When your stomach hurts, bland, low-fiber foods like plain rice, toast, bananas, and crackers are your safest options. These are easy to digest, unlikely to trigger more nausea, and gentle enough to eat even when nothing sounds appealing. But you’re not limited to just those four items. A wider range of simple foods can settle your stomach while keeping your energy and hydration up.
Start With the BRAT Basics
The BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast) has been the go-to recommendation for upset stomachs for decades. There’s a reason it stuck: all four foods are bland, starchy, and low in fat, so they’re unlikely to make nausea or cramping worse. Bananas and applesauce both contain pectin, a soluble fiber that binds excess water in the gut and helps firm up loose stools. Plain white rice converts into soluble fiber during digestion, doing much the same thing. Bananas also replenish potassium, a mineral your body loses quickly during vomiting or diarrhea.
That said, no clinical studies have compared the BRAT diet to other approaches. It’s reasonable to follow it for a day or two during a stomach bug or food poisoning, but there’s no need to restrict yourself to only those four foods. Think of them as a starting point, not a complete plan.
Other Safe Foods to Try
Once you can keep the basics down, you can branch out to a broader list of easy-to-digest options. The key is choosing foods that are low in fat, low in fiber, and mildly flavored. Good choices include:
- Saltine crackers: easy to nibble in small amounts, and the salt helps replace lost electrolytes
- Peeled, boiled potatoes: starchy and filling without irritating the stomach
- Plain pasta or noodles: stick to white flour varieties without heavy sauces
- Eggs: scrambled or boiled, a gentle source of protein
- Skinless chicken or turkey: baked or broiled, not fried
- Well-cooked, tender vegetables: carrots, green beans, or squash that have been steamed or boiled soft
- Cream of Wheat or plain corn flakes: refined cereals are easier on the gut than whole-grain versions
- White flour tortillas or pretzels: simple, low-fat carbs
The common thread is simplicity. If the food is greasy, crunchy, raw, or heavily seasoned, save it for when you’re feeling better.
Hydration Matters More Than Food
Replacing fluids is more important than eating solid food, especially if you’ve been vomiting or have diarrhea. Water, clear broths, diluted fruit juices, and sports drinks all help replace both fluid and electrolytes. If vomiting is making it hard to keep anything down, sip small amounts of clear liquid rather than drinking a full glass at once.
For children, older adults, or anyone with a weakened immune system, oral rehydration solutions like Pedialyte are a better choice than water alone because they contain a precise balance of sodium and glucose that speeds absorption. Adults with severe diarrhea or visible signs of dehydration (dry mouth, dark urine, dizziness) should use them too.
Ginger and Peppermint for Nausea and Cramps
Ginger is one of the most reliable natural options for stomach-related nausea. Clinical trials have used doses ranging from 250 mg to 1 g per day, split into three or four portions, and found that higher doses didn’t work better than moderate ones. Fresh ginger steeped in hot water as tea, ginger chews, or powdered ginger capsules are all effective forms. Ginger is also alkaline and anti-inflammatory, which helps ease irritation in the digestive tract.
Peppermint works differently. It relaxes the smooth muscle in your gut, which can relieve cramping and spasms. Peppermint tea is the simplest option. If you experience heartburn or acid reflux alongside your stomach ache, though, use peppermint cautiously. It can relax the valve between your esophagus and stomach, potentially making reflux worse.
If Acid or Heartburn Is the Problem
Not all stomach aches involve a bug. If yours feels more like a burning sensation in your upper abdomen or chest, acidity or reflux may be the cause, and the best foods shift slightly. Alkaline foods help neutralize stomach acid: bananas, melons, cauliflower, fennel, and nuts. Nonfat milk can act as a temporary buffer between your stomach lining and acid, providing quick relief. Low-fat yogurt does the same while also delivering beneficial bacteria that support digestion.
Watery, low-acid foods are also helpful here. Cucumber, celery, lettuce, watermelon, broth-based soups, and herbal teas all dilute stomach acid and are easy to tolerate. A small amount of lemon juice in warm water with honey, despite being acidic on its own, has an alkalizing effect once digested and can help settle things down.
What to Avoid Until You Feel Better
Some foods are almost guaranteed to make a stomach ache worse, regardless of the cause. Fatty and fried foods slow digestion and sit heavy in your stomach. Spicy foods irritate an already inflamed lining. Highly acidic foods like tomato sauce, citrus fruits, and coffee can increase acid production and worsen burning pain. Raw vegetables and high-fiber whole grains, while normally healthy, are harder to break down when your gut is already struggling.
Dairy is worth mentioning separately. While low-fat yogurt and nonfat milk can help with acid-related pain, full-fat dairy products like cheese, cream, and ice cream are harder to digest and can make nausea worse. Alcohol and carbonated drinks also tend to increase gas, bloating, and irritation.
When a Stomach Ache Needs More Than Food
Most stomach aches resolve on their own within a day or two with gentle eating and good hydration. But certain patterns signal something more serious. Seek emergency care if your pain is sudden and severe, doesn’t ease within 30 minutes, or comes with continuous vomiting. Pain in the lower right abdomen paired with fever, nausea, and loss of appetite can point to appendicitis. Severe upper abdominal pain that worsens after eating and comes with a rapid pulse may indicate pancreatitis.
A stomach ache that lingers for several days, keeps coming back in the same spot, or is accompanied by blood in your stool or vomit is also worth getting checked. These situations go beyond what dietary changes can address.