After throwing up, your stomach needs time to settle before you eat anything solid. The general guideline is to wait about six hours before trying solid food, and to focus on small sips of fluid in the meantime. What you eat when you do start again matters: bland, low-fat foods are easiest to keep down, while greasy, spicy, or acidic foods can trigger another round of nausea.
Start With Small Sips, Not Food
The first priority after vomiting isn’t eating. It’s replacing the fluid and electrolytes you just lost. If your nausea has eased, start drinking right away. If it’s still intense, wait about 20 minutes, then begin.
Take two large sips (roughly 30 mL, or about a tablespoon) every three to five minutes. Your goal is to get through about a liter of fluid over two hours. If you drink too fast or too much at once, you may vomit again, so slow and steady wins here. Good options include an oral rehydration solution (like Pedialyte or a similar product), diluted sports drinks, or clear broth. Plain water works in a pinch, but it doesn’t replace the sodium and potassium your body lost.
If even small sips make you vomit again, slow your pace further. Try sucking on ice chips or a popsicle instead.
Your First Solid Foods
Once about six hours have passed since you last vomited, you can try a small amount of solid food. You don’t need to limit yourself to the old BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), though those are perfectly fine starting points. There’s actually no research showing that those four foods are better than other bland options. The key is choosing foods that are soft, low in fat, and easy to digest.
Good first foods include:
- Plain crackers or white toast
- Brothy soup (chicken broth, miso, or vegetable broth)
- Plain rice or oatmeal
- Bananas or applesauce
- Boiled or baked potatoes (no butter or sour cream yet)
- Unsweetened dry cereal
- Gelatin or popsicles
Eat small portions. A few bites are enough to start. If that stays down for an hour or so, try a little more. Rushing back to full meals is one of the most common reasons nausea returns.
Adding More Nutritious Foods
A day or two of crackers and broth won’t hurt you, but your body needs protein and nutrients to recover, especially if you’ve been sick with a stomach bug or food poisoning. Once bland carbs are sitting well, start working in more substantial foods that are still gentle on the stomach.
Cooked vegetables like carrots, butternut squash, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes (without the skin) are good next steps. For protein, try skinless chicken or turkey, baked white fish, eggs, or tofu. Avocado adds healthy fat without being greasy. Yogurt is another option that many people tolerate well, even before they’re ready for other dairy.
The goal is to get back to your normal diet fairly quickly. You don’t need prolonged “gut rest.” Returning to a full, balanced diet within a day or two actually supports recovery better than staying on a restricted one.
What to Avoid
Certain foods and drinks are more likely to irritate your stomach lining or make dehydration worse. For the first 24 to 48 hours, skip:
- Fried or greasy foods (these slow digestion and can trigger nausea)
- Spicy foods
- Acidic foods like citrus fruits, tomatoes, and tomato sauce
- Full-fat dairy (milk, cheese, ice cream)
- Sugary foods and drinks (including full-strength juice and regular soda)
- Caffeine and alcohol (both increase fluid loss)
- Raw vegetables, salads, and high-fiber foods like whole grains, seeds, and nuts
- Gas-producing vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower
These aren’t permanently off limits. They’re just harder for your stomach to handle while it’s still recovering.
Rehydration for Children
Young children dehydrate faster than adults because their bodies are less efficient at conserving water and it takes less fluid loss to tip them into trouble. For the first 24 hours after vomiting, focus on fluids and limit solid foods.
For babies 6 months to 1 year, offer breast milk or formula in small amounts. If that’s not staying down, a commercial rehydration solution designed for children is the next step. Don’t give plain water to infants.
For children over 1 year, oral rehydration solutions work best. Diluted apple juice (half water, half juice) or diluted sports drinks are alternatives, though full-strength sports drinks contain too much sugar and can worsen diarrhea. Aim for at least 1 ounce (30 mL) of fluid per hour, offered in small sips every few minutes.
Signs You’re Getting Dehydrated
Vomiting itself is usually not dangerous, but the dehydration it causes can be. Watch for dark yellow urine or very little urine output, a dry mouth, dizziness when standing, and feeling unusually tired or confused. In children, look for fewer wet diapers, no tears when crying, and sunken-looking eyes.
If you can’t keep any fluids down for more than a few hours, or if vomiting continues beyond 24 hours, you may need IV fluids. Severe dehydration, marked by rapid heartbeat, confusion, or fainting, is a medical emergency.