Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

content. To get the digestive system working properly

after diarrhea, it is necessary to rebuild the intestinal

flora, especially if antibiotics were taken. Eating pro-

biotic yogurt (with acidophilus) helps restore the intes-

tinal flora.

Precautions

For most people, any liquid that they normally

drink should be adequate to bring fluid levels back to

normal (rehydration). However, too much water alone,

at any age, can be harmful, because water does not

have any sugars or important electrolytes, such as

sodium. This is why the diet must include foods and

drinks that restore electrolyte levels. In this respect,

mineral water is recommended. Signs of dehydration

include:

Thirst

Dry mouth and tongue, parched throat

Reduced need to urinate

Dry skin and hair

KEY TERMS

Acidophilus—Bacteria found in yogurt that, when

ingested, helps restore the normal bacterial popula-

tions in the human digestive system.

Acute—Acute means sudden or severe. Acute symp-

toms appear, change, or worsen rapidly. It is the

opposite of chronic.

Bacteria—Microorganisms found in the environ-

ment. Bacteria can multiply quickly in food, and

can cause foodborne illnesses. Not all bacteria are

harmful: some are used to make yogurt and cheese.

Bland diet—A diet that is free of irritating or stimu-

lating foods.

Chronic—Chronic refers to a symptom or disease

that continues or persists over an extended period

of time.

Colon—Part of the large intestine, located in the

abdominal cavity. It consists of the ascending

colon, the transverse colon, the descending colon,

and the sigmoid colon.

Contamination—The undesired occurrence of

harmful microorganisms or substances in food.

Digestive tract—The tube connecting and including

the organs and paths responsible for processing food in

the body. These are the mouth, the esophagus, the stom-

ach, the liver, the gallbladder, the pancreas, the small

intestine, the large intestine, and the rectum.

Duodenum—The first section of the small intestine,

extending from the stomach to the jejunum, the next

section of the small intestine.

Electrolytes—Chemicals such as salts and minerals

required for various functions in the body.

Fecal—Relating to feces.

Feces—Waste product of digestionformedinthelarge

intestine. About 75% of its mass is water, the remainder

is protein, fat, undigestedroughage, dried digestive

juices, dead cells, and bacteria.

Foodborne illness—Illness caused by pathogenic

bacteria transmitted to humans by food.

Ileum—The last section of the small intestine located

between the jejunum and the large intestine.

Immune system—The integrated body system of

organs, tissues, cells, and cell products such as anti-

bodies that protects the body from foreign organisms

or substances.

Inflammation—A response of body tissues to injury

or irritation characterized by pain and swelling and

redness and heat.

Intestinal flora—The sum of all bacteria and fungi

that live in the intestines. It is required to break

down nutrients, fight off pathogens and helps

the body build the vitamin E and K. An unbal-

anced intestinal flora can lead to many health

problems.

Jejunum—The section of the small intestine located

between the duodenum and the ileum.

Large intestine—The terminal part of the digestive

system, site of water recycling, nutrient absorption,

and waste processing located in the abdominal cav-

ity. It consists of the caecum, the colon, and the

rectum.

Microorganism—A general term for bacteria, molds,

fungus, or viruses, that can be seen only with a

microscope.

Pathogen—A disease-causing microorganism.

Small intestine—The part of the digestive tract

located between the stomach and the large intestine.

It consists of the duodenum, the jejunum, and the

ileum.

Diarrhea diet