If you’re intermittently fasting, you might experience some stomach upsets, especially if you’ve just started.
Intermittent fasting can have some unpleasant side effects like constipation, but what about the opposite?
Can intermittent fasting cause diarrhea?
If you’ve been fasting and suddenly overload by eating a ton of food, your gut could be overworked, and you could experience mild diarrhea.
In addition, when you are in the fasting period, your colon contracts and begins to remove all the excess waste.
If you experience some diarrhea, this could be an over-secretion of water and salt.
Let’s delve into this a little more.
Intermittent fasting can be a great way to improve your health and well-being, but it’s essential to know the possible side effects – including diarrhea.
Diarrhea can wreak havoc on your daily plans, so if you’re considering fasting, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for this unpleasant symptom.
Intermittent fasting typically involves cycles of periods where eating is limited and then followed by a period in which normal eating is resumed.
As with any dietary change, it’s always wise to check with your doctor first before getting started.
However, some people have experienced diarrhea as a result of their intermittent fasting regimen, especially when transitioning from the eating period to the fasting one.
If you experience diarrhea after changing your diet or starting intermittent fasting, take steps to ensure you stay hydrated and nourished.
Drinking plenty of fluids and eating your usual balanced meals or snacks during the eating periods should help mitigate this issue.
Why Do I Get Diarrhea After Eating When Intermittent Fasting?
On its own, fasting is unlikely to give you diarrhea.
However, when you overeat food during your eating window, it could put your bowels into overdrive and you could get runny stools.
In addition, some foods can trigger diarrhea, like coffee, greasy food, spice, and gluten.
Intermittent fasting has many health benefits, but it comes with a few unintended side effects, one of which is diarrhea after eating.
This can be caused by the change in your schedule and overeating after fasting.
The body needs time to adjust to a new schedule, so if you’re starting out with intermittent fasting, give it some time before expecting results.
Additionally, overeating can cause diarrhea at once because your digestive system isn’t used to processing such large amounts of food.
If you find that this is the case for you, try breaking down your meals into smaller portions throughout the day and introducing intermittent fasting more gradually.
As always, if your symptoms persist or worsen, don’t hesitate to speak to a doctor about what might be causing them.
Is It Normal To Have Diarrhea When Doing Intermittent Fasting?
During your fasting period, it is unlikely that you will experience diarrhea.
However, when you first eat during your eating window, your gut might be overworked, especially if you are new to fasting.
A sudden change in diet and schedule could trigger a tummy upset.
Intermittent fasting has gained popularity in recent years, and many are using it as an effective way to lose weight and help regulate metabolism.
While specific gastrointestinal complications such as intestine inflammation or abnormal bacteria may cause diarrhea, some studies have suggested that a sudden change in diet can also cause digestive discomforts like diarrhea.
In addition, some of the complex components found only in certain types of foods may create certain reactions in the digestive systems of some individuals, triggering issues like loose bowel movements.
Everyone’s body is different and operates differently, and you might get diarrhea should be mild.
If you experience persistent diarrhea while intermittent fasting, you should consult your doctor for help and advice.
What Intermittent Fasting Does To Your Gut?
Some evidence is that intermittent fasting can benefit your gut microbiome by increasing diversity.
In addition, eating certain foods like yogurt, kombucha, vegetables, and whole grains will ensure a healthy gut.
Yogurt, kefir lime, sauerkraut, and kombucha are fermented foods called probiotics which are the beneficial gut bacteria that live in your colon.
They work by restoring the healthy bacteria levels in your gut, aiding digestion, and helping to boost your immunity.
It’s essential to add these beneficial bacteria into your diet to reap their amazing benefits.
Fruits and vegetables are high-fiber foods called prebiotics, which is what your helpful gut bacteria munches on.
Prebiotics are a type of dietary fiber that can help us better absorb the minerals and vitamins in our food.
Prebiotics promote intestinal health by feeding the probiotics in your gut that keep your digestive system healthy.
Does Fasting Mess With Bowel Movements?
Your bowel movements can be affected by intermittent fasting, especially if you are new to it, and you might experience constipation or mild diarrhea.
When you fast, your body goes into a state of digestion without consuming food, and as a result, you may experience changes in how often you have bowel movements or even the consistency.
Intermittent fasting can cause constipation in some people due to a few factors.
For starters, when people fast, they tend to consume fewer liquids than usual and may not be drinking enough water.
Not having enough liquids in the body can lead to dehydration, which then can cause constipation.
Another factor is that when someone is intermittently fasting, they are likely eating less fiber than normal.
Increasing your daily intake of high-fiber foods can help reduce any setbacks related to constipation caused by intermittent fasting.
Eating more plant-based food, like green peas and broccoli, will help you meet your daily dietary requirements for fiber and keep your digestion healthy.
Intermittent fasting can dramatically change your daily diet, which may cause a mild case of diarrhea.
When the body becomes acclimated to regularly receiving a certain amount of calories, potential discrepancies in calorie intake during intermittent fasting can lead to digestive issues, such as diarrhea.
The body often takes away from a few of its nutritious stores when it’s not receiving enough energy, which throws off its balance and causes disruptions in our digestive system.
Fortunately, these symptoms are usually only temporary as long as you ensure that necessary nutrition is provided through the meals you take in your eating window.
What Are The Negative Side Effects Of Intermittent Fasting?
Those who intermittently fast may experience extreme fatigue, headaches, and nausea due to the body entering what’s known as hunger mode. You might also experience lightheadedness, irritability, sleep disturbances, and dehydration.
Intermittent fasting can be a great way to give your body a break from the constant eating many of us are used to.
If you’d like to give intermittent fasting a try, there are some key tips and tricks that can help make your experience as effective and enjoyable as possible.
Firstly, remember hydration is vital.
Ensuring you drink adequate water throughout the day will keep your mind and body functioning optimally.
Secondly, it’s important to eat nutrient-dense meals on non-fasting days so that your body is getting all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
Lastly, plan ahead! Preparing nutritious, healthy meals for the day.
Favor high-fiber and lean protein sources such as nuts, legumes, tofu, vegetables, and fruits.
Does Fasting Destroy Gut Bacteria?
On the contrary! Intermittent fasting has been known to benefit your gut microbiome by increasing its diversity.
The fasting period breaks your gut from constantly having to digest food.
In addition, when you remove the presence of food, a particular bacteria, Akkermansia muciniphila, will expand.
This bacteria is known to decrease intestinal inflammation, which gives you a healthier gut.
The beneficial bacteria in your gut are called probiotics.
While it is commonly known that probiotics stem from fermented foods such as yogurt or kombucha, they can also be found naturally occurring in human bodies.
While it may seem odd, these beneficial microorganisms are vital for helping to break down food and absorb nutrients more efficiently.
In addition to bolstering digestion, probiotics also help ward off infections by preventing dangerous bacteria from taking hold.
When you eat during your fasting window, you might think about adding some fermented foods like tempeh or yogurt to your diet to boost your gut health.
Eat plenty of high-fiber foods as well to keep your probiotics full and happy!
I’m Chris Watson & the Founder of EatForLonger.com. I’m a food and wellbeing enthusiast researching and sharing foodstuffs and simple food-based concepts, such as fasting and clean eating.
I hope it inspires you to make tiny changes to what you eat and when you eat while optimizing your healthspan and all-around well-being.
Read more About Me here.