When your stomach is upset, bland, easy-to-digest foods like bananas, plain rice, broth, and ginger are your best starting points. The goal is to give your digestive system something it can process without extra effort while replacing fluids and electrolytes you may have lost. What you avoid matters just as much as what you eat, and how you eat (small amounts, spread throughout the day) can make a real difference in how quickly you feel better.
Start With Bland, Low-Fiber Staples
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These foods are gentle on the stomach because they’re low in fat, low in fiber, and unlikely to trigger further nausea or cramping. Bananas are especially useful because they replace potassium lost through vomiting or diarrhea, and their natural pectin (a type of soluble fiber) helps firm up loose stools without irritating the gut lining.
That said, the BRAT diet has limits. Cleveland Clinic notes it lacks calcium, vitamin B12, protein, and adequate fiber, so it shouldn’t be your only food source for more than a day or two. The American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends a strict BRAT diet for children at all, as the nutritional gaps can actually slow recovery. Think of these foods as a starting point. Once you can tolerate them, gradually add in more nutritious options like cooked vegetables, lean protein, and yogurt.
Ginger for Nausea
Ginger is one of the most consistently supported natural remedies for nausea. It works by speeding up gastric emptying, meaning food moves out of your stomach faster instead of sitting there making you feel sick. It also stimulates contractions in the stomach that help push things along naturally.
A systematic review of clinical trials found that a daily intake of around 1,500 mg of ginger, split into smaller doses, is effective for nausea relief. That translates to roughly 250 mg every six hours, which you can get from ginger capsules, freshly grated ginger steeped in hot water, or even ginger chews. Higher single doses (above 2 grams at once) can cause mild stomach irritation on their own, so smaller, more frequent amounts work better.
Warm Broth and Miso Soup
When you can’t handle solid food, warm broth is one of the easiest ways to get fluids, sodium, and a small amount of nutrition without taxing your digestive system. Bone broth in particular contains amino acids like glutamine, glycine, and proline that support the intestinal lining. A 2025 review found these compounds help strengthen gut barrier function, reduce intestinal inflammation, and improve nutrient absorption.
Miso soup is another strong option. Because miso is fermented, it contains live probiotic cultures that feed beneficial gut bacteria. The amino acids in miso, particularly glutamate, may help your stomach empty itself more efficiently, reducing that heavy, uncomfortable feeling after eating. Regular miso consumption has been associated with lower rates of gastritis and stomach ulcers. It also provides sodium and potassium, both of which you need to replace when you’ve been losing fluids.
Peppermint and Chamomile Tea
If cramping is part of your stomach trouble, peppermint and chamomile can help relax the muscles in your digestive tract. Menthol, the active compound in peppermint, directly reduces the ability of gut muscles to contract. It does this by blocking calcium channels in smooth muscle cells, which is the same basic mechanism used by some prescription antispasmodic drugs. Research on human colon tissue showed menthol reduced muscle contractions in a dose-dependent way.
Chamomile works through a slightly different pathway. Its compounds activate potassium channels in smooth muscle, which causes the muscle to relax. A cup of either tea between meals can ease cramping and bloating. One important note: while peppermint tea is soothing for stomach cramps, it can actually worsen acid reflux by relaxing the valve between your esophagus and stomach. If heartburn is your main symptom, stick with chamomile instead.
Foods That Make It Worse
Knowing what to avoid is half the battle. When your stomach is already irritated, certain foods slow digestion and let food sit in the stomach longer, which amplifies nausea, bloating, and pain. The main categories to skip:
- High-fat and fried foods: These take the longest to digest and can relax the valve that keeps stomach acid from rising into your esophagus.
- Spicy foods: Chili powder, cayenne, and black pepper can directly irritate an inflamed stomach lining.
- Acidic foods: Tomato-based sauces and citrus fruits increase stomach acid production.
- Carbonated drinks: The gas adds pressure to an already uncomfortable stomach.
- Chocolate and coffee: Both relax the esophageal sphincter and stimulate acid secretion.
- Dairy (for some people): If you’re dealing with diarrhea, lactose can be harder to digest temporarily, even if you don’t normally have trouble with it.
Eat Small Amounts More Often
Your stomach handles smaller volumes of food much more efficiently than large meals, especially when it’s inflamed. Eating five or six small portions spread across the day keeps your digestive system working without overwhelming it. A few bites of toast with banana in the morning, a small cup of broth mid-morning, some plain rice at lunch. You’re aiming to keep a gentle, steady stream of easy food moving through rather than loading up all at once.
Temperature matters too. Room-temperature or warm foods tend to be easier on a sensitive stomach than very hot or ice-cold options. Sipping warm ginger tea or broth throughout the day serves double duty: it keeps you hydrated and delivers soothing compounds in small, manageable amounts.
Building Back to Normal Eating
Once you’ve kept bland foods down for 24 to 48 hours, start reintroducing more variety slowly. Cooked vegetables (steamed carrots, peeled zucchini, soft sweet potato) are gentler than raw ones. Plain yogurt adds protein and probiotics. Skinless chicken or scrambled eggs give you the protein your body needs to recover without the fat content that comes with red meat.
Add one new food per meal so you can identify anything that triggers a setback. Most acute stomach upset from a virus or food reaction resolves within one to three days. If you’re still unable to keep fluids down after 24 hours, or if symptoms persist beyond a few days, that warrants a call to your doctor since dehydration can escalate quickly, especially in children and older adults.