When you have food poisoning, fluids matter more than food. Your first priority is replacing the water and electrolytes you’re losing through vomiting and diarrhea. Once the worst passes and your appetite starts to return, you can eat your normal diet sooner than you might think. The old advice to stick to toast and bananas for days is outdated. Here’s what actually helps.
Start With Fluids, Not Food
Dehydration is the real danger with food poisoning, especially if you’re vomiting frequently or have watery diarrhea. Plain water alone isn’t ideal because you’re losing sodium and potassium along with fluid. An oral rehydration solution replaces both water and electrolytes in the right balance.
You can make one at home: mix 4 cups of water with half a teaspoon of table salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Sip it steadily rather than gulping large amounts, which can trigger more vomiting. If you’re throwing up, take very small sips, as little as a teaspoon per minute, and gradually increase as your stomach settles.
Store-bought electrolyte drinks work too. Coconut water is a solid natural option, packing about 404 mg of potassium per cup compared to just 37 mg in a typical sports drink. The tradeoff is that sports drinks contain more sodium (97 mg vs. 64 mg per cup), which you also need. Either one beats plain water. Clear broths are another good choice since they provide both sodium and fluid.
You Can Eat Sooner Than You Think
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases no longer recommends fasting or following a restricted diet during food poisoning. Research shows that limiting your food choices doesn’t actually shorten the illness or improve diarrhea. Once your appetite returns, you can go back to eating your normal diet, even if diarrhea hasn’t fully resolved.
That said, your gut has just been through something rough, and certain foods will sit better than others. Let your appetite guide you. If the thought of a full meal makes you nauseous, don’t force it. But if you’re hungry, eat.
The BRAT Diet Is Outdated
For years, the standard advice was to follow the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. The Cleveland Clinic now advises against following it strictly. It lacks essential nutrients and doesn’t provide enough fuel for your gut to actually recover. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also dropped it as a recommendation for children.
Bananas and rice are still perfectly fine choices. They’re easy on the stomach and bananas replace lost potassium. But don’t limit yourself to just those four foods. Once your stomach starts to settle, add in more nutritious options like scrambled eggs, skinless chicken or turkey, and cooked vegetables. These provide the protein and micronutrients your body needs to heal. The goal is bland but balanced, not bland and barren.
Foods That Help Recovery
Think soft, low-fiber, and easy to digest. Good options include:
- White rice or plain pasta: refined grains are gentle on an irritated gut
- Scrambled eggs: an easy source of protein that requires minimal digestion
- Plain chicken or turkey: lean protein without the fat that can worsen nausea
- Bananas: high in potassium, which you’ve been losing
- Toast or crackers: simple starches that absorb stomach acid
- Cooked carrots, potatoes, or squash: soft vegetables that provide vitamins without excess fiber
- Broth-based soups: combine fluid, sodium, and gentle nutrition in one
Ginger can also help with lingering nausea. Clinical studies have tested doses ranging from about 1,000 to 1,500 mg per day, typically divided into smaller amounts taken three or four times daily. Ginger tea, ginger chews, or ginger capsules all work. Even a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger steeped in hot water can take the edge off.
What to Avoid for a Few Days
Some foods genuinely slow your recovery or make symptoms worse.
Dairy is the big one. Food poisoning can temporarily strip your intestinal lining of the enzyme that breaks down lactose, the sugar in milk. This is called secondary lactose intolerance, and it can last for several weeks after the initial illness. During that window, milk, ice cream, and soft cheeses may cause bloating, cramps, and more diarrhea. Hard cheeses and yogurt are typically better tolerated since they contain less lactose.
Fatty and fried foods slow digestion and can intensify nausea. Spicy foods may irritate an already inflamed gut lining. Caffeine and alcohol both worsen dehydration. High-fiber foods like raw vegetables, whole grains, and beans demand more digestive effort than your gut can comfortably handle right now. Sugary drinks like juice or soda can also pull water into your intestines and worsen diarrhea.
Probiotics Can Shorten the Illness
Probiotics aren’t just a wellness trend here. A large Cochrane review found that probiotics reduced the duration of diarrhea by roughly 30 hours on average and cut the risk of diarrhea lasting beyond three days by about 34%. That’s a meaningful difference when you’re miserable.
Not all strains are equally effective. The strongest evidence supports specific types of beneficial bacteria, particularly strains commonly found in supplements labeled for digestive health. A probiotic yeast called Saccharomyces boulardii has also been studied for infectious diarrhea and is available over the counter in most pharmacies. Look for a product that specifies its strains on the label rather than a generic “probiotic blend.”
You can also get probiotics from food once your stomach tolerates it. Plain yogurt (if you’re handling dairy okay), kefir, miso soup, and fermented vegetables like sauerkraut all contain live cultures. Start small and see how your gut responds.
Feeding Children With Food Poisoning
Children dehydrate faster than adults, and the approach differs slightly. For a mildly dehydrated child, the CDC recommends about 50 mL of rehydration fluid per kilogram of body weight over two to four hours. For a 22-pound toddler, that works out to roughly half a liter (about 2 cups) over a few hours. If your child is vomiting, start with very small amounts, around 5 mL (one teaspoon) per minute, and work up from there.
Don’t restrict their diet once they’re ready to eat. Children need calories and nutrients to recover, and the same “return to normal eating” advice applies. Breast milk or formula should continue as usual for infants. Avoid giving children sugary juices or sodas as rehydration drinks, since the sugar content can actually pull more fluid into the intestines and make diarrhea worse.
Signs Your Food Poisoning Needs Medical Attention
Most food poisoning resolves on its own within one to three days. But certain symptoms signal something more serious. The CDC identifies these as warning signs: diarrhea lasting more than three days, a fever above 102°F, bloody stools, signs of severe dehydration (very dark urine, dizziness, or no urination for many hours), and an inability to keep any fluids down. Young children, older adults, pregnant people, and anyone with a weakened immune system face higher risks from dehydration and should be watched more closely.