What is the best thing to eat when you have gastroparesis? Your Guide to Optimal Nutrition

October 9, 2025 •

5 min read

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, gastroparesis is a condition in which your stomach cannot empty itself of food in a normal fashion. Finding what is the best thing to eat when you have gastroparesis is crucial for managing symptoms like nausea, bloating, and abdominal pain by focusing on dietary adjustments and eating habits.

Quick Summary

A diet for gastroparesis prioritizes low-fat, low-fiber, soft, and liquid foods to ease digestion and minimize symptoms. Small, frequent meals and proper eating techniques are also key to managing this condition effectively.

Key Points

Prioritize Low-Fat Foods: High-fat foods delay stomach emptying and should be limited to reduce symptoms like fullness and bloating.
Choose Low-Fiber Options: High-fiber foods, especially from raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, and whole grains, can form bezoars and blockages.
Opt for Soft and Liquid Foods: When symptoms are severe, liquids, purees, and well-cooked, soft foods are easier to digest than solid foods.
Eat Small, Frequent Meals: Instead of two to three large meals, consuming five to six smaller meals daily can reduce the stomach's workload and improve emptying.
Chew Food Thoroughly: Breaking down solid food into smaller pieces in the mouth makes digestion easier for a compromised stomach.
Stay Upright After Eating: Remaining in an upright position for at least an hour after meals uses gravity to assist with digestion and prevent reflux.
Emphasize Hydration: Sip water and electrolyte fluids throughout the day, separate from large meals, to prevent dehydration.
Consult a Professional: Always work with a doctor and a registered dietitian to develop a tailored diet plan, as individual tolerance varies.

Understanding Gastroparesis and Dietary Management

Gastroparesis, or delayed gastric emptying, is a condition where the stomach's natural muscle movements slow down or stop entirely. This delay prevents the stomach from properly emptying its contents into the small intestine, leading to a host of uncomfortable symptoms. For many, diet is the primary tool for managing this condition, as certain food components can aggravate or relieve symptoms. The main goals of dietary management are to reduce symptoms, maintain adequate nutrition, and prevent complications like bezoars, which are solid masses of undigested food and fiber that can cause blockages.

What to Eat: Building a Gastroparesis-Friendly Diet

When symptoms are mild, a diet focusing on specific food properties can be highly effective. The texture, fat content, and fiber content of food are the most critical factors to consider. The easier a food is to digest, the less work your stomach has to do.

Prioritizing Low-Fat, Low-Fiber Foods

Fat and fiber are notorious for slowing down the rate at which the stomach empties. By limiting high-fat and high-fiber foods, you can help reduce the feeling of fullness and discomfort after eating. While this sounds restrictive, many nutritious and delicious options remain available:

Lean Protein: Eggs (not fried), lean ground meat, skinless poultry, and white fish are easily digestible.
Refined Grains: White bread, low-fiber cereals (like Cream of Wheat or Rice Krispies), white rice, and plain pasta are good carbohydrate sources.
Cooked and Peeled Fruits and Vegetables: Cooking and removing skins or seeds significantly reduces fiber content. Good examples include cooked carrots, peeled potatoes, canned peaches, applesauce, and ripe bananas.
Low-Fat Dairy: Skim milk, low-fat yogurt, and cottage cheese can be well-tolerated.
Smooth Nut Butters: Small amounts of smooth peanut butter can provide protein and calories, but use sparingly due to its fat content.

Focusing on Soft and Liquid Textures

In cases of moderate to severe symptoms, or during a flare-up, a liquid or pureed diet is often recommended because liquids empty from the stomach faster than solids. This provides necessary nutrients and hydration with minimal gastric effort.

Nutritional Supplements: Commercial liquid nutrition supplements like Boost or Ensure can provide high calories and protein.
Smoothies and Shakes: Protein shakes made with protein powder, low-fat milk, and canned or peeled fruit are excellent options.
Soups and Broths: Clear soups and broths are well-tolerated. For more nutrition, cream soups made with low-fat dairy can be added.
Pureed Meals: Using a blender to puree cooked vegetables, lean meats, and starches can make a full meal easy to digest.

Foods and Habits to Avoid

To minimize symptoms, it is just as important to know what to avoid as what to eat. Eliminating these foods and habits can lead to significant symptomatic relief.

Foods to Limit or Avoid

High-Fat Foods: Fried foods, greasy meats (sausage, bacon), high-fat dairy (heavy cream, hard cheese), and pastries all delay gastric emptying.
High-Fiber Foods: Tough-to-digest fibers from whole grains, raw vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, and seeds should be limited or avoided. These can form bezoars, which are hard masses that can block the stomach.
Fibrous Fruits and Vegetables: Examples include whole apples with skin, oranges with membranes, and tough raw vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and celery.
Difficult-to-Chew Foods: Steak, roasts, and tough meat cuts require significant chewing and stomach processing.
Carbonated Drinks: The gas in fizzy beverages can cause bloating and discomfort.
Alcohol: This can further impair gastric emptying.

