When your stomach is upset, you can eat plain, easy-to-digest foods like bananas, rice, toast, eggs, broth, and cooked chicken. The old advice to stick strictly to the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) for days has fallen out of favor because it lacks essential nutrients, but those foods still make a good starting point in the first several hours. The goal is to eat gently while giving your body enough fuel to actually recover.
Why the BRAT Diet Isn’t Enough
For decades, the BRAT diet was the standard recommendation for an upset stomach. It’s not wrong exactly, but it’s incomplete. The Cleveland Clinic now advises against following it strictly for more than a day or two because it’s extremely low in protein, fat, calcium, vitamin B12, and fiber. An analysis published in Practical Gastroenterology found the BRAT diet provides roughly 300 fewer calories per day than a normal diet, with virtually zero vitamin B12 and dangerously low calcium. The American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends it for children at all, noting it may actually slow recovery.
Think of BRAT foods as a starting lineup, not the whole team. Once your worst symptoms ease up, typically within 12 to 24 hours, you should begin adding other gentle foods to give your body what it needs to heal.
Best Foods When You Feel Nauseous
If nausea is your main symptom, start with whatever sounds tolerable in small amounts. Cold or room-temperature foods tend to be easier than hot meals because they produce less aroma. Good options include:
- Plain crackers or dry toast: starchy, low in fat, and easy to nibble slowly
- Bananas: gentle on the stomach and a good source of potassium, which you lose through vomiting
- Applesauce: provides calories and soluble fiber without requiring much digestion
- Plain rice or oatmeal: both contain soluble fiber that forms a gel-like material in the stomach, slowing digestion and helping calm things down
- Broth or clear soup: delivers fluids and sodium at the same time
Eat small portions every couple of hours rather than full meals. An empty stomach can actually make nausea worse because stomach acid has nothing to work on.
Ginger Works, and Here’s Why
Ginger is one of the few home remedies with solid science behind it. Its active compounds block serotonin receptors in the gut that trigger the vomiting reflex. They also help speed up delayed stomach emptying, which is often the physical sensation behind that heavy, queasy feeling. The effect is dose-dependent, meaning more ginger generally works better, up to a point.
Practical ways to get it: ginger tea (fresh sliced ginger steeped in hot water), ginger chews, or flat ginger ale, though many commercial ginger ales contain very little real ginger. Look for products that list ginger root or ginger extract as an actual ingredient.
Peppermint for Cramping and Bloating
If your upset stomach involves cramping or a tight, bloated feeling, peppermint can help. It relaxes the smooth muscle lining your digestive tract by reducing calcium flow into muscle cells, which is the same basic mechanism used by some prescription muscle relaxants. Peppermint tea is the simplest option. One caution: if your symptoms include acid reflux or heartburn, peppermint can make that worse because it relaxes the valve between your esophagus and stomach too.
Adding Protein as You Improve
Once you can keep bland carbohydrates down for several hours, start adding lean protein. Your body needs it to repair tissue and maintain energy, and skipping it is one of the main problems with staying on a BRAT-only diet too long.
Scrambled eggs are one of the best early options. They’re soft, easy to digest, and help bind up loose bowel movements. Plain chicken or turkey breast, baked or boiled (not fried), is another good step. If you tolerate fish, mild white fish like tilapia works well. Avoid anything heavily seasoned, fried, or fatty at this stage.
Soluble Fiber Helps With Diarrhea
If diarrhea is part of your upset stomach, soluble fiber is your friend. It dissolves in water and absorbs excess liquid in your intestines, helping firm up loose stools. Good sources include oats, bananas, applesauce, carrots (cooked, not raw), and white rice.
Insoluble fiber, the kind found in raw vegetables, whole wheat, nuts, and seeds, does the opposite. It adds bulk and speeds things through your system, which is the last thing you want during a bout of diarrhea. Save the salads and whole-grain bread for after you’ve fully recovered.
Staying Hydrated Matters Most
Dehydration is the biggest risk with vomiting or diarrhea, and it also makes nausea worse, creating a frustrating cycle. Water alone isn’t always enough because you’re losing sodium and potassium along with fluids. A simple homemade rehydration drink, based on guidelines from the University of Virginia School of Medicine: mix 4 cups of water with half a teaspoon of table salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. It doesn’t taste great, but it replaces what your body is losing far more effectively than plain water.
Sip slowly. Gulping fluids on a rebellious stomach often triggers more vomiting. Small sips every few minutes keep fluids moving into your system without overwhelming it. Coconut water, diluted juice, and clear broths also work if you can’t stomach the salt-sugar solution.
What to Avoid Until You’re Better
Some foods actively slow your recovery or make symptoms worse. Fat is the biggest culprit. It naturally slows stomach emptying, which intensifies nausea and that heavy, uncomfortable feeling. Skip fried foods, creamy sauces, cheese, and fatty meats until your stomach is back to normal.
Other foods to steer clear of:
- Dairy (except yogurt): milk and ice cream can worsen diarrhea, especially if your gut lining is irritated
- Caffeine: stimulates stomach acid production and can increase cramping
- Alcohol: irritates the stomach lining and dehydrates you
- Spicy foods: can trigger more acid production and irritate inflamed tissue
- Raw vegetables: hard to break down and high in insoluble fiber
- Carbonated drinks: can increase bloating and gas
Skip the Probiotics During Acute Illness
Probiotics are often marketed as a fix for stomach bugs, but the evidence is surprisingly thin. A large study at Washington University evaluated Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (sold as Culturelle) in children with stomach viruses and found it had no effect on symptom duration or severity. A similar Canadian study using a different probiotic strain reached the same conclusion. Researchers tested multiple scenarios, including different age groups, bacterial versus viral infections, and different symptom timelines, and reached the same result every time: probiotics didn’t help.
This doesn’t mean probiotics are useless for general gut health over time, but popping them during an active stomach illness probably won’t speed your recovery. Focus on food and fluids instead.
A Simple Timeline for Eating Again
Recovery from a typical upset stomach follows a predictable pattern. In the first few hours, when nausea or vomiting is at its worst, focus entirely on small sips of fluid. Once you can keep liquids down for an hour or two, try a few bites of something bland like crackers, toast, or a banana. If that stays down, gradually add soft foods like rice, oatmeal, or eggs over the next 12 to 24 hours. By day two, most people can handle lean proteins and cooked vegetables. Return to your normal diet gradually over the next two to three days, adding back fats, dairy, and raw produce last.
If you can’t keep any fluids down for more than 12 hours, notice blood in your vomit or stool, or develop a fever above 101.3°F alongside your stomach symptoms, those are signs of something more serious than a routine upset stomach.