When your stomach hurts, bland, low-fiber foods that are easy to digest will cause the least irritation. The classic starting point is the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. But you have more options than those four foods, and what you avoid matters just as much as what you eat.
Start With the BRAT Diet Basics
Bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast are the go-to foods for an upset stomach because they’re bland, low in fiber, and unlikely to trigger more nausea or cramping. Each one also offers specific benefits beyond being gentle on your gut.
Bananas contain a type of starch that resists digestion in the upper gut and helps protect the lining of the stomach and intestines. That starch also feeds beneficial bacteria in the colon, which produce compounds that help your gut absorb water and electrolytes, exactly what you need if you’re dealing with diarrhea. Rice has mild anti-secretory properties, meaning it can help reduce the volume and frequency of loose stools. White rice is the better choice here since brown rice has more fiber, which can be harder on an irritated stomach.
Applesauce works better than a whole raw apple because the cooking and pureeing process breaks down the fruit’s fiber and cell walls, making it much easier to digest. The skin of a raw apple contains insoluble fiber that can aggravate cramping. Plain white toast rounds out the group as a simple, starchy food that gives you some calories without challenging your digestive system.
Other Foods That Are Easy on Your Stomach
You don’t have to limit yourself to just four foods. The broader principle is to choose items that are low in fat, low in fiber, and mildly flavored. Lean proteins are a good addition once you can tolerate more than plain carbs. Skinless chicken or turkey (baked or broiled), poached or broiled fish, scrambled eggs, and smooth peanut butter all digest relatively easily.
Fat is the main thing to watch with protein. High-fat foods slow down the rate at which your stomach empties, which means food sits in your gut longer and can worsen nausea, bloating, and pain. That’s why a grilled chicken breast works but fried chicken doesn’t, and why you’d want plain fish rather than fish and chips.
Other safe options include plain crackers, oatmeal, boiled or mashed potatoes (without butter or cream), and simple broth-based soups. These give you energy and some nutrients without making your stomach work overtime.
How Cooking Method Matters
Steaming, boiling, baking, and poaching are the gentlest cooking methods for a sore stomach. Steaming is especially good because it softens food without adding fat or creating the irritating compounds that come from high-heat cooking. When oil is heated to high temperatures for extended periods, it produces toxic byproducts called aldehydes that can irritate the digestive tract.
In practical terms: steam your vegetables instead of sautéing them in oil, bake or poach fish instead of frying it, and boil potatoes instead of roasting them with butter. These small swaps make a real difference when your gut is already inflamed or sensitive.
Ginger and Peppermint for Nausea
If nausea is part of your stomach pain, ginger is one of the most effective natural options. A compound in ginger root speeds up gastric motility, the rate at which food moves out of your stomach and through your digestive tract. When food doesn’t linger in the stomach, nausea tends to ease. You don’t need supplements. Ginger tea, fresh ginger sliced into hot water, or ginger added to simple foods works well. Normal food-level amounts are safe for most people.
Peppermint tea is another option. Peppermint works by relaxing the smooth muscle in your bowel, which can relieve cramping and spasms. One important caveat: if your stomach pain involves acid reflux or heartburn, skip the peppermint. It relaxes the valve between your esophagus and stomach too, which can make heartburn worse.
Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber
Not all fiber behaves the same way in your gut, and knowing the difference helps you choose better foods when your stomach is upset. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a soft, gel-like material that moves through your system gently. You’ll find it in oats, bananas, applesauce, carrots, and barley. This is the type your stomach can handle more easily.
Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve. It adds bulk to stool and speeds up movement through the intestines, which is helpful when you’re healthy but can worsen cramping, bloating, and diarrhea when your gut is irritated. Whole wheat bread, wheat bran, nuts, raw vegetables, and cauliflower are high in insoluble fiber. During a flare of stomach pain, it’s worth reducing these foods temporarily and shifting toward the soluble fiber sources instead. Conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis often require lower fiber intake during symptom flares for this same reason.
Foods to Avoid Until You Feel Better
Some foods are likely to make stomach pain worse regardless of the cause:
- Fried and greasy foods: These slow stomach emptying and increase the workload on your digestive system.
- Spicy foods: Capsaicin and other spice compounds can irritate an already inflamed stomach lining.
- Dairy products: Many people don’t produce enough of the enzyme needed to break down lactose, the sugar in milk. Even if you’re not normally lactose intolerant, a temporary sensitivity can develop when your gut is irritated.
- Caffeine and alcohol: Both stimulate acid production and can worsen nausea and cramping.
- Carbonated drinks: The gas can increase bloating and abdominal pressure.
- High-sugar foods: Concentrated sugar can draw water into the intestines and worsen diarrhea.
Some people also react to histamines, naturally occurring chemicals found in aged cheese, chocolate, avocados, and red wine. If your stomach pain tends to flare after eating these foods specifically, a histamine sensitivity could be contributing. People with this sensitivity don’t produce enough of the enzyme that breaks down histamine during digestion.
Easing Back Into Normal Eating
Once your stomach starts feeling better, don’t jump straight back to your regular diet. Reintroduce foods gradually over one to three days, starting with simple cooked vegetables, lean proteins, and small portions. Your gut lining needs time to recover, and overloading it too quickly can restart the cycle of pain and nausea.
Probiotic-rich foods like plain yogurt (if you tolerate dairy), kefir, or fermented foods can help restore the balance of beneficial bacteria in your gut after a bout of stomach illness. A specific probiotic yeast called Saccharomyces boulardii has strong clinical evidence behind it. In studies on acute diarrhea, it reduced the duration of symptoms by roughly a day and a half, lowered inflammatory markers in the gut, and had fewer side effects than placebo. It works by restoring disrupted gut bacteria, inactivating certain bacterial toxins, and calming the immune response in the intestinal lining. You can find it in supplement form at most pharmacies.
Pay attention to which foods your stomach tolerates as you add them back. If something causes a return of pain or nausea, set it aside for another day or two. Your body will tell you when it’s ready.