Chinese Food = Diahrrea?

[kdavid]

I have a friend *ahem* who's been in China going on five years. For almost the entirety of that five years, he's had chronic diarrhea.

He didn't have this problem back home at all. He doesn't have an abnormal diet here in China; as long as you consider eating like the typical Chinese person normal.

He's heard from other friends that high-oil foods give them the same issues, and his friends who rarely eat Chinese food, or don't at all, have regular, solid bowel movements.

I'm curious as to how many other people here suffer from chronic (i.e. several times daily) diarrhea, and what you've found keeps you regular.

Is there anything specific that you avoid? I've suggested an elimination diet, which seems like the logical next step.

[Brian US]

I found that rice really helps to avoid the problem of diarrhea. Keep in mind a balanced diet should keep you regular. Remember to eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, carbs, and protein. I had a problem when I first arrived in China, but this was solved with increasing my intake of fruit and protein.

[kdavid]

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, the issue is that my diet couldn't be more balanced. Everything is fresh, I get tons of fruits and vegetables, and enough meat.

I stopped eating rice a long time ago as I got bored stiff with it, but maybe I should throw that back in to see if things even out.

[rezaf]

I also have noticed that but I don't know if it's because of the food or the weather. Sometimes I take some herbs with my food which makes it a little bit better. I have found 乌梅 good for diarrhea and you can make 乌梅粥(粳米＋乌梅＋a little bit 冰糖）. I have read that 罂粟(opium poppy) is also good and according to TCM a small amount of it can be added to the food but if you can find a way to get some. ;)

[amandagmu]

For me it depends on the style of Chinese food. Northern food and Sichuan-style always has too much oil (imo) or as a local Bj'er would say, "lots of flavor". I do not have stomach issues with steamed food and soups like those found in Shanghai. I have had your friend's problem on more than one occasion when I eat Northern-style food for more than one meal on consecutive or every other day. It's a pity because I do in fact like some of the common dishes. I try to strike a balance - I eat *mostly* plainer foods, such as generic western food and non-Northern cuisine, such as Shanghai-style and Yunnan-style food. Yunnan-style is a happy medium for me since it tends to use almost no oils and the ingredients tend to be simpler and creative, such as the spicy mint salad with vinegar.

Also, when my family and friends have come to visit China we almost always need to switch off of Northern cuisine after 1-3 days because someone inevitably ends up suffering from the stomach issues, and we usually switch over to other Chinese styles or to other Asian styles. Luckily, those are all easy to find in Beijing.

[edelweis]

@kdavid:

rice and bananas are recommended when you have diarrhea. Or so my doctor said.

Also take care of the water you drink...

[WestTexas]

I've lived in China for two years now and I never get diarhhea. In fact, several of my coworkers have had the opposite problem, severe constipation. Last semester two of my coworkers didn't go number 2 for almost 2 weeks and they both had to go to the hospital. Eat plenty of vegetables and don't eat at sketchy restaurants, and make sure you don't get any of the water in your mouth.

[gato]

I have read that 罂粟(opium poppy) is also good and according to TCM a small amount of it can be added to the food but if you can find a way to get some. ;)

So that's why they grow that stuff in Afghanistan. Make a quick trip to Kabul, and you'll be cured.

[gato]

Yeah, the issue is that my diet couldn't be more balanced. Everything is fresh, I get tons of fruits and vegetables, and enough meat.

I stopped eating rice a long time ago as I got bored stiff with it, but maybe I should throw that back in to see if things even out.

Ask your friend (ahem) to try eating just noodles and vegetables for a week to if it is problem with the dishes he is eating.

Or have him eat Western-style food for a week. That might show if it's a problem with the style of dishes, or a problem with hygiene.

[abcdefg]

rice and bananas are recommended when you have diarrhea.

Sounds like the BRAT diet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRAT_diet

[anonymoose]

I probably eat more junk food here than I should, but I find that nothing soothes the stomach like a good Burger King meal.

Fortunately I don't have too many digestive tract issues here, but then I'm quite careful not to eat dodgy things like street food.

[rezaf]

So that's why they grow that stuff in Afghanistan. Make a quick trip to Kabul, and you'll be cured.

In fact if they weren't gonna turn them into opium they would have enough opium poppies to eradicate diarrhea in the world :rolleyes: . In TCM it is probably one of the best herbs for diarrhea. Our textbook says that TCM doctors can prescribe it but I doubt that it's true. As far as I know some people and TCM doctors grow them in small amounts at home for this purpose but anyway getting 乌梅 instead is an easier alternative.

[xiaocai]

I think it is legal to sell and consume poppy seeds in China, no? At least I remember clearly having poppy seed sponge cakes. I also remember that opium tincture was used to treat diarrhoea too. As a matter of fact, one of the main side effects of narcotics of this sort is constipation, so you can see the connection...

[Neil_H]

Two out of the three trips I have made to China I had gut/sick problems. The first two times were the ones that got me. The last time in 2010 I did not and the only difference was that I took the correct jabs/vacinations before going there. All three times I brought over some western cereal to try and make the change not so sudden.

Anti biotics cleared up the problem the first two times showing it was an infection rather than disagreeing with something.

[rezaf]

Actually my problem got much more severe after I took antibiotics a few months ago as it killed many of the useful bacterias as well. I guess I need to stick to my TCM stuff. <_<

I think it is legal to sell and consume poppy seeds in China, no?

I just checked 百度, it seems that it's illegal to possess more than 3 poppies (?).

[xiaocai]

You do realise that we are talking about poppy seeds not poppies right? And commercial poppies seed sold in China are sterilised by radiation to render them non-reproductive. The only concern is if the diarrhoea is caused by bacterial infection then it is not recommended to use it alone, as all the bacteria can be trapped inside, causing more problems. And you should never use it if you have a fever and there is blood in your stool.

So I'd say that you still need to get it checked by a doctor to confirm the cause and then choose the most appropriate treatment.

[rezaf]

@xiaocai: I don't know why you say "we" as at least I was talking about 罂粟 as a TCM herb which is the 壳 part without the seeds. I also recommend testing the stool as I myself did. My latest experience is just one case and I'm not trying to generalize it. In my case the bacteria was cleared but the antibiotic caused a severe imbalance in my body and I'm dealing with an even worse diarrhea(this case is not the same diarrhea that I was talking in my first post) till now. Generally in infections caused by bacteria, antibiotics are recommended but not the only solution. There are some cases that antibiotics don't work and there are some cases that herbs don't work but my personal preference is to try herbs unless it's a disease that was clearly not mentioned as curable by herbs in the ancient books and also there are many different prescriptions for different kinds of diarrhea.

[xiaocai]

Just like I did say a word about antibiotics in my post. All I meant was sometimes self supportive treatments have their limitations and may cause harm without professional medical advices, be it TCM or whatsoever. I know there are many ways to treat certain disease but in this case, why would you want to go all the way to Afghanistan to get some poppies just for your diarrhoea when you can easily buy 易蒙停/Imodium, which works in essentially the same way without the worry of being addicted to, from the pharmacy across the road...

[rezaf]

Xiaocai I was just joking ;) and some small amount of 罂粟壳 is not really addictive but you are right there are very different types of diarrhea in TCM and when I come back from my trip I will write more about them and their 食疗 methods. BTW the pharmacy across the road also might have some good 中成药.

[kdavid]

you can easily buy 易蒙停/Imodium, which works in essentially the same way without the worry of being addicted to, from the pharmacy across the road...

I frequently buy out the pharmacies supply of this.