After vomiting, the best thing to eat is nothing at all for at least 30 to 60 minutes. Your stomach needs time to settle before you introduce anything, even water. Once that window passes, you’ll want to start with small sips of clear liquids and gradually work your way back to simple, bland solid foods over the next 12 to 24 hours.
Start With Small Sips, Not Full Glasses
The biggest mistake people make after throwing up is gulping down a full glass of water. A stretched stomach is more likely to trigger another round of vomiting. Instead, take 1 to 2 tablespoons of clear liquid every 20 minutes for the first few hours. If that stays down, you can slowly increase the amount.
Good options for this first phase include plain water, ice chips, apple juice (no pulp), sports drinks, clear broth, flat ginger ale, peppermint or ginger tea, ice pops, and gelatin. These provide small amounts of electrolytes, sodium, and sugar to keep your body functioning while your stomach recovers. Coffee and milk should wait.
If you’ve been vomiting repeatedly and are worried about dehydration, you can make a simple oral 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. The specific ratio of salt to sugar helps your intestines absorb fluid more efficiently than water alone.
When to Try Solid Food
Once clear liquids are staying down comfortably for several hours, you can try small amounts of bland solid food. The goal is to choose things that are low in fat, low in fiber, and easy for your stomach to break down without much effort.
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s a fine starting point for the first day, but there’s no reason to limit yourself to just those four foods. Harvard Health notes that a less restrictive bland diet actually makes more sense because it gives your body the protein and nutrients it needs to recover. Plain crackers, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, brothy soups, and unsweetened dry cereal are all gentle enough for a recovering stomach.
As things improve, typically within 12 to 24 hours, you can add slightly more substantial foods: cooked carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes without the skin, avocado, scrambled eggs, plain skinless chicken, or steamed white fish. These are still bland and digestible but provide meaningful protein and vitamins that plain toast can’t offer.
Foods That Will Make Things Worse
Certain foods slow digestion and force your stomach to work harder, which is the last thing you want when it’s already irritated. High-fat, salty, and spicy foods are the worst offenders. They relax the valve at the top of your stomach and let food sit longer, increasing the chance of nausea returning.
Skip these until you’re fully recovered:
- Fried or greasy food (fries, chips, fast food)
- Fatty meats (bacon, sausage)
- Dairy (cheese, milk, ice cream)
- Spicy food (chili, hot sauce, pepper-heavy dishes)
- Acidic food (tomato sauce, citrus fruits, orange juice)
- Chocolate
- Carbonated drinks (unless flat and in small amounts)
Alcohol is also a strong stomach irritant and should be avoided entirely while recovering.
Ginger Actually Helps
Ginger is one of the few natural remedies with real clinical evidence behind it. A systematic review of randomized trials found that roughly 1 gram of ginger per day, taken for several days, significantly reduced vomiting compared to a placebo. You don’t need to measure precisely. A cup of fresh ginger tea, ginger chews, or even ginger candies can help settle nausea. Ginger ale works too, though many commercial brands contain very little actual ginger.
Probiotics Probably Won’t Speed Recovery
If your vomiting is caused by a stomach virus, you might be tempted to reach for a probiotic supplement or yogurt to “restore gut bacteria.” A large study led by Washington University School of Medicine tested a widely sold probiotic in children with gastroenteritis and found it made no difference at all. A separate Canadian study using a different probiotic strain reached the same conclusion. The researchers tested every subgroup they could think of, including different ages, causes of illness, and durations of symptoms, and the probiotic never outperformed the placebo. Fermented foods won’t hurt you, but they’re unlikely to shorten your illness.
A Sample Recovery Timeline
Everyone recovers at a different pace, but here’s a general roadmap for what to eat and when:
- First 30 to 60 minutes: Nothing by mouth. Let your stomach rest completely.
- Hours 1 to 4: Small sips of clear liquids every 20 minutes. Water, broth, diluted juice, or an oral rehydration solution.
- Hours 4 to 12: If liquids are staying down, try a few bites of plain crackers, dry toast, or a small bowl of white rice.
- Hours 12 to 24: Expand to eggs, boiled potatoes, oatmeal, banana, or plain chicken.
- Day 2 and beyond: Gradually return to your normal diet, saving fatty, spicy, and acidic foods for last.
If vomiting returns at any stage, go back one step and wait longer before trying again. Your body is telling you it’s not ready.
Signs of Dehydration to Watch For
Repeated vomiting can lead to dehydration faster than most people realize, especially in young children and older adults. A rapid pulse, very dark urine, no urination for eight or more hours, dizziness when standing, and dry or wrinkled-looking skin are all warning signs that your body is losing more fluid than you’re replacing. In infants, fewer than six wet diapers a day is a red flag. If you notice red, hot, dry skin combined with a rapid heartbeat and no sweating, that’s a sign of severe dehydration or heatstroke and requires emergency care immediately.