Share on Pinterest Causes of explosive diarrhea can include viral infections, bacterial infections, and food allergies. The viruses most often responsible for diarrhea include norovirus, rotavirus, or any number of the viruses that cause viral gastroenteritis. This condition is what many people call the “stomach flu.”

Diarrhea that happens after you eat a meal is known as postprandial diarrhea (PD). This type of diarrhea is often unexpected, and the feeling to use the restroom can be quite urgent. Some people with PD experience painful bowel movements (BMs). In most cases, this pain resolves after the BM.

Passing stool immediately after a meal is usually the result of the gastrocolic reflex, which is a normal bodily reaction to food entering the stomach. Almost everyone will experience the effects of the gastrocolic reflex from time to time. However, its intensity can vary from person to person.

Similarly, food poisoning is a cause of diarrhea — lettuce in salad bars, one of your suspects, could be tainted with problematic bacteria or other infectious organisms — but it would take hours, not minutes, for that reaction to occur. And it would be unlikely to recur over time.

When your stomach is upset, sipping on a hot cup of tea is a simple way to ease your symptoms. Still, the type of tea may make a big difference. In fact, certain varieties have been shown to treat issues like nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.

While it’s wise to avoid dairy products when you have diarrhea, Dr. Kirby says, there’s one notable exception — yogurt or kefir, a fermented milk drink, that contain probiotics. These can restore the beneficial bacteria that your body flushes out with diarrhea.