When you’re nauseated, bland, easy-to-digest foods like plain crackers, white rice, bananas, and broth are your safest options. The goal is to give your stomach something gentle to work with while avoiding anything that could make the nausea worse. What you eat matters, but so does how you eat it: small amounts, eaten slowly, at room temperature or cold.
Best Foods to Reach for First
Plain starches top the list because they’re low in fat, easy to break down, and unlikely to irritate your stomach. Saltine crackers and dry toast can actually help absorb excess stomach acid, which is often part of what’s making you feel sick. White rice, plain noodles, and simple broth-based soups work the same way. These foods require minimal effort from your digestive system, so they’re less likely to trigger another wave of nausea.
Bananas are particularly useful because they’re soft, mild, and replace potassium you may have lost if you’ve been vomiting. Applesauce offers a similar benefit. These are all part of the classic BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), which remains a reasonable starting point for the first day or two of illness. Just don’t stick with it longer than that. The BRAT diet lacks protein, calcium, vitamin B12, and fiber, and the American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends it for children because it’s too restrictive to support recovery.
Once you can keep the blandest foods down, gradually add lean protein like skinless chicken breast or plain scrambled eggs. Yogurt, if you tolerate dairy, can also be a good next step since it provides protein and beneficial bacteria.
Why Cold and Room-Temperature Foods Work Better
Hot foods release more aroma than cold ones, and smell is one of the fastest nausea triggers. If the scent of cooking makes your stomach turn, you’re not imagining it. UCSF Health specifically recommends cold foods like chilled fruit, sandwiches, and dairy products for people struggling with food-related nausea. Even letting a bowl of soup cool down before eating it can make a noticeable difference.
Popsicles, frozen fruit bars, and chilled gelatin are all good options if solid food feels impossible. They also contribute small amounts of fluid, which helps with hydration.
How to Eat When Nothing Sounds Good
Eating smaller amounts more frequently is easier on your stomach than sitting down to a full meal. An empty stomach produces acid with nothing to buffer it, which can make nausea worse. But a large meal overloads your digestive system, which does the same thing. The sweet spot is a few bites every one to two hours.
Eat slowly. Sit upright while eating and for at least 30 minutes afterward, since lying down can slow digestion and push stomach contents toward your esophagus. If you can’t face solid food at all, sipping on clear liquids is a reasonable place to start. Even ice chips count.
Staying Hydrated Matters More Than Eating
If you’ve been vomiting, replacing lost fluid and electrolytes is more urgent than getting calories. Water alone doesn’t replace the sodium and potassium your body loses. An oral rehydration drink works better because the combination of a small amount of sugar and salt enhances fluid absorption in your intestines.
You can make a simple version at home: mix 3½ cups of water with half a teaspoon of salt and 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey or sugar, plus about 4 ounces of unsweetened orange juice or coconut water. Sip it slowly rather than gulping, since drinking too much too fast can trigger more vomiting. Sports drinks work in a pinch, though they tend to contain more sugar than is ideal.
Signs you’re getting dehydrated include dark-colored urine, dry mouth, dizziness, fatigue, and a rapid heart rate. In children, watch for a dry tongue, no tears when crying, and fewer wet diapers than usual.
Ginger Actually Works
Ginger isn’t just folk wisdom. Its active compounds block serotonin receptors in the gut that trigger the vomiting reflex, and they also help speed up gastric emptying so food doesn’t sit in your stomach as long. A systematic review of clinical trials found that ginger supplementation at 1 gram per day or less, taken for more than four days, reduced vomiting episodes by 70% compared to a placebo in chemotherapy patients.
For everyday nausea, ginger tea, ginger chews, or a small piece of crystallized ginger can all help. Even flat ginger ale made with real ginger (check the label, many brands use artificial flavoring) may take the edge off. If you’re using a supplement, around 1 gram per day is the dose most consistently supported by research.
Peppermint as a Quick Fix
Peppermint oil inhalation can reduce nausea intensity quickly. In a study of chemotherapy patients, those who inhaled peppermint oil from a damp washcloth experienced a measurable drop in nausea compared to those using a plain washcloth. You don’t need to ingest it. Simply smelling peppermint oil, brewing peppermint tea, or even sucking on a peppermint candy may help calm your stomach.
Vitamin B6 for Pregnancy Nausea
If your nausea is related to pregnancy, vitamin B6 has strong evidence behind it. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends 10 to 25 mg of vitamin B6, three or four times a day, as a first-line treatment for morning sickness. When combined with an antihistamine called doxylamine, this approach reduces nausea and vomiting by about 70% and lowers hospitalization rates. This combination is available over the counter in many countries.
Foods and Drinks That Make Nausea Worse
Fatty and fried foods are the biggest offenders. Fat slows gastric emptying, meaning food sits in your stomach longer, which amplifies nausea. Greasy, rich, or heavily seasoned meals require more stomach acid to digest and are harder to keep down.
High-fiber foods like raw vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts are normally healthy choices, but during active nausea they’re too difficult to digest. Sugary foods and drinks can also backfire. High blood sugar levels further delay stomach emptying, creating a cycle that prolongs the sick feeling.
Other common triggers to avoid:
- Spicy foods, which irritate the stomach lining
- Caffeine, which increases stomach acid production
- Alcohol, which irritates the gut and worsens dehydration
- Strong-smelling foods, especially when served hot
- Acidic foods like citrus and tomato sauce, which can aggravate an already sensitive stomach
Carbonated drinks get mixed reviews. Some people find that small sips of flat or lightly carbonated ginger ale settle their stomach, while for others the carbonation adds bloating and makes things worse. If you try it, let the drink go mostly flat first and take small sips.