When you have a stomach bug, the best foods are bland, easy-to-digest options like plain rice, toast, bananas, applesauce, and simple crackers. But what you eat matters less than when and how you start eating again, and getting fluids back in is the real priority before any solid food.
Start With Fluids, Not Food
Your first job isn’t eating. It’s replacing the water and electrolytes you’re losing through vomiting and diarrhea. Small, frequent sips of water, broth, or an oral rehydration solution work better than gulping down a full glass, which can trigger more vomiting. If you can’t keep anything down, wait 30 to 60 minutes and try again with just a few sips.
Clear liquids like broth, diluted apple juice, and electrolyte drinks are your best options in the first several hours. Avoid anything carbonated, caffeinated, or high in sugar, all of which can make diarrhea worse. Once you’ve been keeping fluids down for six to eight hours without vomiting, you can start thinking about solid food.
What to Eat in the First Day or Two
When you’re ready for food, start small. A few bites of plain toast or a handful of crackers is enough. If that stays down, you can gradually add other bland foods: white rice, bananas, applesauce, plain chicken, or gelatin. Eat small amounts frequently rather than sitting down for a full meal. If nausea comes back after eating, stop and go back to liquids for a while.
You may have heard of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) as the standard recommendation for stomach bugs. It’s fine as a starting point when you’re at your sickest, but it’s no longer considered the best approach for recovery. The BRAT diet lacks protein, calcium, vitamin B12, and fiber. Sticking with it for more than a day or two can actually slow your recovery, especially for children. The American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends it as a strict protocol because it’s too restrictive to support gut healing.
The goal is to move beyond BRAT foods as soon as you can tolerate them. Plain baked potatoes, simple soups, steamed vegetables, eggs, and lean proteins like chicken breast are all good next steps. Let your symptoms guide you. If something makes you feel worse, back off and try again later.
Foods That Make Symptoms Worse
Several food groups are likely to aggravate your stomach while you’re sick and for a few days after:
- Dairy products: A stomach bug can temporarily damage the lining of your intestines, reducing your ability to digest lactose (the sugar in milk). This temporary lactose intolerance can last a month or more after recovery. Milk, cheese, ice cream, and yogurt drinks are best avoided until your digestion feels fully normal.
- Fatty and fried foods: Pizza, fast food, fried chicken, and anything greasy takes more effort for your gut to break down. Your digestive system is already inflamed and struggling, so high-fat foods often trigger more nausea or diarrhea.
- Sugary foods and drinks: Sweetened beverages, fruit juices, and candy can pull water into your intestines and worsen diarrhea. Stick with low-sugar options.
- Caffeine and alcohol: Coffee, tea, energy drinks, and alcohol are all dehydrating and can irritate an already sensitive stomach. Skip them until you’re fully recovered.
- Spicy or heavily seasoned food: These can irritate inflamed gut lining and trigger nausea.
Do Probiotics Help?
Probiotics get a lot of attention for stomach bugs, but the evidence is more modest than marketing suggests. Studies in children have found that probiotics may reduce the duration of acute diarrhea by roughly 14 to 26 percent, which translates to shaving off maybe half a day to a day of symptoms. The research in adults is more limited and less conclusive.
If you want to try probiotics, they’re unlikely to cause harm. Fermented foods like plain yogurt (once you can tolerate dairy again) or a probiotic supplement are the most common options. Just don’t expect them to be a cure. They’re a modest addition, not a replacement for proper hydration and gradual refeeding.
How to Tell You’re Recovering
Most stomach bugs resolve on their own within one to three days. You’ll know you’re turning the corner when vomiting stops, nausea fades, and you can keep fluids down consistently. At that point, expand your diet gradually over the next two to three days, working your way from bland foods to your normal meals. There’s no need to rush.
The biggest risk from a stomach bug isn’t the bug itself. It’s dehydration. Watch for dark yellow or amber-colored urine, going many hours without urinating, dizziness when you stand up, and a dry mouth or lack of tears. These signs mean you’re losing more fluid than you’re replacing. In young children and older adults, dehydration can become serious quickly. If you can’t keep any fluids down for more than several hours, or if you notice signs of significant dehydration like rapid heartbeat, feeling faint, or very little urine output, that warrants medical attention.