When you’re nauseous, the best things to drink are small sips of cool water, ginger tea, clear broth, or an oral rehydration solution. The key is not just what you drink but how you drink it: tiny, frequent sips are far easier on your stomach than gulping down a full glass. Aim for about one teaspoon per minute or a quarter cup every 15 minutes until you can tolerate more.
Water and Clear Fluids Come First
Plain water is the simplest and safest option. If you’ve been vomiting, staying hydrated is the single most important thing you can do, even if drinking feels like the last thing your body wants. Cool water, around 5°C to 15°C (roughly 40°F to 60°F), tends to be better tolerated than room-temperature or warm water. Cold fluids trigger a mild refreshing sensation in the mouth that can actually reduce the feeling of nausea, partly by stimulating the release of endorphins and serotonin.
If plain water feels too heavy, try sucking on ice chips or popsicles. This gives you a slow, steady stream of fluid without filling your stomach. Diluted fruit juice (half water, half juice) and weak, decaffeinated tea are also good choices in this early stage.
Why Ginger Tea Works
Ginger is one of the most effective natural remedies for nausea, and there’s real science behind it. The active compounds in ginger, called gingerols and shogaols, work in two ways: they help your stomach empty more efficiently when digestion has slowed down, and they block serotonin receptors in the gut that trigger the vomiting reflex. These are the same receptors that prescription anti-nausea medications target.
You can make ginger tea by steeping a few thin slices of fresh ginger root in hot water for five to ten minutes, or use a store-bought ginger tea bag. The effective range is 1 to 3 grams of ginger per day for most adults. If you’re pregnant, stick to about 1 gram daily, which is still enough to significantly reduce nausea symptoms. Going above 6 grams a day can backfire, causing heartburn, reflux, or diarrhea. Flat ginger ale is a popular folk remedy, but most commercial ginger ales contain very little actual ginger and a lot of sugar, so real ginger tea or ginger chews are a better bet.
Broth and Oral Rehydration Solutions
Clear broth, whether chicken, vegetable, or bone broth, does double duty. It replaces fluids and delivers sodium, which you lose quickly when vomiting. The salt also helps your body absorb the water you’re drinking. This is the same principle behind oral rehydration solutions like Pedialyte: glucose helps your small intestine absorb sodium and water in a 1:1 ratio, making rehydration far more efficient than water alone.
If you’ve been vomiting repeatedly or for more than a few hours, an oral rehydration solution is a better choice than a sports drink. Sports drinks like Gatorade contain too much sugar and not enough sodium relative to what your body needs during active fluid loss. Pedialyte, Oralyte, or a homemade version (clean water with a precise mix of sugar and salt) provides the right balance to prevent dehydration without overwhelming your stomach.
Chamomile and Peppermint Tea
Chamomile tea has been used for centuries to calm upset stomachs, and many people find it soothing after a meal or during a bout of nausea. The evidence for chamomile is mostly traditional rather than clinical, but it has mild antispasmodic properties that may help ease the cramping and tension in your digestive tract that often accompanies nausea. A warm cup of chamomile can also help you relax, which matters because anxiety and stress can make nausea worse.
Peppermint tea is another option worth trying. The menthol in peppermint has a mild numbing effect on the stomach lining, which can quiet the signals that make you feel like you need to vomit. Either tea should be brewed weak and sipped slowly.
What to Avoid
Carbonated drinks can make nausea worse for some people. The bubbles introduce gas into your stomach, increasing pressure and bloating, which is the opposite of what you want when you’re already feeling queasy. If you find flat soda comforting, it’s the sugar and flavor doing the work, not the carbonation, so letting it go flat first or choosing a non-carbonated option is a smarter move.
Skip anything with caffeine, alcohol, or high acidity. Coffee stimulates stomach acid production. Orange juice and other citrus drinks are too acidic for an irritated stomach. Milk and dairy can be hard to digest and may increase the urge to vomit in some people, though others find small amounts of plain yogurt tolerable. Full-sugar sodas and energy drinks deliver a sugar load that can worsen nausea on its own.
How to Sip When Nothing Stays Down
The biggest mistake people make when nauseous is drinking too much too fast. A full glass of water hitting an empty, irritated stomach often comes right back up. Instead, start with one teaspoon every minute, or about a quarter cup every 15 minutes. This pace gives your stomach time to absorb the fluid without triggering another wave of nausea. Once you’ve kept that down for 30 to 60 minutes, you can gradually increase the amount.
If even tiny sips trigger vomiting, try sucking on ice chips or a frozen popsicle for 15 to 20 minutes before attempting liquid again. Some people also find it helpful to smell fresh lemon or peppermint while sipping, as strong pleasant scents can temporarily override nausea signals.
When You’re Ready for More Than Liquids
Once you can keep fluids down for a few hours, you can start adding bland, easy-to-digest foods. The old BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) is a fine starting point, but you don’t need to limit yourself to just those four foods. Brothy soups, plain oatmeal, boiled potatoes, and unsweetened dry cereal are equally gentle on your stomach. The goal is low fiber, low fat, and minimal seasoning for the first day or two. From there, you can gradually reintroduce your normal diet as your stomach tolerates it.