What's a BRAT diet?

If you answered: The food Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy eat, you are sorely mistaken. Though that's pretty funny! However, those brats, which is actually a play on the Rat Pack, or Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., etc., have nothing to do with the mnemonic BRAT, which stands for bananas, rice, apple sauce and toast. These are the foods you're supposed to eat when you have diarrhea or the stomach flu. Why? Because there's no oil in the foods and they're low in fiber. High fiber foods cause gas and upset your stomach even more.

But does it work?

The medical community is mixed on the effectiveness of the BRAT diet. Some swear by it, others say it can't hurt, but isn't necessary. It's more a case-by-case recommendation. Others extend the mnemonic to BRATT (plus tea) and BRATTY (plus tea and yogurt). One thing I've noticed is that you can take a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (I recommend the organic kind with "the mother") and stir it into a glass of water. It tastes pretty awful, but if you can get it down, from my experience, it works wonders on your stomach.

What about you all? Any advice? Any positive experience with BRAT? Leave your interesting responses in the comments below.