When you’re sick, the best foods are ones that are easy to digest, keep you hydrated, and give your body enough nutrients to recover. What you should reach for depends on your symptoms: a stomach bug calls for a different approach than a head cold or sore throat. Here’s a practical breakdown of what to eat (and what to skip) based on how you’re feeling.
If You’re Vomiting or Have Diarrhea
Start with nothing. Right after vomiting, give your stomach a rest for a few hours before eating or drinking anything. Then begin with small sips of water every 15 minutes, or suck on ice chips. Once you’ve kept water down for a stretch, move to other clear liquids: broth, watered-down electrolyte drinks, ice pops, or gelatin.
After you’ve tolerated liquids for a few hours, your appetite will likely nudge you toward solid food. Start small with bland options: plain toast, crackers, bananas, applesauce, or plain oatmeal. You may have heard of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), and it’s fine for a day or two, but there’s no need to limit yourself strictly to those four foods. Brothy soups, boiled potatoes, and unsweetened dry cereal are equally gentle on your stomach.
The BRAT staples do have real benefits. Bananas and apples both contain pectin, a soluble fiber that binds excess water and helps firm up loose stools. Bananas also replenish potassium, which you lose quickly through diarrhea. Plain white rice converts to soluble fiber in the gut. And all of these foods are bland enough that they’re unlikely to trigger another round of nausea.
Once your stomach has settled for a full day, start adding more nutritious options: cooked carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes without the skin, avocado, skinless chicken or turkey, fish, and eggs. These are still easy to digest but provide the protein and nutrients your body needs to actually recover, not just survive.
If You Have a Cold or Flu
Chicken soup genuinely helps, and not just because it’s comforting. A study led by Stephen Rennard, M.D., at the University of Nebraska Medical Center found that chicken soup slows the movement of neutrophils, the white blood cells that flood your airways during a cold. Neutrophils are a major reason you get congested: they stimulate mucus release as they do their cleanup work. By slowing them down, chicken soup appears to reduce inflammation in the upper respiratory tract, easing cough and congestion. The active compounds seem to be water-soluble, meaning the broth itself carries much of the benefit.
Beyond soup, focus on warm liquids and hydrating foods. Hot tea with honey, warm broth, and oatmeal all help keep fluids up when you may not feel like drinking glass after glass of water. Citrus fruits, bell peppers, and strawberries are rich in vitamin C, which won’t cure your cold but supports your immune system while it fights one.
If You Have a Sore Throat or Cough
Honey is one of the most effective things you can swallow for a cough. In a randomized study of children aged 2 to 18, buckwheat honey performed just as well as dextromethorphan (the active ingredient in most over-the-counter cough suppressants) at reducing nighttime coughing and improving sleep. Honey significantly outperformed no treatment at all, and it comes with fewer side effects than cough medicine. A spoonful straight, or stirred into warm water or tea, coats and soothes an irritated throat. One important limit: never give honey to children under 12 months old due to the risk of botulism.
For sore throats specifically, soft and cool foods tend to feel best. Yogurt, smoothies, mashed bananas, and applesauce go down without much irritation. Warm (not hot) broth and oatmeal are also soothing. Avoid anything crunchy, acidic, or spicy, as these can aggravate already-inflamed tissue.
If You’re Nauseated but Not Vomiting
Ginger is the go-to. Clinical evidence suggests that taking about 1 gram of ginger per day for several days significantly reduces nausea and acute vomiting. That’s roughly a half-teaspoon of fresh grated ginger or a standard ginger supplement capsule. Ginger tea, ginger chews, or flat ginger ale (let the bubbles settle first) can all deliver enough to make a difference, though whole ginger or supplements tend to be more reliable than ginger-flavored products.
When nausea is your main symptom, eat small amounts frequently rather than sitting down to a full meal. Dry crackers, plain toast, and pretzels are classic choices because they absorb stomach acid without adding strong flavors or smells. Cold foods are often better tolerated than hot ones since they produce less aroma. Keep portions tiny: a few bites every hour or two is better than a plate you can’t finish.
What to Skip While You’re Sick
Greasy, fried, and heavily spiced foods are harder to digest and can worsen nausea or diarrhea. Caffeine and alcohol are both dehydrating, which is the last thing you need when your body is already losing fluids through fever, sweat, vomiting, or diarrhea. Very sugary drinks, including full-strength sports drinks and fruit juice, can pull water into the intestines and make diarrhea worse. Diluting them by half is a simple fix.
One thing you don’t need to avoid: dairy. The idea that milk increases mucus production during a cold is a persistent myth, but research doesn’t support it. When milk mixes with saliva, it creates a slightly thick coating in the mouth and throat that can feel like extra phlegm, but it isn’t. Studies, including one in children with asthma, found no difference in symptoms between those who drank dairy milk and those who drank soy. If yogurt or a milky smoothie sounds good and your stomach can handle it, go ahead.
Staying Hydrated Matters More Than Eating
If you can only manage one thing while you’re sick, make it fluids. Dehydration is the main risk with vomiting and diarrhea, and even with a respiratory illness, fever increases the amount of water you lose through sweat and breathing. Water is fine. Broth adds sodium. Diluted electrolyte drinks replace potassium and other minerals. Popsicles and gelatin count too.
Your appetite will likely be low, and that’s normal. Missing a meal or two won’t set back your recovery, but going without fluids will. Once you’re able to keep liquids down consistently, let hunger guide you back to food, starting bland and building from there.