After throwing up, your stomach needs a short rest before you put anything back in it. Wait 30 to 60 minutes after your last episode of vomiting, then start with small sips of clear liquids. From there, you can gradually work your way back to solid food over the next several hours. Rushing this process often triggers another round of vomiting.
Start With Clear Liquids
The first priority after vomiting isn’t food. It’s replacing the water and minerals your body just lost. After waiting at least 30 minutes with no vomiting, take small sips of water, diluted juice, or broth. Don’t gulp. A few tablespoons every 10 to 15 minutes is the right pace. If that stays down, you can slowly increase the amount.
Plain water works, but it doesn’t replace the sodium and potassium you lose when you vomit. A simple rehydration drink does a better job: mix half a teaspoon of salt and six level teaspoons of sugar into one liter of water. The sugar isn’t just for taste. It helps your small intestine absorb sodium and water in a one-to-one ratio, which speeds up rehydration significantly. You can also use store-bought electrolyte drinks, though many contain unnecessary added flavors or sweeteners.
Avoid carbonated beverages, even ginger ale. The fizz can irritate an already sensitive stomach. Sports drinks are fine in a pinch but tend to have more sugar than you need.
When to Introduce Solid Food
After about six to eight hours of tolerating clear liquids without vomiting, your stomach is ready for bland, starchy solids. Good first choices include plain crackers, white rice, dry toast, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, or unsweetened cereal. These foods are low in fat and fiber, which means they pass through your stomach relatively quickly and are less likely to trigger nausea.
You may have heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s fine for a day or two, but there’s no medical reason to limit yourself to just those four foods. Harvard Health notes that brothy soups, crackers, oatmeal, and boiled potatoes are equally easy to digest and provide more of the protein and nutrients your body needs to recover. The key principle is bland and low-fat, not a rigid list.
Eat small amounts. A few bites at a time is better than a full plate. If you tolerate those small portions, gradually increase the size of your meals over the next 24 hours.
Foods That Will Make Things Worse
Some foods sit in the stomach much longer than others, and that delay can reignite nausea. High-fat foods are the biggest culprit. Fried food, cheese, creamy sauces, and fast food all slow stomach emptying noticeably compared to simple carbohydrates and lean proteins. Skip these until you’ve been eating normally for a full day.
Other things to avoid while recovering:
- Dairy (milk, ice cream, yogurt) can be hard to digest when your gut is irritated
- Spicy foods irritate the stomach lining
- Alcohol dehydrates you further and slows recovery
- Acidic foods like citrus and tomato sauce
- High-fiber foods like raw vegetables, beans, and whole grains, which take longer to break down
Also avoid lying down for at least two hours after eating. Staying upright helps gravity move food through your digestive system.
Ginger Can Help With Ongoing Nausea
If nausea lingers even after you’ve stopped vomiting, ginger is one of the most well-studied natural remedies. Research on patients undergoing chemotherapy found that 1 gram or less of ginger per day, taken for more than four days, reduced acute vomiting by about 70%. You don’t need that much for a stomach bug, but even a small amount can take the edge off. Ginger tea (made from fresh sliced ginger steeped in hot water), ginger chews, or ginger capsules all work. Avoid ginger ale, which typically contains very little actual ginger and adds carbonation you don’t want.
Feeding Babies and Young Children
The timeline is slightly different for infants and toddlers. For breastfed babies, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends returning to regular nursing after four hours without vomiting. For formula-fed babies, offer one ounce (about 30 mL) every 30 minutes after that same four-hour window and increase slowly as tolerated.
For older children, the same general rules apply as for adults: clear liquids first, then bland solids after six to eight hours. Starchy foods like crackers, plain cereal, and bread are the easiest starting points. Children dehydrate faster than adults, so keeping fluids going in small, frequent amounts matters even more.
Signs of Dehydration to Watch For
Most vomiting episodes resolve on their own within 12 to 24 hours. The real danger is dehydration, especially if you can’t keep any fluids down. Warning signs include urinating much less than usual (or not at all), feeling unusually sleepy or confused, having a dry mouth with no tears when crying (in children), or a fever above 102°F. Black or bloody stool alongside vomiting also warrants immediate medical attention. If vomiting continues for more than 24 hours in an adult or 12 hours in a young child, the risk of dehydration climbs quickly.