When your stomach hurts, the best things to eat are bland, soft, low-fat foods that won’t force your digestive system to work hard. Think bananas, plain rice, broth-based soups, toast made from white bread, and applesauce. But you’re not limited to just those few items. A wider range of gentle foods can settle your stomach while still giving your body the protein and nutrients it needs to recover.
The Best Foods for a Stomach Ache
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s a fine starting point, but there’s no clinical research showing it works better than other bland foods. Harvard Health Publishing notes that restricting yourself to just those four items isn’t necessary and can leave you short on protein and key nutrients, especially if your stomach troubles last more than a day.
A broader bland diet gives you more to work with. Foods that are soft, not spicy, and low in fiber are the general guideline. Good options include:
- Starches: White rice, boiled potatoes, plain crackers, oatmeal, refined pasta, hot cereals like Cream of Wheat
- Fruits: Bananas, applesauce, melon, canned fruit (avoid citrus if you have heartburn or reflux)
- Proteins: Eggs, plain baked or steamed chicken or turkey, whitefish, tofu, creamy peanut butter
- Soups: Broth-based soups, which also help replace lost fluids
- Vegetables: Cooked carrots, cooked squash, sweet potatoes without skin, avocado
- Other: Gelatin, popsicles, pudding, weak tea
If your stomach ache involves nausea or vomiting, start with clear liquids and small sips of broth before moving to solid food. Once you can keep liquids down comfortably, try a few bites of something plain like crackers or toast and gradually work up to the fuller list above over the next day or two.
Foods That Make Stomach Pain Worse
Fatty foods are one of the biggest culprits. They slow down the rate at which your stomach empties, which can leave you feeling uncomfortably full, bloated, and nauseated. Fried foods, fast food, and red meat are especially problematic because of their high fat content and, in the case of ultra-processed foods, added chemicals from processing.
Spicy foods containing capsaicin (the compound that makes chili peppers hot) activate pain receptors in your gut lining, which is why a spicy meal can feel like it’s burning on the way down even when you’re healthy. When your stomach is already irritated, this effect is amplified. Carbonated drinks introduce gas and can increase bloating and cramping. Coffee and other caffeinated beverages stimulate acid production, which irritates an already sensitive stomach.
Alcohol is worth avoiding entirely when your stomach hurts. It increases inflammation in the gut lining and disrupts normal digestion. Wheat-based foods bother some people not because of gluten itself but because of compounds called fructans, a type of carbohydrate that can ferment in the gut and cause gas and discomfort. If bread or pasta seems to make things worse for you, try plain white rice or potatoes instead.
How Ginger and Peppermint Can Help
Ginger is one of the most studied natural remedies for nausea and stomach discomfort. Its active compounds, gingerols and shogaols, interact with receptors in the digestive tract that influence nausea signals. A systematic review of clinical trials found that about 1 gram of ginger per day is effective for relieving nausea, with some evidence that up to 1,500 mg in divided doses provides additional benefit. In practical terms, that’s roughly a half-inch piece of fresh ginger root steeped in hot water as tea, or a standardized ginger supplement.
Peppermint works differently. It relaxes the smooth muscles of the digestive tract, which can ease cramping and that tight, spasming feeling in your abdomen. Peppermint tea is the gentlest option. If you have acid reflux, use caution with peppermint since that same muscle-relaxing effect can loosen the valve between your stomach and esophagus, potentially making heartburn worse.
Probiotics for Diarrhea-Related Stomach Aches
If your stomach ache comes with diarrhea, probiotics can shorten how long it lasts. A large meta-analysis of 84 randomized trials found that one probiotic yeast in particular, Saccharomyces boulardii, reduced the duration of acute diarrhea by about 1.25 days compared to placebo. It also cut the risk of diarrhea lasting two or more days by nearly 80%. Other effective strains included Lactobacillus reuteri, which shortened diarrhea by about 0.84 days.
You can find Saccharomyces boulardii in over-the-counter supplements at most pharmacies. Probiotic-rich foods like plain yogurt (low-fat) can also help, though the strain content varies. If your stomach ache doesn’t involve diarrhea, probiotics are less likely to provide immediate relief.
How to Ease Back Into Normal Eating
Most stomach aches from food poisoning, a stomach virus, or general indigestion resolve within one to three days. During that window, a reasonable approach is to start with clear liquids (water, broth, weak tea, popsicles) for the first several hours while symptoms are at their worst. Once nausea and vomiting subside, introduce soft bland foods in small portions. Eat slowly, and don’t force yourself to finish a full meal.
After a full day of tolerating bland foods without worsening symptoms, you can begin adding back more variety. Cooked vegetables, lean proteins, and simple grains are good next steps. Save the foods most likely to cause irritation, like dairy, fried foods, spicy dishes, and raw vegetables, for last. Reintroduce them one at a time so you can identify anything that triggers a setback.
When Stomach Pain Needs Medical Attention
Most stomach aches are temporary and manageable at home. But certain patterns signal something more serious. Seek immediate care if your abdominal pain is sudden and excruciating, especially if it’s accompanied by fever, a rapid heartbeat, or lightheadedness. These can indicate conditions like a perforated organ, internal bleeding, or a blocked duct that require urgent treatment.
Other warning signs include pain that gets significantly worse when you cough or shift positions, a rigid abdomen that hurts when you press on it and release, vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds, or bloody or black stools. Stomach pain that persists for more than 48 to 72 hours without improvement, even with bland eating and rest, also warrants a call to your doctor.