Doctors usually advise eating a diet of soft, easy-to-digest foods during a C. diff infection. It’s also important to drink lots of water to help avoid dehydration.

What does your diet have to do with C. diff?

C. diff is a type of bacteria that can cause severe diarrhea, nausea, fever, and stomach pain. The people most vulnerable to C. diff infection are those in medical care who require antibiotics for an extended period. Older individuals may also be at increased risk.

C. diff’s main symptom is severe diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and an inability to absorb the nutrients in food. For this reason, what you eat during and after treatment is very important.

Nutrition has a significant effect on health. While you’re receiving treatment for C. diff, you may benefit from eating foods that are easy on your stomach and help manage diarrhea. Many doctors recommend a diet of soft, easy-to-digest foods during this time. Dehydration is a common side effect of watery diarrhea, so fluid intake is very important.

Eating foods that can repopulate your gut with good bacteria is also important.

Malabsorption of nutrients is another common side effect of C. diff. During and after treatment, focus on eating foods with high nutritional value. Look for foods rich in vitamins, potassium, sodium, and magnesium.

While you’re receiving treatment for a C. diff infection, consider adding foods to your diet that can help you recover more quickly. These foods include:

  • Probiotics: Probiotics are friendly, live bacteria that may help prevent C. diff. Active yogurt cultures and fermented foods, such as sauerkraut and miso, contain probiotics. Probiotics aren’t advisable for everyone with C. diff. People with weakened immune systems at high risk of infection typically avoid probiotics.
  • Liquids: Drink lots of liquids to avoid dehydration that can result from diarrhea. Water and broth-based soup are both good choices.
  • Vitamin D: This nutrient may strengthen your gut and lower the risk of C. diff infection happening again.
  • Fiber: Foods containing soluble fiber may help to move the infection out of your system. Oatmeal, lentils, flaxseed, and oranges may be good choices.
  • Protein-rich foods: Protein sources that are easy to digest include eggs, chicken, and turkey.
  • Noncruciferous vegetables: Well-cooked noncruciferous vegetables, made into juice, or added to green smoothies or soups are also good choices. Veggies to use include beets, green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, and celery.
  • Starchy foods: Easy-to-digest, starchy foods that are binding such as potatoes, bananas, noodles, crackers, and white rice may also be beneficial.

Even if you pride yourself on having a cast-iron stomach, you’ll need to take it easy during and after a C. diff infection. Certain foods can exacerbate stomach distress, gas, or cramping, and it is best to avoid them. They include:

  • cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts
  • raw vegetables of any kind
  • spicy food
  • fried or greasy food
  • caffeinated beverages
  • food with a high fat content, like mayonnaise
  • beans
  • synthetic cooking oils, like Olestra, Olean, and oleomargarine

Lactose intolerance is a common side effect of C. diff infection. Avoiding milk and dairy products — with the possible exception of yogurt containing live, active cultures — may help eliminate added gastrointestinal distress.

You may become gluten intolerant for some time after infection. If so, it’s important to avoid foods containing gluten, such as wheat, rye, and barley.

Treatment for C. diff involves specific antibiotics to stop the bacteria from multiplying. Some antibiotics to help treat C. diff have potential side effects, such as abdominal pain and nausea. These symptoms may make it more difficult for you to eat. If you find it difficult to keep food down, your doctor may recommend you stick to a liquid diet for several days before starting a soft food regimen.

If you continue to experience symptoms or have a recurrence of infection, alternative treatments may be beneficial. These include:

  • Surgery: If you experience organ failure, inflammation of the abdominal wall lining, toxic megacolon, or severe pain that interferes with daily life, surgery to remove the infected part of your colon may help.
  • Digestive enzyme use: Digestive enzymes help break food into easily digestible parts. This may help you absorb more nutrients from the food you eat. There are several different types of digestive enzymes, some of which contain probiotics. Some are plant-based, and others come from animal sources.
  • Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT): This fecal transplant procedure has success rates of 80% to 90% in people who don’t respond to antibiotic treatments. During this procedure, carefully screened donated feces is administered to a person via an enema. This helps replenish the gut with good bacteria, making it more difficult for C. diff germs to overpopulate the digestive tract.

Vigilance about handwashing and maintaining sanitary conditions can help reduce C diff. exposure. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers don’t kill the C. diff germ and aren’t a viable substitute for soap and warm water.

Ask your doctor and medical caregivers to wear gowns and gloves or wash their hands before examining you.

Don’t overuse antibiotics, and only take them as directed by your doctor.

Sometimes, the diarrhea associated with C. diff may become chronic. If so, nutrient supplements that supply iron, B-12, and zinc may help. Talk with your doctor about taking vitamins and other ways to help ensure you’re receiving adequate nutrition during this time.