fermented part of that sugar. Curd rice, made with soft rice, fresh curd and a pinch of salt, is among the most comforting meals for a recovering stomach. Leave out the fried tempering of chillies and urad dal until the stools are firm again.
Do probiotics stop diarrhoea faster?
The evidence is mixed. Earlier reviews suggested that some probiotic strains shortened acute diarrhoea by about a day, but a large Cochrane review updated in 2020, which drew on better-designed trials, found little clear benefit. Different products contain different strains at different doses, so a result for one says nothing about another. Probiotic sachets are unlikely to harm a healthy adult, but they are an optional extra rather than treatment, and they replace none of the fluid already lost. The basics of gut health explain what these bacteria actually do.
What foods and drinks make loose motion worse?
Sugary drinks are the main offenders: packaged fruit juice, colas, energy drinks and glucose powder mixed strong. Their sugar draws water into the bowel and can make stools looser. Fried snacks, rich gravies, heavy ghee and hot chilli are hard on an irritated gut and often set off cramps. Alcohol dehydrates and irritates, and more than a cup or two of strong coffee speeds the bowel up. Raw salads and cut fruit from street stalls are best left for a few days, since the germs behind many episodes travel on exactly these foods.
Is coconut water as good as ORS?
No. Coconut water is a pleasant, safe drink in mild loose motion, but it is not a replacement for ORS. It carries plenty of potassium but much less sodium than ORS, and its sugar and salt content varies from one nut to the next, so it cannot be relied on to correct dehydration. Treat it as one of the extra fluids, alongside buttermilk, thin dal water and clear soups, while ORS does the real rehydration. The page on coconut water benefits sets out what it genuinely offers.
What should children with loose motion eat and drink?
Children dehydrate faster than adults, so ORS should start at the first loose stool, and a breastfed baby should keep breastfeeding, more often than usual if anything. WHO treatment for children also includes zinc for 10 to 14 days, which shortens the episode and lowers the chance of another in the months that follow; the dose depends on age and should be given as the doctor or health worker advises. Keep offering the child's usual soft foods in small amounts. Anti-diarrhoeal tablets meant for adults are not for children.
When should you see a doctor for loose motion?
See a doctor the same day if there is blood in the stool, a high fever, severe belly pain, or vomiting so frequent that nothing stays down. Watch closely for dehydration: passing very little urine, a dry mouth and tongue, sunken eyes, unusual sleepiness or confusion, and in babies a sunken soft spot on the head or crying without tears. Infants, older adults, pregnant women and anyone with diabetes, kidney disease or a weak immune system should be seen early rather than late. An adult whose loose motion runs past two days also needs a proper check, and no bowl of khichdi is a substitute for one.
How do you return to normal eating after loose motion?
Widen the diet over two or three days once the stools begin to firm up. Add back vegetables, chapati, eggs and paneer first, then oil and spice, and leave fried food and raw salads for last. If a bout of vomiting came first, the sibling page on what to eat after vomiting covers the hours before food. Milk can return in small amounts; if it revives the cramps, give it a week and lean on curd meanwhile.
Widening the diet again
Once the stools begin to firm up, take the diet back in order rather than all at once.
Hold at soft and starchy
Khichdi, curd rice, idli, boiled potato, rice kanji and ripe banana, in small portions every two to three hours.
Bring back the everyday foods
Vegetables, chapati, eggs and paneer first, spread over two or three days rather than one ambitious dinner.
Then oil and spice
Add fat and seasoning once the plainer versions have been tolerated, not alongside them.
Try milk in small amounts
If it revives the cramps, leave it a week and lean on curd meanwhile, which is easier because its lactose is already partly fermented.
Leave these for last
Fried food, raw salads and cut fruit from a stall. An extra meal a day for a couple of weeks helps a child make up lost ground.
Where digestive nutrition goes further
Loose motion is a short illness that still tests a gut-health practitioner: absorption, fluids, and rebuilding a diet afterwards. NNWA's Gut Health and Digestive Wellness course runs for five weeks at beginner level and covers the microbiome, digestion from mouth to colon, food-first gut protocols, common digestive complaints, elimination and reintroduction, and the links between stress and the gut. The fee is 8,999 rupees against a listed 13,999, payable as 1,500 rupees a month on EMI, and it leads to NNWA certificates.
The short answer
Reach for ORS first and keep sipping after every loose stool. Carry on eating, in small portions of soft food such as khichdi, curd rice, idli, banana and boiled potato. Drop sugary drinks, packaged juice, fried food and alcohol for a few days, and treat coconut water as an extra rather than the cure. Children need continued breastfeeding and zinc as their doctor advises. Blood in the stool, high fever, dehydration or an illness that drags on calls for a doctor, not another remedy.