Bland, easy-to-digest foods like plain crackers, toast, bananas, and rice are the most reliable choices when you’re feeling nauseous. Ginger is one of the most studied natural remedies for nausea, and cold, clear liquids can help you stay hydrated when solid food feels impossible. The key is keeping portions small and avoiding anything rich, greasy, or strongly flavored until your stomach settles.
Ginger: The Most Studied Option
Ginger has centuries of use as a nausea remedy, and modern research backs it up. Two of its main active compounds have proven antiemetic (anti-nausea) effects, working directly on the digestive system and the signaling pathways that trigger the urge to vomit. You don’t need a supplement to benefit. Fresh ginger sliced into hot water makes a simple tea, and ginger chews, ginger ale made with real ginger, and even candied ginger can help take the edge off.
If you’re dealing with persistent nausea from pregnancy, motion sickness, or chemotherapy, ginger capsules are widely available. Most clinical trials use doses between 250 mg and 1,000 mg per day, split across multiple servings.
Plain Starches That Absorb Stomach Acid
Saltine crackers, dry toast, and plain white rice are go-to nausea foods for a reason. These simple starches help absorb excess stomach acid, which is often part of what makes you feel queasy. They’re also low in fat and fiber, so your stomach doesn’t have to work hard to process them.
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s been recommended for decades for stomach flu, food poisoning, and general nausea. Harvard Health notes there are no studies comparing it to other approaches, but the logic is sound: these foods are bland, low in fiber, and easy to digest. The limitation is nutritional. BRAT foods are fine for a day or two, but they lack the protein and variety your body needs to recover. Once your stomach starts cooperating, you can expand to cooked carrots, sweet potatoes without skin, avocado, skinless chicken or turkey, fish, and eggs.
Vitamin B6-Rich Foods for Pregnancy Nausea
If your nausea is pregnancy-related, vitamin B6 deserves special attention. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends 10 to 25 mg of B6 three or four times a day as a first-line treatment for morning sickness. You can get meaningful amounts through food alone or combine dietary sources with a supplement.
The richest food sources of B6 include:
- Chickpeas: 1.1 mg per cup (canned)
- Tuna or salmon: 0.6 to 0.9 mg per 3-ounce serving
- Chicken breast: 0.5 mg per 3-ounce serving
- Potatoes: 0.4 mg per cup (boiled)
- Bananas: 0.4 mg per medium banana
- Fortified breakfast cereals: around 0.4 mg per serving
Bananas and potatoes are particularly useful because they’re mild enough to eat when your stomach is sensitive. Chickpeas blended into a smooth hummus can also work well if you can tolerate the flavor.
Peppermint for Digestive Calm
Peppermint helps relax the smooth muscle lining your digestive tract, which can ease the cramping and spasms that often accompany nausea. Research from the American Academy of Family Physicians suggests it works by blocking calcium channels in the gut, essentially telling those muscles to stop contracting so forcefully. Peppermint tea is the simplest delivery method. Even smelling peppermint oil can help some people, which is why hospitals sometimes offer peppermint aromatherapy to patients recovering from surgery.
Clear Liquids When You Can’t Eat
Sometimes solid food isn’t an option. When nausea is at its worst, clear liquids keep you hydrated without adding stress to your stomach. Good choices include plain water, broth or bouillon, filtered apple juice, ginger ale, plain popsicles, and tea without milk. Sports drinks can help replace electrolytes if you’ve been vomiting, though colorless varieties are gentlest on a sensitive stomach.
Sipping slowly matters more than what you choose. Taking small, frequent sips rather than gulping a full glass prevents your stomach from stretching, which can trigger another wave of nausea. Room temperature or slightly cool liquids tend to be better tolerated than ice-cold drinks, though some people find sucking on ice chips helpful when even sipping feels like too much.
How You Eat Matters as Much as What You Eat
Portion size plays a major role. Large meals distend the stomach and slow digestion, both of which worsen nausea. Eating five or six small meals throughout the day, rather than three big ones, keeps your stomach from getting too full or too empty. An empty stomach can be just as nauseating as an overfull one, because stomach acid with nothing to work on irritates the lining.
Timing matters too. If morning nausea is your pattern, keeping crackers on your nightstand and eating a few before you even sit up can prevent the empty-stomach queasiness that hits first thing. Eating your largest meal earlier in the day and keeping dinner light also helps, since digestion naturally slows in the evening.
Eat slowly. Chew thoroughly. And if the smell of food is triggering your nausea, cold or room-temperature foods are a smart workaround. They give off far less aroma than hot meals. Think applesauce, a banana, yogurt, or a cold sandwich on plain bread rather than a steaming bowl of soup.
Foods That Make Nausea Worse
Knowing what to avoid is just as important as knowing what to reach for. High-fat foods are the biggest culprit. Fat slows stomach emptying significantly, which leads to that heavy, bloated feeling that amplifies nausea. Fried foods, creamy sauces, cheese-heavy dishes, and fatty cuts of meat should all wait until you’re feeling better.
Spicy food irritates the stomach lining and can trigger acid reflux, both of which worsen queasiness. High-fiber foods like raw vegetables, whole grains, and beans are normally healthy choices, but during a bout of nausea, they require more digestive effort than your stomach can handle. Strong smells from garlic, onion, and certain cooking methods can also set off nausea before you even take a bite.
Caffeine and alcohol both irritate the stomach and promote dehydration, making nausea worse on two fronts. Carbonated drinks are a mixed bag. A few sips of flat ginger ale can settle your stomach, but the carbonation itself can cause bloating and gas if you drink too much too fast.