What to eat when you have a bacterial infection in your stomach?

October 6, 2025 •

5 min read

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), foodborne bacteria cause millions of cases of illness each year in the United States alone, often leading to a stomach infection known as gastroenteritis. When dealing with this condition, knowing what to eat when you have a bacterial infection in your stomach is crucial for a smooth and comfortable recovery. A strategic dietary approach can help settle your gut, prevent dehydration, and gradually restore your digestive health.

Quick Summary

A proper diet for a bacterial stomach infection begins with prioritizing hydration with clear fluids, followed by the gradual reintroduction of bland, easily digestible foods. Avoiding trigger foods like dairy, fatty, and spicy items is key, while incorporating probiotics and prebiotics aids in restoring gut flora. A phased approach helps ensure a smoother transition back to a normal diet as symptoms improve.

Key Points

Prioritize Hydration: Focus on sipping clear liquids and oral rehydration solutions to counteract fluid loss from vomiting and diarrhea.
Stick to Bland Foods: Start with the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) and other easily digestible foods like plain potatoes and lean chicken.
Avoid Trigger Foods: Steer clear of fatty, spicy, high-sugar, and most dairy products, as they can irritate your sensitive digestive system.
Gradually Reintroduce Foods: Follow a phased approach, starting with liquids, then bland solids, and slowly transitioning back to a regular diet over several days.
Restore Gut Flora: After the main symptoms subside, consume probiotic-rich foods like yogurt and fermented items to help restore beneficial gut bacteria.
Listen to Your Body: Adjust your pace based on how you feel. If symptoms return, scale back your diet and consult a doctor if necessary.

A bacterial infection in the stomach, often referred to as bacterial gastroenteritis, can cause significant discomfort, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In this compromised state, the digestive system is highly sensitive and requires a gentle, deliberate approach to nutrition. Eating the right foods can provide necessary nutrients without irritating the gut further, while eating the wrong foods can prolong your symptoms. The primary goals are to prevent dehydration, settle the stomach, and support the body's natural healing process.

Hydration is the First Priority

When experiencing vomiting and diarrhea, your body loses critical fluids and electrolytes. Dehydration is a major risk, and replenishing these losses is the most important step in the initial stages of recovery.

How to Rehydrate Effectively

Sip, don't gulp: Drinking liquids too quickly can worsen nausea and vomiting. Start with small, frequent sips of fluid every 10 to 15 minutes.
Clear liquids: Begin with clear fluids that are easy to digest. Options include water, clear broth, and decaffeinated tea.
Oral rehydration solutions (ORS): These are specially formulated to replace lost fluids and electrolytes, making them an excellent choice for rehydration. Examples include Pedialyte or similar products. For adults, sports drinks may also be an option, though they can be high in sugar.
Ice chips or popsicles: If you can't keep liquids down, sucking on ice chips or freezer pops can help you gradually take in fluids.

Embracing the Bland Diet

After you can tolerate clear liquids, the next phase involves slowly reintroducing solid foods. The best choices are bland, low-fat, and low-fiber foods that are gentle on the digestive system. This approach helps the intestinal lining heal quickly.

The BRAT Diet and Beyond

The classic BRAT diet consists of bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. This time-tested combination is often recommended because these foods are binding, low-fiber, and easy to digest. However, modern recommendations suggest incorporating a wider variety of other bland foods for a more balanced intake of nutrients.

Foods to incorporate into a bland diet:

Bananas: Rich in potassium, an electrolyte often depleted by diarrhea and vomiting.
Plain Rice: An easily digestible starch that can help bind loose stools.
Applesauce: A good source of pectin, a type of soluble fiber that helps firm up stool.
Plain Toast or Crackers: Refined white grains are low in fiber and gentle on the stomach.
Plain Potatoes: Boiled or baked, these provide energy and are easy to digest.
Lean Proteins: Skinless baked or grilled chicken or fish are good protein sources that are not difficult for the stomach to process.
Cooked Vegetables: Steamed carrots, green beans, or squash are good options.
Eggs: Soft-boiled or scrambled eggs (without too much oil or butter) offer protein without straining the digestive system.

Foods and Drinks to Avoid

Just as important as knowing what to eat is knowing what to avoid. Certain foods and beverages can irritate an already sensitive digestive tract, worsening symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, and bloating.

Avoidance is Key to Recovery

Dairy products: With gastroenteritis, many people experience temporary lactose intolerance. Milk, cheese, and ice cream can increase gas and bloating. Probiotic-rich yogurt or lactose-free options may be tolerated later in recovery.
Fatty and fried foods: Greasy, high-fat foods are hard to digest and can lead to increased nausea or diarrhea.
Spicy foods: The compounds in spicy foods can irritate the stomach lining and exacerbate inflammation.
Caffeine and alcohol: Both can act as diuretics, worsening dehydration, and can also irritate the gut.
High-sugar foods and drinks: Sugary beverages and candies can draw more water into the intestines, making diarrhea worse.
Raw fruits and vegetables: High-fiber, raw produce can be difficult to digest. Cooked versions are a safer bet during recovery.
Artificial sweeteners: Some artificial sweeteners have a laxative effect and should be avoided.

