When your stomach is upset, the best foods are bland, soft, and low in fat: think plain rice, bananas, toast, broth, boiled potatoes, and applesauce. These are easy to digest and unlikely to make nausea or diarrhea worse. But you don’t need to limit yourself to just a handful of items, and you probably shouldn’t for more than a day or two. A wider range of gentle foods will give your body the nutrients it needs to recover faster.
The BRAT Diet Is a Starting Point, Not a Plan
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s been recommended for decades as a go-to for diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. These four foods are gentle, low in fiber, and unlikely to irritate your stomach further. They’re a fine place to start, especially in the first several hours when nothing sounds appealing.
That said, most experts now consider BRAT too restrictive to follow for more than a day or two. Those four foods lack meaningful protein and many vitamins, which are exactly what your body needs to bounce back. Once your stomach starts to settle, even slightly, it’s worth expanding to other bland options that carry more nutritional weight.
Foods That Are Safe and Easy to Digest
The general rule: soft, not spicy, and low in fat and fiber. Beyond the classic BRAT list, these foods fit the bill:
- Brothy soups (chicken, vegetable, or miso broth)
- Oatmeal (plain, not loaded with sugar)
- Boiled or mashed potatoes (without butter or cream)
- Crackers and unsweetened dry cereal
- Cooked carrots, squash, or sweet potatoes (without skin)
- Avocado
- Skinless chicken or turkey, fish, and eggs
These are all easy to digest but also contain protein and other nutrients that plain rice and toast can’t provide. Cooking vegetables until they’re soft breaks down fiber, making them gentler on your gut than raw versions would be.
Hydration Matters More Than Food
If you’re vomiting or have diarrhea, the biggest immediate risk isn’t missing a meal. It’s losing too much fluid and electrolytes. Water alone doesn’t replace the sodium and potassium you’re losing, so pairing it with something salty or sipping broth makes a real difference.
You can make a simple rehydration drink at home using the World Health Organization’s formula: about 4 cups of water, half a teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir until dissolved and sip it throughout the day. It doesn’t taste great, but it replaces what your body is losing far more effectively than plain water. A broth-based version works too: dissolve one bouillon cube in 4 cups of water with a quarter teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Take small, frequent sips rather than gulping a full glass, especially if you’re still nauseous. Large volumes hitting your stomach at once can trigger more vomiting.
Ginger Can Help With Nausea
Ginger has solid evidence behind it as a nausea remedy. A meta-analysis published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that ginger supplementation at doses up to 1 gram per day reduced the likelihood of vomiting by 60% compared to a placebo, as long as it was taken for more than three days. You can get ginger through real ginger tea (sliced fresh ginger steeped in hot water), ginger chews, or ginger capsules. Many commercial “ginger ales” contain very little actual ginger, so check the label or stick with the real thing.
What to Avoid Until You Feel Better
Certain foods and drinks actively slow digestion or irritate an already inflamed stomach lining. Fat is the main culprit: it naturally slows the rate at which your stomach empties, which can intensify nausea and bloating. Greasy or fried foods, rich sauces, and creamy dishes are all worth skipping until you’re solidly on the mend.
High-fiber foods like raw vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts can also sit in your stomach longer than you want them to. Fiber is normally a good thing, but when your gut is irritated, it creates extra work your digestive system isn’t ready for. Alcohol slows stomach emptying as well and can worsen dehydration. Caffeine, spicy foods, and acidic items like citrus and tomato sauce tend to aggravate nausea for most people.
Dairy is hit or miss. Some people tolerate plain yogurt fine (and it contains beneficial bacteria), but milk and cheese can be harder to digest when your gut is inflamed. If dairy normally agrees with you, plain yogurt is worth trying. Otherwise, hold off.
When to Start Eating Normally Again
You can return to your regular diet sooner than you might think. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases notes that once your appetite returns, you can generally go back to eating normally, even if you still have some diarrhea. Research shows that following a restricted diet doesn’t actually help treat viral gastroenteritis, which is the most common cause of stomach upset. The same applies to children: give them their usual foods as soon as they’re willing to eat.
The practical approach looks like this: start with clear fluids and the blandest foods when symptoms are at their worst. As you begin feeling hungry again (usually within 12 to 48 hours for a typical stomach bug), gradually add more variety. You don’t need to follow a rigid progression from liquids to soft foods to solids. Let your appetite guide you. If something doesn’t sit well, back off and try again later.
Probiotics for Recovery
Certain probiotic strains may help shorten a bout of infectious diarrhea. The strains with the most evidence behind them include Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Saccharomyces boulardii. These are widely available in supplement form and in some yogurts. A course of 5 to 10 days appears to be appropriate, though there’s no firmly established ideal duration. Probiotics work alongside rehydration, not as a replacement for it.
Signs of Dehydration to Watch For
Most stomach bugs resolve on their own within a few days, but dehydration can become serious if you can’t keep fluids down. In adults, warning signs include dark-colored urine, urinating much less than usual, extreme thirst, dizziness, confusion, and skin that doesn’t flatten back right away after you pinch and release it. In infants and young children, look for no wet diapers for three hours or more, no tears when crying, a dry mouth, sunken eyes, and unusual crankiness or lethargy.
Seek medical attention if diarrhea has lasted more than 24 hours, you can’t keep any fluids down, you notice blood or black color in your stool, or you have a fever above 102°F. These are signs that something more than a routine stomach bug may be going on, or that dehydration has progressed to a point where you need help replacing fluids.