What is best to eat to stop feeling sick? A Guide to Gentle Foods

December 30, 2025 •

4 min read

Over 50% of adults experience nausea at least once a year, with symptoms often caused by infections, motion sickness, or digestive issues. Knowing what is best to eat to stop feeling sick can help soothe your stomach and speed up your recovery comfortably.

Quick Summary

This article outlines which foods are best for easing nausea and upset stomachs, focusing on bland, hydrating, and easily digestible options. It also identifies foods to avoid, along with helpful eating habits to promote a faster recovery.

Key Points

Start with Hydration: Focus on sipping clear fluids like water, broth, and electrolyte solutions in small amounts to prevent dehydration.
Embrace Bland Foods: Reintroduce solid food with bland, low-fiber options such as bananas, rice, applesauce, and plain toast to soothe your stomach.
Use Ginger for Nausea: Incorporate ginger, known for its powerful anti-inflammatory properties, through tea or biscuits to help calm your digestive tract.
Restore Gut Health: Opt for plain, unsweetened yogurt with live cultures to provide beneficial probiotics, especially after a stomach bug.
Avoid Problematic Foods: Steer clear of greasy, spicy, and high-sugar foods that can irritate your stomach and worsen your symptoms.
Eat Small, Frequent Meals: Instead of large meals, eat smaller portions more often to prevent overloading your sensitive digestive system.

The Foundational Principle: Stay Hydrated

When you feel sick, particularly with vomiting or diarrhea, the risk of dehydration is high. Your top priority should be to replenish lost fluids and electrolytes, which are critical for regulating your body temperature, maintaining organ function, and supporting your immune system.

What to drink when you feel sick:

Plain water: Small, frequent sips are often better tolerated than drinking a large amount at once.
Broths: Clear chicken or vegetable broth provides essential salt and electrolytes in an easy-to-digest format.
Oral rehydration solutions: Products like Pedialyte are specifically formulated with an optimal balance of electrolytes and sugar to help your body rehydrate more effectively than sports drinks.
Herbal teas: Ginger or peppermint tea can be particularly soothing for an upset stomach. Chamomile is also known for its calming properties.
Ice chips or popsicles: Sucking on these can be an excellent way to rehydrate slowly and avoid overwhelming your stomach.

The Gentle Power of Bland Foods

When you are ready to reintroduce solid food, the best strategy is to stick to bland, simple options that are easy on your digestive system. These foods are less likely to trigger nausea and contain minimal fat, fiber, and seasonings.

The BRAT Diet and Beyond

The BRAT diet, which stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast, is a time-tested approach for recovering from stomach upset.

Bananas: Provide energy and potassium, an important electrolyte that is often lost through vomiting or diarrhea.
White rice: A low-fiber starch that is easy to digest and can help firm up your stool if you have diarrhea.
Applesauce: A good source of carbohydrates and a gentle fruit option.
Plain toast: Dry and easy on the stomach, it can help absorb stomach acids.

Other bland options include plain boiled potatoes, simple crackers like saltines, and plain oatmeal or cream of wheat.

Natural Remedies and Protein Power

Beyond the classic bland options, certain foods and spices can offer specific relief and provide necessary nutrients for recovery.

Soothing Spices and Probiotics

Ginger: This fiery spice contains compounds called gingerols and shogaols that have potent anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce nausea. It can be consumed in tea, capsules, crystallized form, or as a biscuit.
Plain Yogurt: Yogurt with live and active cultures contains probiotics that can help restore the balance of healthy gut bacteria, which is particularly beneficial after a stomach bug. Be sure to choose plain, low-sugar varieties.

Lean Protein for Rebuilding Strength

As you begin to feel better, incorporating lean protein is important for regaining energy and helping your body heal. Protein-rich meals, compared to high-fat or high-carb ones, have been shown to help reduce nausea.

Skinless, baked chicken: Easy to digest and a great source of lean protein.
Boiled or poached eggs: A simple and digestible way to add protein to your diet.
Tofu: For a plant-based option, soft tofu can be prepared simply and is easy on the stomach.

Foods to Avoid When Nauseous

Just as important as what you eat is what you actively avoid. Certain foods can aggravate your digestive system and worsen nausea symptoms.

