BRAT Diet: What Is It and Does It Work

BRAT is an acronym that stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. In the past, pediatricians would recommend the BRAT diet to treat stomach problems in children. But it’s recommended less often today.
The idea is that these bland, easy-to-digest foods can ease the symptoms of stomach issues and reduce the amount of stool produced.
Today, experts believe the BRAT diet may not be the best option for treating stomach issues.

This article explores the research behind the BRAT diet and its effectiveness for treating stomach illnesses and issues.
What is the BRAT Diet?
The BRAT diet consists of bland, low fiber foods and is often recommended for treating stomach issues, digestive illnesses, and diarrhea (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).
Pediatricians have historically prescribed the BRAT diet for infants experiencing diarrhea (2Trusted Source).
What do these foods have in common? They’re all bland and supposedly easy on the stomach.

Sticking to them after dealing with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may help you feel better faster.
While the BRAT diet can be helpful for short durations, there are risks associated with following a diet so low in dietary fiber, protein, and fat for an extended period of time.
What you can eat on the BRAT diet
Some doctors specify that a bland diet is different from the BRAT diet.

But most agree that you can eat more than just bananas, applesauce, rice, and toast on the BRAT diet.
The key is to eat bland foods that are gentle on the stomach.
Acceptable foods to eat on the BRAT diet are considered binding foods, meaning they’re low in fiber and may stop diarrhea by firming up your stool (3,Trusted Source 4Trusted Source).

Other bland foods include:
• crackers
• cooked cereals, like oatmeal
• weak tea
• apple juice
• broth
• boiled or baked potatoes

People should avoid foods that are “non bland” on this diet. They include:
• milk and dairy
• anything fried, greasy, fatty, or spicy
• proteins, such as steak, salmon, and sardines
• raw veggies, including salad greens, carrot sticks, broccoli, and cauliflower
• acidic fruits, such as berries, grapes, oranges, lemons, and limes
• very hot or cold drinks
• coffee, or other drinks containing caffeine

Is the BRAT diet effective?
Doctors have recommended the BRAT diet in the past, but it may not always be the best option.
Despite the anecdotal support, there’s a lack of research on the BRAT diet’s effectiveness.
After years of support, the AAP no longer recommends this diet for children and infants (6).

That’s because the diet is restrictive and doesn’t give the body enough protein, micronutrients, and macronutrients for healing.
While there are no clinical trials on the BRAT diet, some studies on how foods included in the BRAT diet affect diarrhea do exist.
Bananas, for example, have a certain starch called pectin that’s good for the digestive tract (7Trusted Source).
Bananas also have potassium, which can help with the absorption of water and electrolytes (8Trusted Source).

A systematic review from 2019 found that green banana pulp can help reduce both diarrhea and constipation in children (9Trusted Source).
A 2016 study found that rice soup was highly effective in treating acute diarrhea in children (10Trusted Source).
While these results are promising, they cannot determine if a diet consisting of only bland foods is effective and safe when treating stomach issues.
The limitations of the BRAT diet might cause more harm than good.