After throwing up, the best foods to start with are plain, soft starches and lean proteins: white rice, plain crackers, toast, bananas, applesauce, baked chicken without the skin, and eggs. But don’t reach for any of these right away. Your stomach needs a few hours of rest before you try solid food, and the real priority in those first hours is replacing lost fluids.
Start With Fluids, Not Food
Right after vomiting, give your stomach a break. Skip food entirely and focus on tiny amounts of liquid. Start with ice chips or small sips of water, about 5 milliliters (roughly a teaspoon) every 5 minutes, and gradually increase as your stomach tolerates it. The goal is to avoid overwhelming your digestive system while it’s still irritated and reactive.
Once you’ve kept plain water down for a couple of hours, you can move to an oral rehydration solution. These are available at most pharmacies and grocery stores and contain a balanced mix of sodium and glucose that your gut absorbs far more efficiently than water alone. The sodium and glucose work together through a specific transport system in your intestinal lining, which is why the combination matters. Sports drinks, sodas, and fruit juices are poor substitutes. They typically contain too much sugar and too little sodium, and the excess sugar can actually pull more water into your intestines and make things worse.
When to Try Solid Food
When you’ve held down liquids for a few hours and your appetite starts to return, even slightly, that’s your signal to try a small amount of food. Don’t force it. If the thought of eating still makes you queasy, stick with fluids a bit longer.
Your first meal should be small. A few bites of plain toast, a quarter cup of white rice, or half a banana is enough. Wait 30 minutes to an hour to see how your stomach responds before eating more. The muscles lining your digestive tract move food forward in rhythmic waves, and after vomiting, those muscles are often overactive. Small, bland foods help settle that motion rather than ramping it up again.
Best Foods for Recovery
Stick with foods that are soft, low in fiber, and easy to digest. Good options include:
- Starches: white rice, plain white bread or toast, saltine crackers, plain pasta, potatoes (baked or boiled, not fried)
- Fruits: bananas, applesauce
- Proteins: scrambled or boiled eggs, baked or roasted chicken without the skin, smooth peanut butter or other nut butters in small amounts
- Dairy (if tolerated): plain low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk
You may have heard of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast). It’s still a reasonable starting framework, but modern guidance treats it as a starting point rather than a strict plan. You don’t need to limit yourself to just those four foods. Adding a source of protein like eggs or plain chicken gives your body more to work with during recovery and helps you feel less depleted.
As you feel better over the next day or two, gradually reintroduce your normal diet. Most people can return to regular meals within 24 to 48 hours after vomiting stops.
Foods to Avoid
Some foods are significantly harder on an irritated stomach and can trigger another round of nausea. In the first day or two after vomiting, steer clear of:
- Fatty or fried foods: these slow digestion and sit heavily in your stomach
- Spicy or heavily seasoned foods: hot peppers, garlic, and strong seasonings can irritate the stomach lining
- Raw vegetables and salads: raw fiber is hard to break down when your gut is recovering
- Gas-producing vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower
- High-fat dairy: ice cream, whipped cream, strong cheeses
- Whole grains: whole-wheat bread, bran cereal, brown rice (the extra fiber is too much too soon)
- Sugary foods and drinks: excess sugar draws water into the intestines, which can worsen symptoms
- Caffeine and alcohol: both irritate the stomach lining and promote fluid loss
Rehydrating Children After Vomiting
Kids dehydrate faster than adults, so fluid replacement is especially important. For the first 24 hours, prioritize liquids over solid food. Aim for at least 1 ounce (30 ml) of fluid per hour, given in small, frequent sips rather than large amounts at once.
What to offer depends on age. Babies between 6 months and 1 year should continue breastmilk or formula. If they can’t keep that down, switch to a commercial oral rehydration solution. Do not give plain water to infants, as it doesn’t contain the electrolytes they need. For children over 1 year, oral rehydration solutions (available as liquids or popsicles) are the best option. Diluted apple juice, mixed half-and-half with water, is an acceptable alternative. Be cautious with sports drinks for kids since the high sugar content can make diarrhea worse if that’s also happening.
Once a child has kept fluids down for several hours and seems interested in eating, offer the same bland foods that work for adults: crackers, toast, rice, bananas, or plain pasta.
Signs You Need Medical Help
Most vomiting episodes resolve on their own within a few hours to a day. But if you can’t keep down even small sips of water after several hours, that’s a sign your body may need fluids delivered another way. Other red flags include a fever of 102°F or higher, blood or black material in your vomit or stool, unusual confusion or sleepiness, and diarrhea lasting more than 24 hours. In children, watch for fewer wet diapers than normal, no tears when crying, or unusual irritability, all of which point to dehydration that needs professional attention.