When nausea hits, bland and low-fat foods are your best bet. Think plain crackers, white rice, bananas, applesauce, and dry toast. These are easy for your stomach to break down and less likely to make things worse. But what you eat matters less than how and when you eat it, so timing and portions are just as important as the food itself.
Start With Liquids, Not Food
If you’ve already thrown up, your first priority is replacing lost fluid, not eating. Small sips of clear liquids are the safest starting point: water, ice chips, flat ginger ale, apple juice without pulp, clear broth, or ice pops. Drink slowly. Gulping fluids can stretch your stomach and trigger another round of vomiting.
If even water feels like too much, try sucking on ice chips or a peppermint hard candy. Peppermint has a mild antispasm effect on the stomach and esophagus, which can help calm that churning sensation. Lemon drops work well too. The goal is to get small amounts of fluid in consistently rather than forcing a full glass at once.
The Mayo Clinic recommends waiting about six hours after your last vomiting episode before trying solid food. That window gives your stomach time to settle. During those hours, stick to the clear liquid approach and sip every 15 to 20 minutes.
Best Foods When You’re Ready to Eat
Once you can keep liquids down, move to small amounts of bland, low-fat food. The classic recommendation is the BRAT diet: bananas, white rice, applesauce, and white toast. These foods are low in fiber, gentle on the stomach, and unlikely to trigger more nausea. But you’re not limited to just those four. Other good options include:
- Plain saltine crackers, which also help replace sodium lost from vomiting
- Clear broth or chicken soup with minimal fat
- Plain boiled potatoes without butter or cream
- Dry cereal like plain Cheerios or Rice Chex
- A small amount of lean protein like plain baked chicken, once you’re tolerating carbs well
Salty foods tend to be better tolerated than sweet ones, especially if you’ve been vomiting. The salt also helps your body hold onto the fluids you’re drinking. Avoid anything overly sugary, which can actually make nausea worse.
Eat small portions. A few bites every hour or two is better than a full meal. Your stomach is irritated, and overloading it will undo your progress.
Why Ginger Actually Works
Ginger isn’t just a folk remedy. It speeds up how quickly your stomach empties its contents into the small intestine, which directly reduces that heavy, queasy feeling. In one controlled study, ginger cut the time it took for the stomach to empty by roughly half, from about 27 minutes down to 13 minutes, while also increasing the stomach’s contractions.
You don’t need a supplement to get the benefit. Ginger tea, ginger chews, flat ginger ale made with real ginger, or even a small piece of crystallized ginger can help. If you’re using ginger tea, steep a few thin slices of fresh ginger root in hot water for five to ten minutes. Sip it slowly. For many people, even the smell of ginger provides some relief.
Foods That Will Make Nausea Worse
Fatty and greasy foods are the biggest offenders. They slow down digestion, keeping food in your stomach longer, which is exactly what you don’t want when you’re nauseous. Even the smell of greasy food cooking can trigger vomiting for some people. If someone in your household is cooking, stay out of the kitchen or open a window.
Beyond greasy food, avoid these until you’re feeling fully recovered:
- Spicy dishes, which irritate the stomach lining
- Dairy products like milk, cheese, and ice cream, which are harder to digest
- Raw vegetables and high-fiber foods, which require more work from your digestive system
- Strong-smelling foods of any kind
- Very sweet foods and drinks, including full-sugar sports drinks
Alcohol and caffeine are also off the table. Both can increase stomach acid production and worsen dehydration.
Don’t Stay on a Restricted Diet Too Long
The BRAT diet and other ultra-bland eating patterns are meant to last a day or two at most. They provide very little protein, fat, or essential nutrients. The American Academy of Pediatrics has moved away from recommending prolonged restrictive diets during illness because they can actually delay recovery and, in extreme cases, lead to nutritional deficiencies.
The current thinking is to return to a normal, balanced diet as soon as you can tolerate it. Once you’ve kept bland food down for 24 to 48 hours, start reintroducing foods you normally eat. Add them back gradually: lean proteins first, then cooked vegetables, then fattier foods last. If something triggers nausea again, back off and try again later.
Signs You’re Getting Dehydrated
The real danger with persistent vomiting isn’t the nausea itself. It’s dehydration. Watch for dark yellow urine, dry mouth, dizziness when standing, and feeling unusually tired or confused. In adults, not being able to keep any fluids down for more than 12 hours is a serious warning sign. Other red flags include a fever above 102°F, bloody or black vomit, and severe abdominal pain.
Children and older adults dehydrate faster than healthy younger adults. For a child who has been vomiting for 24 hours or more, or who seems unusually sleepy or irritable, oral rehydration at home may not be enough.