Plain, low-fiber foods like white rice, toast, broth, and bananas are among the easiest things your stomach can handle when it’s upset. But the best choices depend on what’s going on: nausea, diarrhea, cramping, and bloating each respond to slightly different foods. The old advice to stick strictly to the “BRAT diet” (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) has fallen out of favor because it’s too nutritionally limited, but the principle behind it still holds. You want foods that are easy to break down, gentle on an irritated lining, and unlikely to trigger more discomfort.
Start With Simple Starches and Broth
When your stomach is at its worst, refined starches are your best starting point. White rice, plain toast, saltine crackers, and boiled potatoes require minimal digestive effort. White rice in particular empties from the stomach faster than brown rice, which still has its bran layer intact and takes measurably longer to move through. That slower emptying can increase nausea and discomfort when your gut is already struggling, so this is one time to skip the whole grains.
Brothy soups, especially bone broth, do double duty. They replace fluids you’ve lost and deliver amino acids like glutamine and glycine that help maintain the intestinal lining. Research on bone broth’s components shows these amino acids support gut barrier function, reduce intestinal inflammation, and improve nutrient absorption. Even a simple chicken broth with a little salt gives your body something to work with without asking much of your digestive system. Dry cereal and plain oatmeal are also well tolerated for most people.
Add Nutrition as You Improve
Sticking to crackers and rice for more than a day can actually slow your recovery. The American Academy of Pediatrics specifically warns against following the BRAT diet for more than 24 hours because it lacks the nutrients your gut needs to heal. Once you can keep bland foods down, start adding soft, protein-rich options: scrambled eggs, skinless chicken or turkey, and cooked vegetables. These give your body the building blocks for tissue repair without introducing anything harsh.
Applesauce deserves a special mention. It contains pectin, a type of soluble fiber that your body can’t digest in the upper GI tract. Instead, gut bacteria ferment it in the colon, producing short-chain fatty acids, particularly butyrate. Butyrate helps protect and repair the intestinal barrier. Studies in infants with persistent diarrhea have shown that pectin-enhanced diets improve intestinal barrier function and reduce permeability. So applesauce isn’t just easy to eat. It actively helps your gut recover.
Ginger for Nausea
If nausea is your main problem, ginger is one of the most reliable natural remedies. It works through multiple pathways, helping speed up the movement of food through your digestive tract and acting on receptors in both the gut and the brain that trigger the urge to vomit. Clinical trials have tested ginger in doses ranging from about 250 mg to 2 grams per day, split into three or four doses. Interestingly, the 2-gram dose didn’t outperform the 1-gram dose, so more isn’t necessarily better.
In practical terms, this means a cup or two of ginger tea, a few pieces of crystallized ginger, or fresh ginger sliced into hot water can meaningfully reduce nausea. Ginger ale is a popular choice, but many commercial brands contain very little actual ginger. Check the label, or better yet, steep fresh ginger root in boiling water for 10 minutes.
Peppermint for Cramping and Bloating
Peppermint works differently from ginger. It relaxes the smooth muscle in your digestive tract by blocking calcium channels in the muscle cells, which reduces spasms and cramping. This makes it particularly helpful for bloating, gas pain, and that tight, churning sensation in your abdomen. Peppermint tea is the simplest way to get the benefit.
There’s one important caveat: peppermint relaxes the valve between your esophagus and stomach. Studies using esophageal pressure measurements have shown that peppermint oil decreases pressure at this valve, making acid reflux more likely. If your stomach discomfort involves heartburn or a burning sensation rising into your chest, skip the peppermint. It will likely make things worse.
Staying Hydrated Matters More Than Food
If you’re dealing with vomiting or diarrhea, replacing lost fluids and electrolytes is more urgent than eating. Water alone isn’t enough because you’re losing sodium and potassium along with the fluid. The WHO’s recommended homemade rehydration solution is eight level teaspoons of sugar and one level teaspoon of salt dissolved in one liter of water. The sugar isn’t just for taste. It helps your intestines absorb the sodium and water more efficiently through a specific transport mechanism in the gut lining.
Coconut water, diluted fruit juice, or store-bought electrolyte drinks also work. Take small, frequent sips rather than large gulps, which can trigger more vomiting. If you can only manage liquids for the first several hours, that’s fine. Staying hydrated is the priority.
Probiotics Can Shorten Recovery
If your stomach upset involves diarrhea, probiotics may help you recover faster. The most studied strain for acute diarrhea is Lactobacillus GG. In a controlled trial, children who received this probiotic had diarrhea that lasted about 60 hours compared to 78 hours in the group that didn’t, and their stool consistency improved roughly six hours sooner. The effective dose was 10 billion colony-forming units per day for five days. Lower doses, in the range of 60 million units, showed no benefit at all, so the dose matters significantly.
You can find Lactobacillus GG in specific probiotic supplements (the label will list the strain). Yogurt contains some beneficial bacteria, but the strains and quantities vary widely, and if dairy is irritating your stomach, it’s not worth forcing.
What to Avoid Until You Feel Better
Some foods actively work against a recovering stomach. High-fat and fried foods slow digestion and can increase nausea. Spicy foods irritate an already inflamed lining. Carbonated drinks introduce gas into an uncomfortable GI tract. Coffee stimulates acid production, and research has found that people with esophageal sensitivity react to coffee and other acidic drinks with the same intensity as they react to hydrochloric acid.
Dairy is worth avoiding for most people during acute stomach upset. Diarrhea can temporarily reduce your ability to digest lactose, even if you’re normally fine with milk. Alcohol is an obvious skip. Raw vegetables and high-fiber foods like beans, lentils, and whole grains are nutritious under normal circumstances, but they demand more digestive work than your stomach can comfortably handle right now. You can add them back gradually once your symptoms have settled for a full day.