When your stomach is upset, bland, easy-to-digest foods are your best bet. Bananas, rice, toast, brothy soups, boiled potatoes, and oatmeal all sit well for most people and won’t further irritate your digestive system. The goal is to give your gut something gentle to work with while you recover, and to avoid foods that can make nausea, cramping, or diarrhea worse.
Best Foods for an Upset Stomach
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s been a go-to recommendation for decades, and those four foods are genuinely easy on your stomach. But there’s no clinical research showing they work better than other bland options, and sticking to only those four foods for more than a day or two can leave you short on protein and nutrients you need to recover.
A better approach is to think of BRAT as a starting point, then add other gentle foods as you’re able to tolerate them. Good choices include:
- Brothy soups like chicken broth or miso, which also help replace lost fluids and sodium
- Oatmeal made with water instead of milk
- Boiled or baked potatoes without butter or heavy toppings
- Plain crackers or unsweetened dry cereal
- Cooked carrots, squash, or sweet potatoes (without the skin)
- Skinless chicken or turkey, fish, or eggs once your stomach starts settling
These foods are all bland enough to avoid triggering more nausea, but they provide protein and a wider range of nutrients than the BRAT diet alone. Start with the simplest options (broth, plain rice, toast) and work your way toward the more substantial ones as you feel better.
Drinks That Help With Nausea
Ginger is one of the most well-studied natural remedies for nausea. A large meta-analysis of six clinical trials found that about 1 gram of ginger per day, split into several doses, significantly reduced nausea and vomiting. That’s roughly the amount in a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger. You can steep sliced ginger in hot water for tea, or try flat ginger ale (though many brands contain very little real ginger).
Peppermint tea is another solid option. Peppermint oil relaxes the smooth muscle in your digestive tract, which can ease cramping and that tight, queasy feeling. Even just sipping warm peppermint tea slowly can help settle things down.
Beyond those, the priority is simply staying hydrated. Small, frequent sips of water, diluted juice, or an electrolyte drink are better than gulping large amounts at once, which can trigger more vomiting. If you’ve been losing fluids through vomiting or diarrhea, an oral rehydration solution or sports drink helps replace the sodium and potassium your body is losing.
Foods and Drinks to Avoid
Fatty and greasy foods are the worst offenders when your stomach is already upset. Fat interacts with your small intestine in a way that directly worsens nausea, independent of how slowly it digests. So even if a greasy meal doesn’t feel “heavy” going down, it can amplify the nausea you’re already dealing with. Skip fried foods, creamy sauces, butter-heavy dishes, and fast food until you’re fully recovered.
Dairy is another category to approach carefully. When a stomach bug or food poisoning damages the lining of your small intestine, it can temporarily wipe out the enzymes that break down lactose. This means milk, ice cream, and soft cheeses may cause bloating, gas, and more diarrhea even if you normally tolerate them fine. This temporary lactose sensitivity typically resolves within three to four weeks as the intestinal lining heals.
Other foods to skip while your stomach is recovering:
- Spicy foods, which can irritate an already inflamed stomach lining
- Raw vegetables and high-fiber foods, which are harder to break down
- Coffee and alcohol, both of which can increase stomach acid and worsen dehydration
- Sugary drinks and candy, which can pull water into the intestines and make diarrhea worse
When and How to Start Eating Again
Don’t force yourself to eat if you’re actively vomiting. Wait until you can keep liquids down for a few hours, then start with small amounts of the blandest foods: a few spoonfuls of rice, half a banana, a couple of crackers. Eating too much too fast is one of the most common mistakes, because your stomach feels empty and you’re hungry, but a full meal can send you right back to the bathroom.
Aim for small meals every two to three hours rather than three large ones. This keeps your blood sugar steady without overwhelming your digestive system. Over the course of one to two days, you can gradually reintroduce more variety. Add cooked vegetables and lean protein first, then slowly bring back your normal diet as your symptoms fade.
Probiotics for Recovery
If your upset stomach involves diarrhea, certain probiotics can speed up recovery. In a clinical trial, children with acute diarrhea who received the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii recovered in about 66 hours compared to 95 hours for the placebo group, cutting recovery time by roughly a full day. Another well-studied strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, has similar evidence behind it.
You can find both strains in supplement form at most pharmacies. Probiotic-rich foods like plain yogurt (if you’re tolerating dairy) or fermented foods like miso can also help, though they contain lower and more variable amounts of beneficial bacteria than a targeted supplement.
Signs of Dehydration to Watch For
The biggest risk from an upset stomach isn’t the stomach itself. It’s the fluid loss from vomiting and diarrhea. In adults, early signs of dehydration include dark-colored urine, dry mouth, headache, dizziness, and fatigue. You might also notice a rapid heart rate or muscle cramps. Sugar cravings with a simultaneous loss of appetite are another subtle sign.
In babies and young children, dehydration can escalate quickly. Watch for a dry tongue and lips, no tears when crying, fewer than six wet diapers a day in infants, sunken eyes, or cool and blotchy hands and feet. If a baby has no wet diaper for eight hours, seems unusually sleepy, or has worsening vomiting or diarrhea, that warrants immediate medical attention. For adults, confusion, slurred speech, fainting, or a fever above 103°F (39.4°C) alongside dehydration symptoms are emergency-level warning signs.