Food Comparison: Recommended vs. To Avoid


Food Category	Recommended Foods	Foods to Avoid
Liquids	Water, clear broths, ORS, herbal tea	Caffeine, alcohol, high-sugar sodas, acidic juices
Grains	Plain white rice, toast, saltine crackers, plain cereals	Whole grains (initially), sugary cereals
Protein	Skinless baked chicken, baked fish, scrambled eggs	Fried meats, processed meats, fatty cuts of red meat
Dairy	Yogurt with live cultures (cautiously), lactose-free products	Milk, cheese, ice cream
Fruits	Bananas, applesauce, melons, canned fruit (in water)	Citrus fruits, berries with seeds, dried fruits
Vegetables	Steamed carrots, green beans, potatoes, squash	Raw vegetables, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage), onions
Fats	Minimal added fats (e.g., in cooking)	Fried foods, greasy foods, heavy sauces, butter

Restoring Gut Health with Probiotics and Prebiotics

After the initial infection clears, and especially after a course of antibiotics, the gut microbiome may be imbalanced. Restoring this balance is a key step towards long-term digestive health.

How to Rebalance Your Gut

Probiotic-rich foods: Introduce fermented foods containing live cultures, such as yogurt, kefir, and kimchi. These help re-populate the gut with beneficial bacteria.
Prebiotic foods: Prebiotics are food for probiotics. High-fiber foods like bananas, garlic, and oats help stimulate the growth of healthy gut bacteria.
Take it slow: Just like reintroducing solid foods, be gradual with fermented and high-fiber foods to avoid upsetting the stomach again. A healthcare provider may also recommend specific probiotic supplements.

The Phased Approach to Eating

Your recovery is a gradual process. Here is a general timeline to follow:

Hours 0-6 (or until vomiting stops): Focus on hydration only, with ice chips and small sips of water.
6-24 hours after vomiting stops: Introduce clear liquids like broth, apple juice, and ORS. Sip slowly and steadily.
24-48 hours: Start with small, frequent meals of bland, low-fiber foods like bananas, rice, and toast. Monitor how your stomach tolerates them.
Day 3+: Gradually expand your diet to include soft-cooked eggs, lean meats, and cooked vegetables. Avoid fatty, spicy, and dairy products for a few more days.
One week or more: Most individuals can return to their normal diet after about a week, but the timeline varies. Listen to your body and reintroduce foods slowly.

Conclusion

Navigating your diet during and after a bacterial stomach infection is a careful, step-by-step process. Prioritizing hydration is paramount, especially in the initial stages when vomiting and diarrhea are most severe. Following a bland diet with easily digestible foods like the BRAT diet and lean proteins helps the stomach and intestines rest and recover without additional irritation. Equally important is consciously avoiding foods that can worsen symptoms, such as fatty, spicy, or high-sugar items. As you begin to feel better, slowly reintroducing probiotic- and prebiotic-rich foods can help rebuild a healthy gut microbiome, which may have been disrupted by the infection or antibiotics. Always listen to your body, proceed gradually, and consult a healthcare provider if your symptoms persist or worsen.

Frequently Asked Questions

You should wait until you haven't vomited for at least six hours before attempting to reintroduce solid foods. Start with small, frequent sips of clear liquids first, and then move to bland foods like toast and crackers if you feel ready.

It is generally best to avoid most dairy products, like milk and cheese, as they can be difficult to digest and may cause temporary lactose intolerance during a stomach infection. Probiotic-rich yogurt or lactose-free alternatives can be introduced later in recovery.

The BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) is recommended because these foods are bland, low in fiber, and binding, which helps firm up stools and is gentle on an irritated stomach.

To prevent dehydration, focus on drinking water, oral rehydration solutions (ORS), and clear broths. Sip them slowly and frequently. Avoid caffeinated and high-sugar drinks.

It can take several weeks to months to fully restore a healthy gut microbiome after a course of antibiotics. Incorporating probiotic and prebiotic foods can help accelerate this process.

Sports drinks can help replenish lost electrolytes but are often high in sugar, which can worsen diarrhea, especially in children. For adults, they can be an option, but ORS are generally more balanced for recovery from vomiting and diarrhea.

Initially, you should avoid high-fiber raw fruits and vegetables, which can be hard to digest. Cooked vegetables like carrots and squash, along with low-fiber fruits like bananas and applesauce, are better tolerated.