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Risk Factors for Diarrhea

The biggest risk is contamination of food or drink with bacteria. This is most common when eating undercooked foods or travelling in underdeveloped areas.

• Eating undercooked meat: Fully cooking meeting helps kill off potentially harmful bacteria.
 
• Eating undercooked vegetables/fruits in underdeveloped areas: Vegetables and fruits that do not have peels can be easily contaminated with bacteria in underdeveloped areas that may not have a clean water system with which to wash the food.
 
• Eating dairy products in underdeveloped areas
 
• Drinking non-bottled water in underdeveloped areas: Be sure to also avoid ice as it can be made from contaminated water.

Treatments for Diarrhea

• Antibiotics: If your diarrhea is caused by a bacteria or parasite, antibiotics can help your body fight off these invaders. If your diarrhea is caused by a virus, antibiotics will not help you.
 
• Replace fluids: To replace all of the fluids and salts your body is losing through diarrhea, it is essential to drink fluids. Most often, you can just drink water, juice or both. For some individuals, drinking fluids can actually worsen their diarrhea. If this is the case, speak with your doctor as it may be necessary to get fluids intravenously.
 
• Anti-diarrhea medications only if recommended: While these can be helpful, they can also be detrimental as diarrhea is essentially your body's way of trying to get rid of whatever is negatively impacting your body. Talk with your doctor before taking any anti-diarrhea medications. 

Home Remedies for Diarrhea

• Keep drinking fluids: Drinking water, or any non-caffeinated beverages other than milk, can help you stay hydrated. Drinking too much quickly can upset your diarrhea further, so start with small sips.
 
• Avoid certain foods: Stay away from dairy, fatty foods or any foods that are high in fiber.

How to Prevent Diarrhea

• Wash your hands: Wash your hands frequently with soap, particularly before you eat, to decrease the likelihood of getting a bacteria or a virus.
 
• Use hand sanitizer: When you can't wash your hands, alcohol based sanitizers can also kill off potentially harmful bacteria or viruses.
 
• Watch what you eat/drink: Do your best to avoid undercooked meats, food that hasn't been refrigerated or food prepared in dirty environments which may carry bacteria.

Katherine Solem is a health writer and editor living in San Francisco. 

Published: July 5, 2011

See Also:

• Best ways to stay germ-free
• 17 germiest places
• But do they work? We put 7 popular cold and flu remedies to the test