When someone is sick, the best foods are ones that are easy to digest, keep them hydrated, and provide enough protein and nutrients to support recovery. The specific choices depend on the type of illness, but a few principles apply across the board: stick to bland, soft foods at first, prioritize fluids, and gradually reintroduce more nutritious options as symptoms improve.
Start With Easy-to-Digest Basics
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) for an upset stomach. It’s a reasonable starting point for the first day or two of a stomach bug, food poisoning, or traveler’s diarrhea, but there’s no need to limit yourself to just those four foods. Brothy soups, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, crackers, and unsweetened dry cereal are all gentle on the stomach and just as easy to tolerate.
The bigger issue with BRAT foods is that they’re low in protein and overall nutrition. Once the worst of the nausea or vomiting has passed, start adding more nutrient-dense options: cooked carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes without skin, avocado, skinless chicken or turkey, fish, and eggs. These are still bland and easy to digest, but they give the body the protein and vitamins it needs to actually recover, not just survive.
Why Broth and Soup Matter So Much
Broth-based soups do double duty. They deliver fluids and electrolytes at a time when a sick person may not feel like drinking enough water, and they provide real nutritional value. Bone broth in particular contains amino acids like glutamine and glycine that help maintain the lining of the gut, reduce intestinal inflammation, and improve nutrient absorption. It also supplies minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, and zinc.
Plain chicken soup works well too. The warm liquid soothes a sore throat, the steam helps with congestion, and the salt replaces electrolytes lost through sweating or diarrhea. If the sick person can handle it, adding soft-cooked vegetables and shredded chicken turns a simple broth into a more complete meal.
Keeping Fluids Up
Dehydration is the most common complication of illnesses that involve fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. A healthy adult needs roughly 1,600 mL (about 6.5 cups) of water daily just from drinking, and illness increases that need significantly. Fever alone raises fluid losses through sweat and faster breathing, and vomiting or diarrhea can deplete the body even further.
Water is fine for mild illness, but if someone has been vomiting or has diarrhea, they’re losing sodium and potassium along with the fluid. Oral rehydration solutions, coconut water, or diluted sports drinks help replace those electrolytes. Small, frequent sips work better than large gulps, especially when nausea is an issue. Popsicles and ice chips are useful tricks when even sipping feels like too much.
Honey for Coughs and Sore Throats
A spoonful of honey is one of the most effective things you can offer someone with a cough or sore throat. Clinical trials have found that honey performs as well as or better than common over-the-counter cough suppressants at reducing nighttime coughing and improving sleep quality. It’s most effective when used in the first three days of cough symptoms.
Stirring honey into warm tea or warm water with lemon is a classic approach that also adds fluid. One important exception: honey should never be given to children under 12 months old, because it carries a risk of infant botulism.
Ginger for Nausea
Ginger has strong evidence behind it as an anti-nausea remedy. Most clinical studies point to about 1,000 mg per day as an effective and safe dose, though research has tested amounts ranging from 600 to 2,500 mg daily. The FDA considers up to 4 grams per day to be safe.
In practical terms, you don’t need to measure milligrams. A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger steeped in hot water makes a strong tea. Ginger chews, ginger ale made with real ginger (check the label, many brands use flavoring only), and crystallized ginger pieces all work. For someone who can’t keep much down, even sucking on a small piece of candied ginger can help settle the stomach enough to start tolerating fluids.
Foods to Avoid While Sick
Some foods actively make things worse. Greasy, fried, and high-fat foods are hard to digest and can worsen nausea and stomach symptoms. High-fiber foods like whole grains, raw vegetables, and beans are normally healthy, but during acute illness they put extra strain on an already struggling digestive system. Save them for when the person is feeling closer to normal.
Sugary drinks and snacks aren’t nutritionally useful and can trigger inflammation that slows immune function. Caffeine and alcohol both worsen dehydration and can intensify stomach-related symptoms. Dairy is fine for some people but aggravates nausea and diarrhea in others, so it’s usually best to wait and reintroduce it once the stomach has settled.
Feeding Someone With a Cold or Flu
A cold or flu without major stomach symptoms gives you more flexibility. The person can usually tolerate a wider range of foods, and the goal shifts toward supporting the immune system. Citrus fruits, berries, and bell peppers provide vitamin C. Eggs and chicken supply protein without being heavy. Oatmeal with a drizzle of honey is gentle, filling, and provides sustained energy.
Zinc may help shorten a cold if started early. Clinical trials using zinc lozenges at doses above 75 mg per day found that colds were about 33% shorter in duration. Zinc-rich foods like pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, and yogurt contribute smaller amounts, but zinc lozenges are the form studied most directly for colds.
How to Pace Meals During Recovery
A sick person’s appetite is usually a reliable guide. Pushing large meals on someone who feels awful often backfires, especially with stomach illnesses. Small, frequent portions, every two to three hours, are easier to tolerate than three full meals. Think half a banana, a few spoonfuls of rice, a small cup of broth.
As symptoms improve, gradually increase portion sizes and variety. The progression typically looks like this: clear fluids and broth first, then bland starchy foods, then soft proteins and cooked vegetables, and finally a return to a normal diet. Most people with a standard stomach bug can get back to regular eating within three to five days. For colds and flu without digestive symptoms, there’s no need to restrict the diet at all beyond avoiding the irritants mentioned above. Just focus on foods that are comforting, hydrating, and nutrient-rich, and let appetite be the guide.