Understanding the BRAT Diet: Is It Suitable for Adults?

For generations, the BRAT diet has remained at the forefront of digestive disorder management as a simple, mild diet that is easy on the stomach. Traditionally indicated for children while recovering from gastroenteritis, the BRAT diet has also become quite popular among adults with similar symptoms like diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting. But is the BRAT diet effective for adults, and is it truly the best option for managing digestive distress? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the origins of the BRAT diet, its potential benefits and drawbacks, and how it can be used safely by adults. Furthermore, we will discuss how CircleDNA’s Premium DNA Test provides individually tailored alerts for your dietary requirements and helps you to figure out if the BRAT diet is for you.

What is the BRAT diet?

The BRAT diet is a bland, low-fibre diet comprising four main components:

Bananas: They are a major source of potassium, which helps in the top-up of electrolytes lost from the body due to episodes of vomiting or diarrhoea.
Rice: A starchy, low-fibre food that helps to bind stools and also serves as an energy source in the form of carbohydrates.
Applesauce: Easy to digest and contains pectin, a source of soluble fibre that helps bind stool.
Toast: Another starchy, low-fibre food that is not irritating to the stomach and in fact can help absorb excess stomach acid.

The BRAT diet suggests the simplicity of what to eat within easy digestion; hence, it has long been recommended for kids, especially when they are recovering from a stomach flu, food poisoning, or any other gastrointestinal infection. The diet is designed to give a break to the digestive system with the intention of recovering from irritation or inflammation.

Origins of the BRAT Diet

The BRAT diet got its start in the 1920s when it first was used to treat a child with gastrointestinal irritation. Paediatricians discovered that the simple foods helped patients not only defend themselves from irritating the stomach but also cut down on symptoms like diarrhoea and vomiting. With decades’ worth of use, the diet had become a kind of standard recommendation for harried parents and other caregivers who needed to soothe a sick child.

Is the BRAT Diet Effective for Adults?

Temporary Relief

For adults, the BRAT diet can help alleviate acute digestive problems, like food poisoning, a stomach virus, and a flare-up of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), in otherwise healthy adults. The BRAT diet consists of foods that are very mild in flavour, extremely low in fat content, and very low in dietary fibre—elements that are unlikely to stress the stomach or intestines.

More gentle on the stomach: the low-acid nature combined with low fibre in BRAT is gentle to the stomach and will not interfere with the functioning of the stomach lining, which could otherwise lower chances of eliciting more aggravation.
Digestible: These foods have ease being broken down by the body and are ideal for when the digestive system is underperforming or compromised.
Electrolyte balance: Bananas help maintain electrolytic balance due to their richness in potassium, especially during the state of diarrhoea or vomiting.

Limitations of the BRAT Diet

While the BRAT diet can be effective for managing short-term digestive issues, it is not intended for long-term use, especially for adults.

Nutrient deficiency: BRAT is a very nutrient-low diet, low in protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. With extended use, there may be a great loss of these nutrients, which will cause an immune depression and slow regeneration.
Fibreless nature of the diet: This nature, being provided by the BRAT diet, serves well in the short run but is inappropriate for good general, long-term digestive health. The absence of fibre does not assist in having smooth bowel movements and good colon health.
Low-Calorie Diet: Low-calorie content— may not be adequate for the energy needs of an adult, more so for physically active individuals or during illness recovery.

Safe Use of the BRAT Diet for Adults

Short-term use only: Even though the symptoms are usually at their worst, the person should only be on a BRAT diet for 24-48 hr. When the symptoms have started improving over the course of a BRAT diet, additional foods must be gradually added to the diet to prevent malnutrition intake.
Hydration Is Key: Keep yourself well-hydrated, especially during phases of vomiting or diarrhoea. Help replace fluids by drinking lots of water, other clear broths, or oral rehydration solutions to prevent dehydration.
Gradually Introduce Other Foods: As your symptoms improve, start bringing in other foods into your diet, such as lean proteins, low-fat dairy products, and cooked vegetables. These will give you the building blocks to recover.
Seek Expert Healthcare Advice: Get in touch with a healthcare provider if your symptoms persist over several days or include severe symptoms such as high fever, blood in the stool, or dehydration. The healthcare provider can assess the underlying cause and give appropriate treatment.

