When your stomach feels off, the best foods to reach for are soft, low-fat, and mild in flavor. Think plain rice, bananas, eggs, steamed chicken, and cooked vegetables. These foods require less work from your digestive system, giving your stomach lining time to calm down. What matters almost as much as the specific foods is what you avoid and how you prepare your meals.
Foods That Are Gentle on Your Stomach
A bland diet is the standard starting point when your stomach is sensitive. The goal is to minimize acid production, reduce physical irritation to your stomach lining, and keep things moving through your system without creating excess gas. Foods that fit this profile include:
- Fruits: Bananas, applesauce, melons, canned fruit (without heavy syrup)
- Grains: White rice, oatmeal, plain crackers, white bread or toast, refined hot cereals like Cream of Wheat
- Proteins: Steamed or baked chicken, whitefish, eggs, tofu, creamy peanut butter
- Vegetables: Carrots, spinach, cucumbers, and other soft-cooked or low-fiber options
You may have heard of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) as the classic upset-stomach remedy. It’s a useful memory trick for the kinds of foods that are easy to digest, but following it strictly is no longer recommended. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that the BRAT diet is too restrictive and lacks calcium, vitamin B12, protein, and fiber. Sticking to only those four foods for more than 24 hours can actually slow recovery. Use BRAT as a starting point, then expand to other soft, bland foods as soon as you can tolerate them.
Foods and Drinks to Avoid
Knowing what to skip is just as important as knowing what to eat. Several common foods and drinks directly irritate the stomach lining or increase acid production:
- Spicy foods: Capsaicin, the compound that makes peppers hot, stimulates the stomach lining and can worsen pain and nausea.
- Fried and fatty foods: High-fat meals slow digestion and sit in your stomach longer, increasing discomfort.
- Citrus fruits and tomatoes: Their natural acidity can aggravate an already irritated stomach.
- Caffeine: Coffee, strong tea, and energy drinks all boost acid production.
- Alcohol: Even small amounts can inflame the stomach lining.
- Chocolate and carbonated drinks: Both can relax the valve between your stomach and esophagus, making heartburn worse.
Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen and aspirin also irritate the stomach directly. If you need pain relief while your stomach is sensitive, acetaminophen is generally easier on your digestive system.
Why Cooking Method Matters
The same piece of chicken can be easy or hard on your stomach depending on how you cook it. Frying adds fat and creates a heavy, greasy coating that slows digestion and increases the workload on your stomach. Steaming, baking, and poaching keep fat content low and produce softer textures that break down more easily.
Cooking food in general improves digestibility and increases nutrient absorption. Raw vegetables, for instance, contain tough cell walls that your stomach has to work harder to break down. Steaming or boiling softens those fibers while preserving most nutrients. When your stomach is acting up, well-cooked vegetables will almost always sit better than raw ones.
Choosing the Right Type of Fiber
Fiber isn’t all the same when it comes to a sensitive stomach. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance during digestion, which slows things down and is generally soothing. You’ll find it in oatmeal, bananas, carrots, and peeled potatoes. Insoluble fiber, the kind in raw vegetable skins, whole wheat, and nuts, adds bulk and can feel rough on an irritated stomach. While your stomach is sensitive, lean toward soluble fiber sources and save the high-roughage foods for when you’re feeling better.
When Bloating and Gas Are the Problem
If your stomach sensitivity comes with bloating, cramping, or excessive gas, the issue may be fermentable carbohydrates rather than acid or irritation. Certain sugars are difficult for the body to absorb. When they reach your large intestine undigested, gut bacteria ferment them and produce gas, which stretches the intestinal walls and causes that uncomfortable, distended feeling.
The most common culprits are lactose (in milk and soft cheese), fructose (in apples, pears, honey, and high-fructose corn syrup), and specific carbohydrates found in wheat, garlic, onions, and most beans. Sugar alcohols like sorbitol and xylitol, common in sugar-free gum and candy, are also frequent offenders.
If these symptoms sound familiar, swapping to lower-fermentation alternatives can make a noticeable difference. Rice, oatmeal, quinoa, and corn tortillas are good grain choices. For fruit, try bananas, blueberries, oranges, kiwi, or pineapple. Carrots, cucumbers, spinach, kale, and eggplant are well-tolerated vegetables. For protein, eggs, chicken, fish, firm tofu, and well-rinsed canned chickpeas tend to cause minimal gas. If dairy bothers you, hard cheeses and lactose-free options are typically fine. Portion size matters here too: some foods are well-tolerated in small amounts but cause symptoms in larger servings.
Helpful Teas and Liquids
Staying hydrated is important when your stomach is off, especially if you’ve been dealing with vomiting or diarrhea. Plain water is always safe. Small, frequent sips work better than gulping large amounts at once.
Ginger tea has the strongest evidence for settling an upset stomach. It can help relieve nausea and vomiting, and a 2023 study found that ginger root supplementation improved symptoms of indigestion while supporting a healthier variety of gut bacteria. Peppermint tea is another good option, particularly if your symptoms include bloating or cramping. Peppermint oil relaxes the smooth muscles of the intestines and has been shown to reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome more effectively than a placebo. Spearmint tea works similarly, containing a compound called carvone that reduces digestive muscle contractions.
Licorice root tea may also help. Research suggests licorice can support healing of stomach ulcers and reduce indigestion. Avoid citrus-based teas, very strong black tea, and anything with high caffeine content while your stomach is recovering.
Probiotics for Recovery
If your stomach sensitivity followed a bout of food poisoning, a stomach bug, or a course of antibiotics, probiotics can help speed recovery. Two strains have the most clinical support. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (often labeled LGG) has been shown to reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea risk by 71% in children at adequate doses. Saccharomyces boulardii, a beneficial yeast, reduced both the duration and frequency of diarrhea when taken for 5 to 10 days in trials involving over 2,400 participants.
You can find both strains in supplement form at most pharmacies. Probiotic effects are strain-specific, so a generic “probiotic blend” may not deliver the same results. If you prefer food sources, yogurt with live active cultures and fermented foods like kefir or kimchi can contribute beneficial bacteria, though the specific strains and amounts vary widely between products.
Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most stomach sensitivity resolves within a few days with dietary adjustments. But certain symptoms indicate something more serious is going on. Severe pain that makes it hard to move, eat, or drink warrants an emergency room visit. So does blood in your stool or vomit, a sudden onset of intense abdominal pain, or high fever alongside stomach symptoms. Stomach pain following any physical trauma to the abdomen also needs immediate evaluation.
It’s worth knowing that heart problems, including heart attacks, can sometimes present as severe nausea or upper abdominal pain beneath the rib cage. If your stomach symptoms feel unusual or are accompanied by chest tightness, shortness of breath, or lightheadedness, err on the side of getting checked out. Any abdominal pain that is new to you, persistent, or worsening over days rather than improving is worth bringing to a doctor.