When your stomach is upset, the best foods are bland, low-fat, and easy to digest: think white rice, plain crackers, bananas, applesauce, broth, and toast. These foods give your body fuel without forcing your digestive system to work hard. What you avoid matters just as much as what you eat, and the timing of reintroducing solid food after vomiting can make or break your recovery.
Why Bland, Low-Fiber Foods Work Best
Your digestive system is inflamed and irritated during a stomach bug, food poisoning, or general nausea. High-fiber foods, fatty meals, and complex dishes slow down stomach emptying and demand more effort from your gut. Low-fiber starches like white rice, saltine crackers, and white bread move through your stomach faster, which means less churning and less chance of triggering another wave of nausea.
Fiber is normally great for digestion, but during active stomach trouble it works against you. Insoluble fiber (the kind in whole grains, raw vegetables, and nuts) can irritate an already sensitive gut lining. Certain fibers are difficult to break down and can even form solid masses that create blockages in severe cases. Stick with refined, peeled, or well-cooked options until you’re feeling better.
The Best Foods for an Upset Stomach
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Those four foods are still a reasonable starting point, but doctors no longer recommend following the BRAT diet strictly. It lacks calcium, vitamin B12, protein, and fiber, and sticking to it for more than a day or two can actually slow recovery, especially in children. The American Academy of Pediatrics considers it too restrictive for kids with diarrhea.
Instead, use BRAT foods as a foundation and add other gentle options as your stomach allows:
- Bananas: Rich in potassium, a key electrolyte you lose rapidly through vomiting and diarrhea. The starch in bananas also helps absorb water in the colon, which firms up loose stool.
- White rice and plain crackers: Low-fiber starches that digest quickly and provide energy without irritating your gut.
- Applesauce: Contains soluble fiber (pectin), which absorbs water in the intestines and helps make stools firmer. Choose unsweetened varieties.
- Eggs: An excellent gentle protein source with 6 grams per egg, plus B vitamins and selenium. Scramble or boil them without butter, oil, or spices.
- Lean chicken or turkey: Skinless white-meat cuts give your body the amino acids it needs to recover without the fat that can worsen diarrhea. Bake, roast, or grill rather than frying.
- Broth and clear soups: Replace lost fluids and sodium. Chicken broth is a classic for a reason.
- Plain toast or bread: Easy to keep down and provides quick-digesting carbohydrates.
Ginger for Nausea
Ginger is one of the few natural remedies with real evidence behind it for nausea relief. The active compounds in ginger, called gingerols and shogaols, work by blocking serotonin receptors in the gut that trigger the vomiting reflex. Your gut releases serotonin when it’s irritated, and that signal travels to your brain to produce nausea. Ginger interrupts that chain.
Ginger tea, ginger chews, and flat ginger ale (let the carbonation settle first) are all reasonable options. Even small amounts can help take the edge off. If you’re dealing with persistent nausea and can’t keep solid food down, sipping ginger tea is a good first step before trying anything else.
When to Start Eating Solid Food Again
If you’ve been vomiting, don’t rush back to solid food. Start with clear liquids: water, broth, diluted juice, or an oral rehydration solution. After about 6 to 8 hours without vomiting, try small amounts of starchy, bland foods like crackers, plain cereal, or toast. Eat slowly and in small portions. If that stays down, you can gradually expand to the fuller list of gentle foods above.
For diarrhea without vomiting, you can usually eat bland solids right away. The goal is to keep calories and electrolytes coming in while avoiding anything that adds stress to your digestive system. Don’t force yourself to eat large meals. Several small snacks throughout the day are easier on your stomach than three full plates.
Foods and Drinks to Avoid
What you skip is just as important as what you eat. Several common foods actively make stomach trouble worse:
Spicy foods are a clear no. Capsaicin, the compound that makes chili peppers hot, can damage the gut lining and trigger inflammation in the small intestine and colon at high doses. It inhibits gastric acid production, activates pain receptors throughout the digestive tract, and can directly cause diarrhea. Even moderate amounts are enough to aggravate an already irritated stomach.
Dairy products are poorly tolerated during stomach illness. When your gut lining is inflamed, it temporarily produces less lactase, the enzyme that breaks down milk sugar. Undigested lactose pulls water into the intestines and feeds gut bacteria, producing gas, bloating, cramping, and watery diarrhea. Skip milk, cheese, ice cream, and creamy sauces until you’ve been feeling normal for a day or two.
Fatty and fried foods slow stomach emptying and are hard to digest under normal circumstances. When your gut is compromised, high-fat meals are likely to trigger nausea or worsen diarrhea. This includes fried eggs, buttered toast, greasy takeout, and rich sauces.
Caffeine and alcohol both irritate the stomach lining and act as diuretics, pulling water out of your body when you need to be retaining fluids. Coffee, energy drinks, and alcohol should all wait until you’ve fully recovered.
Carbonated drinks and high-sugar beverages can increase bloating and draw water into the intestines through osmosis, making diarrhea worse. If you’re drinking a sports drink for electrolytes, dilute it with water.
Staying Hydrated Matters More Than Eating
Dehydration is the biggest risk from vomiting and diarrhea, not missed meals. Your body can go a day or two without much food, but losing fluids and electrolytes quickly becomes dangerous, particularly for young children and older adults. Sip water, broth, or an oral rehydration solution steadily throughout the day. Don’t gulp large amounts at once, as that can trigger vomiting again. Small, frequent sips are the safest approach.
Signs of dehydration include dark urine, dry mouth, dizziness when standing, and feeling unusually tired. If you notice these, focus entirely on fluids before worrying about food. Once you can keep liquids down reliably, your stomach will usually tell you when it’s ready for something solid.