Unhelpful Mealtime Habits

Eating Large Meals: Overfilling the stomach can worsen symptoms. Smaller, more frequent meals are preferable.
Lying Down After Eating: Remaining upright for at least one to two hours after a meal helps gravity assist with gastric emptying and prevents reflux.
Poor Chewing: Incomplete chewing leaves larger food particles for the stomach to break down, which is a struggle with gastroparesis.

Navigating the Gastroparesis Diet: A Phased Approach

Dietary needs can change depending on the severity of symptoms. A staged approach can help reintroduce foods as tolerance improves.

Phase 1 (Liquids): For severe flare-ups, a liquid-only diet for a few days may be necessary. This includes broths, juices without pulp, and nutritional supplements.
Phase 2 (Soft Solids): As symptoms improve, soft, low-fat, and low-fiber solid foods can be slowly added. This includes scrambled eggs, canned fruits, and white toast.
Phase 3 (Maintenance): For long-term management, a balanced diet of low-fat and low-fiber foods is recommended, with gradual, cautious reintroduction of some higher-fiber items as tolerated.

Comparison of Gastroparesis-Friendly vs. Problematic Foods


Food Category	Recommended (Gastroparesis-Friendly)	Avoid (Problematic)
Grains	White bread, saltine crackers, white rice, pasta	Whole-grain bread, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, bran cereals, seeds
Protein	Lean ground beef, baked chicken (skinless), eggs, white fish, tofu	High-fat meats, sausage, fried chicken, fibrous meats like steak
Fruits	Ripe banana, applesauce, canned peaches/pears (no skin), fruit juice without pulp	Raw fruits, dried fruits, berries with seeds, oranges with membranes
Vegetables	Cooked, peeled carrots, potatoes (no skin), squash, pureed vegetables	Raw vegetables, raw leafy greens, broccoli, corn, vegetable skins
Dairy	Skim milk, low-fat yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese	Whole milk, hard cheeses, heavy cream, full-fat ice cream

Essential Lifestyle Tips for Managing Gastroparesis

Beyond choosing the right foods, adopting certain habits is vital for controlling symptoms. These practices work in tandem with your dietary choices to improve digestion.

Eat Small, Frequent Meals: Instead of three large meals, aim for five or six smaller, nutrient-dense meals throughout the day. This reduces the load on your stomach and helps it empty faster.
Chew Your Food Thoroughly: This is a critical step in the digestive process. Chewing food to an almost liquid consistency, like mashed potatoes, makes your stomach's job significantly easier.
Drink Plenty of Fluids (Separately from Meals): Staying hydrated is crucial, but drinking large volumes of fluid with meals can contribute to bloating and fullness. Sip water and other low-sugar electrolyte beverages between meals.
Stay Upright After Eating: Remain seated or standing for at least one to two hours after a meal. This helps gravity move food out of the stomach.
Take a Gentle Walk: Light physical activity after a meal may help stimulate gastric motility and speed up stomach emptying.

Conclusion: Working with Your Healthcare Team

While these dietary and lifestyle modifications can greatly improve the lives of those with gastroparesis, they are not a substitute for professional medical care. It is essential to work with a doctor and a registered dietitian to create a personalized nutrition plan that meets your specific needs, especially if you have an underlying condition like diabetes. Starting with a liquid diet during severe symptom episodes and gradually reintroducing soft, low-fat, and low-fiber foods is a common and effective strategy. By following these guidelines and collaborating with healthcare professionals, you can better manage your symptoms and maintain your nutritional health. For more detailed information and resources, visit the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Lean, low-fat proteins are best, as they are easier to digest. Good options include skinless chicken, white fish, eggs, and lean ground turkey. Pureed or ground meats are also well-tolerated.

Yes, ripe bananas are generally well-tolerated. They are a soft, low-fiber fruit that can be easily digested. Canned peaches and applesauce are also good choices.

Low-fat dairy products, such as skim milk, low-fat yogurt, and cottage cheese, may be tolerated. High-fat dairy, like hard cheese and heavy cream, should be avoided as it can delay gastric emptying.

A liquid diet is not always necessary but may be recommended by a doctor for short periods during severe symptom flare-ups. This helps provide nutrients and hydration when solid foods are not tolerated.

High-fiber foods, especially insoluble fibers found in whole grains, seeds, and raw vegetables, can delay stomach emptying and clump together to form bezoars, which can cause blockages.

To get enough calories, focus on nutrient-dense, low-volume foods. Liquid nutrition supplements, protein shakes, and high-calorie but low-fat beverages can help increase your caloric intake between smaller meals.

Yes, gentle physical activity, such as taking a short walk after a meal, can help stimulate gastric motility and speed up stomach emptying. It also aids overall digestive health.

No, you don't need to avoid all fat. While high-fat solid foods are problematic, many people with gastroparesis can tolerate fat in liquid forms, such as milkshakes or nutritional supplements, which can help prevent weight loss.