Revealing the BRAT Diet in Modern Times: A Deeper Look

Pop Culture: BRAT Summer and Charlixcx

The BRAT diet has become somewhat of a trend in recent years, largely through social media fads for example; “BRAT Summer” was popularly dubbed as a period of simplicity and self-care. However, this could be emerging into the public consciousness, it should be underlined though that this is not a lifestyle diet, but rather a short-term remedy for digestive upsets.

Equally, the numerous references to the diet ever-increasing its popularity through multiple forms of publications and, for instance celebrities like Charlixcx. Nonetheless, whether the suitability and the effectiveness of the BRAT diet applies in consideration of individual health necessities rather than generalised well-being trend.

Modern BRAT Diet Substitutes

Although the BRAT diet is still popular, there are newer ways to provide more nutrition and achieve a better balance without irritation to the gut.

The CRAM Diet: The CRAM diet is the BRAT diet, to which cereals and rice together with applesauce and added milk are included. That inclusion has tinctures of milk, just adding the phenomenon of proteins and calcium to add a little more balance for a short period.
Low-FODMAP Diet: Should You Try a Low-FODMAP Diet? This is especially effective for those with IBS (and other chronic digestive disturbances). It gets rid of foods that are high in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. This comprehensive low-FODMAP diet can be individualised.
Bland Diet: The general bland diet, such as boiled potatoes, pasta, boiled rice, and cooked vegetables, gives patients an array of options for other easily digestible, low-fat foods that will afford added varieties and the opportunity for added nutrition beyond that of the BRAT. This opportunity is quite flexible, yet it adheres to the principle of a gentle diet.

How to Personalise Your Diet with CircleDNA

Understanding Your Genetic Profile

The BRAT diet tries for short-term relief to someone with stomach upset; a personal diet at the level of a genetic profile could better inform one about long-term health. It is with this desire, then, that the CircleDNA Premium Series Test is exclusively featured, embodying considerable information on the unique genetic makeup an individual has—pertaining to how foods and nutrients process within the human body.

Why It’s Important

Food intolerances, digestive issues, and even nutrient absorption capacities could be gauged from that one genetic profile. One would be able to customise their diet accordingly to help the digestive system support better health in general.

Copies of Relevant CircleDNA Reports

Food Sensitivities Report: Find out whether you have genetic predispositions to food sensitivities like lactose or gluten intolerance. Tailor your diet accordingly.
Nutrition Needs Report: Get to know exactly what your body needs, nutritionally-based, as detailed in your genetic profile, and get to know how to provide the body with all the essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
Gut Health Report: Find out what to expect from your genetics associated with gut health so you better manage your gut issues.
Metabolic Health Report: Understand how your body metabolises different macronutrients and use this information for the best diet ever, meant to give you awesome energy and good digestion.

Use the CircleDNA Premium DNA test to customise your diet according to your genetic predispositions; hence, one is able to avoid those foods that lead to digestive issues and remain nourished as per their bodily needs.

Conclusion

The BRAT diet is an old standby for digestive upset, but most often it’s used in children. With an adult, it’s important to know when and how to use the BRAT diet: short-term, acute, and illness only. Although it is usually used for temporary relief in children, because the BRAT diet is not nutritionally balanced, a broader introduction of foods should be gradually incorporated in adults when symptoms subside.

More recent alternatives, such as the CRAM diet, and generally bland diets have been developed with ample low-FODMAP. A better way is to know your genetics with the CircleDNA Premium DNA Test, which will give you insights with better choices leading to optimum digestive care.

Genetic insights provide a powerful way to make your diet work just for you, preventing those common trigger foods while making sure you get the right nutrients to take optimal care of your body. Whether you’re managing a temporary digestive issue or working towards improved health all around, nutrition is the key to reach your goal.

References

American Gastroenterological Association. (2019). Clinical practice guidelines on the management of acute gastroenteritis in adults. AGA Journals. Retrieved from https://www.gastro.org

Gibson, P. R., & Shepherd, S. J. (2010). Evidence-based dietary management of functional gastrointestinal symptoms: The FODMAP approach. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 25(2), 252-258. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1746.2009.06149.x

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020). BRAT diet: What is it and when should you use it? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/brat-diet

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2020). Treatment for diarrhoea in adults. NIDDK. Retrieved from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/diarrheaZarling, E. J., & Mehta, P. (1990). The safety and efficacy of the BRAT diet in children with acute gastroenteritis. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 9(8), 574-576. doi:10.1097/00006454-199009000-00010