The 'Don't Eat' List

Fatty and fried foods: Greasy foods like fast food, sausages, and creamy pastas are difficult to digest and can worsen stomach upset.
Spicy foods: Chilis, curries, and other heavily seasoned dishes can irritate your stomach lining.
Excess sugar: Very sweet foods, including sugary drinks, can exacerbate nausea.
Strong odors: The smell of certain foods, especially hot ones, can trigger or worsen nausea.
Caffeine and alcohol: Both can cause dehydration and irritate your digestive system.
Certain dairy: High-fat dairy can be hard to digest, though some people tolerate plain, low-fat yogurt or milk alternatives well.

Comparative Look at Dietary Choices


Feature	Best Foods to Eat	Foods to Avoid
Digestion	Easy to digest, bland, low-fiber.	Difficult to digest, high-fat, high-fiber, processed.
Flavor/Aroma	Neutral, minimal flavor, low odor.	Strong, spicy, pungent, high odor.
Hydration	High in water and electrolytes.	Dehydrating (caffeine, alcohol).
Temperature	Often best served at room temperature or cool.	Hot, steaming foods that can have strong odors.
Examples	Ginger tea, clear broth, bananas, toast, rice, baked chicken, plain yogurt.	Greasy fries, spicy curry, creamy soup, sugary soda, coffee, alcohol.

Smart Eating Habits for a Sensitive Stomach

How you eat is almost as important as what you eat. Adopting these habits can make a significant difference in managing symptoms.

Eat small, frequent meals: Instead of three large meals, try eating smaller portions every few hours. This prevents your stomach from becoming too full, which can trigger nausea.
Eat slowly: Take your time to chew and swallow. Eating too quickly can put extra strain on your digestive system.
Stay upright after eating: Avoid lying down for at least 30-60 minutes after a meal to prevent acid reflux and reduce nausea.
Keep snacks on hand: Having easy-to-grab, bland snacks like crackers nearby allows you to eat as soon as you feel a little hungry, preventing an empty stomach, which can worsen nausea.
Avoid cooking smells: If cooking aromas trigger your nausea, ask someone else to prepare food or choose cold, pre-made items like a sandwich or yogurt.

Conclusion

When facing an upset stomach, the most effective strategy is to simplify your diet and prioritize hydration. Starting with clear fluids and bland, easy-to-digest foods like those found in the BRAT diet provides a safe foundation for recovery. Integrating anti-nausea agents like ginger and restoring gut health with probiotics can further aid in your healing process. By being mindful of which foods to avoid and adopting new eating habits, you can effectively manage symptoms and support your body's natural return to wellness. For more detailed guidance, consult a healthcare professional. For additional information on nutrition and illness, visit the Healthline guide on nausea.

Frequently Asked Questions

When you feel sick, the best drinks are clear fluids like water, clear broths, and electrolyte solutions. Herbal teas, especially ginger or peppermint, can also be soothing. Avoid sugary, caffeinated, and alcoholic beverages, as these can worsen symptoms and cause dehydration.

Yes, the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) diet is a classic approach for easing nausea and stomach upset. These bland, low-fiber foods are easy to digest and can help absorb stomach acids, though they should only be used for a short time due to a lack of complete nutrients.

Yes, ginger is a well-documented remedy for nausea. It contains active compounds called gingerols and shogaols that interact with the central nervous system to help settle an upset stomach. It can be effective for various types of nausea, including motion sickness and morning sickness.

You should avoid fatty, greasy, spicy, and overly sweet foods. Additionally, steer clear of caffeinated beverages, alcohol, and any foods with strong odors that could trigger or worsen your nausea.

You should follow a bland diet until your symptoms improve, typically for 1-3 days. Once you feel better, you can gradually reintroduce more nutrient-rich foods, including lean proteins, cooked vegetables, and fruits.

Yes, probiotic-rich foods like plain, unsweetened yogurt with live cultures can help restore the balance of healthy bacteria in your gut, which is especially helpful after a stomach illness. Always start with small amounts to ensure it is tolerated well.

If cooking odors are a trigger, opt for cold or room-temperature foods that have less aroma. Consider cold sandwiches, plain yogurt, or chilled fruits. You can also eat outside of the kitchen or in a well-ventilated area.