Ginger ale is one of the most common home remedies people reach for during a stomach bug, but it’s not a great choice. While real ginger does have proven anti-nausea properties, most commercial ginger ale contains very little actual ginger. What it does contain, lots of sugar and carbonation, can make stomach flu symptoms worse.
Why Ginger Ale Feels Like It Helps
The logic makes sense on the surface. Ginger is a well-studied anti-nausea remedy, and sipping something cold and fizzy feels soothing when you’re nauseated. The active compounds in ginger root work by blocking serotonin receptors in the gut and brain that trigger the vomiting reflex. They also help your stomach empty more normally when illness has slowed things down. A randomized controlled trial in children with acute gastroenteritis found that those given ginger had a 20% lower chance of continued vomiting compared to a placebo group, and they were also much more willing to drink oral rehydration fluids afterward.
The problem is that commercial ginger ale and real ginger are very different things. Canada Dry, the most popular brand in the U.S., was sued over claims of being “Made from Real Ginger” because the actual ginger content is negligible. Most mainstream ginger ales are essentially sugar water with carbonation and ginger flavoring. To get a meaningful dose of ginger’s active compounds, you’d need to drink an impractical amount of soda.
Sugar and Carbonation Make Things Worse
A standard can of ginger ale contains around 32 to 36 grams of sugar. When your gut is already inflamed from a stomach virus, that sugar pulls water into your intestines through osmotic pressure, which can trigger or worsen diarrhea. Medical guidelines for managing acute gastroenteritis specifically warn against soft drinks and fruit juices for this reason.
The carbonation is the other issue. Carbon dioxide gas causes your stomach to distend, which increases bloating and can intensify nausea. When you’re already dealing with cramping and an unsettled stomach, adding gas makes the situation objectively worse. The Cleveland Clinic lists carbonated beverages among the drinks to avoid during stomach flu.
Ginger Ale Doesn’t Rehydrate You
The biggest risk of relying on ginger ale during a stomach bug is that it creates a false sense of “I’m drinking fluids, so I’m staying hydrated.” Dehydration is the main danger of gastroenteritis, especially in children and older adults, and ginger ale is a poor rehydration drink. It contains essentially zero sodium and zero potassium, the two electrolytes your body loses most rapidly through vomiting and diarrhea. A proper oral rehydration solution contains about 30 milliequivalents of sodium and 20 of potassium per liter. Ginger ale has neither.
The American Academy of Pediatrics explicitly tells caregivers not to rehydrate children with ginger ale, cola, apple juice, sports drinks, or chicken broth. None of these have the right ratio of glucose to sodium for effective fluid absorption. For adults, the same principle applies, though adults can tolerate more variation before dehydration becomes dangerous.
Better Ways to Get Real Ginger
If you want ginger’s anti-nausea benefits without the downsides of soda, you have several options that actually deliver a meaningful dose of ginger’s active compounds.
- Ginger tea: Steep a half-inch of sliced fresh ginger root in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. This gives you the bioactive compounds without sugar or carbonation, and the warm liquid is gentle on an irritated stomach.
- Ginger chews or candies: Look for products made with real ginger extract. These are easy to tolerate when even sipping fluids feels difficult.
- Ginger capsules: Dried ginger powder in capsule form delivers a consistent dose. This is the format used in most clinical trials.
- Craft ginger ales: Brands like Reed’s, Fever-Tree, and Maine Root use real ginger and tend to have less sugar than mainstream brands. If you’re set on ginger ale, these are a better bet, though letting them go flat first reduces the bloating issue.
What to Actually Drink During Stomach Flu
Your priority during a stomach bug is replacing lost fluids and electrolytes in a form your gut can absorb. Oral rehydration solutions (sold as Pedialyte for children or store-brand equivalents for adults) are the gold standard. They’re specifically formulated with the glucose-to-sodium ratio that maximizes water absorption in the small intestine.
If you can’t get a commercial rehydration solution, clear broths with a pinch of salt, diluted juice (half water, half juice), or water sipped alongside small amounts of salty crackers will work in a pinch. Take small, frequent sips rather than gulping large amounts, which can trigger vomiting again. Ice chips are helpful when even small sips feel like too much.
Once your nausea starts improving, pairing a real ginger source with a proper rehydration drink gives you the best of both worlds: genuine anti-nausea relief and the electrolytes your body actually needs to recover.