nausea · bloating · cramps · easy stomach foods

stomach reset plan

10 Foods To Eat When Your Stomach Is Upset

gentle foodsreal researchno weird wellness hacks

Okay, so if your stomach is being absolutely awful right now.

And there is nothing WORSE than that heavy, crampy, nauseous feeling where you’re hungry but also the thought of food feels like a threat.

Plus, to top it off, the internet loves to tell you to just “eat bland foods” without actually explaining what that means or why it works, which is so unhelpful.

FIY: Every food on this list is backed by real research, actual studies, named researchers, and clinical trials, not just the same recycled wellness tips.

Some of these foods you already know. BUT a few are going to genuinely surprise you!!

And all of them come with a specific “what to do” so you’re not just staring at a papaya wondering what you’re supposed to do with it.

So if you and your stomach feel a little upset, take a look at these BEST foods to eat to help you feel better. 

Your stomach will thank you if you know about these foods!

 

SEE ALSO:  Best Foods to Prevent Gas So Your Stomach Does Not Feel Puffy and Miserable

 

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10 Foods To Eat When Your Stomach Is Upset

Food 1

Ginger

Best move: steep fresh ginger in hot water for 10 minutes and sip it slowly.

The real science is wild.

So we’ve all likely heard about Ginger for a while now. But the actual science behind it has some very interesting findings. A recent Clinical Review (August 2023) that summarized the evidence concluded that it can be used to alleviate bloating, nausea, indigestion, and stomach cramping.

But it doesn’t just feel good because you’re using something “soothing.” The bioactive compounds found within ginger are believed to aid in increasing gut motility and bowel contractibility. This means it’s helping move food through your digestive tract at an increased rate.

Additionally, the use of ginger appears to stimulate the production of digestive juices and digestive enzymes as well. Which will allow your digestive system to digest food better and utilize nutrients from the food you eat. So yes, it does a lot.

Ginger does not just “settle your stomach” in a vague way. It may help food move through your digestive tract.

What to do: Steep a thumbnail of fresh ginger in hot water for 10 minutes. Way stronger than a tea bag, I promise.

 

Food 2

Green Bananas, Not Ripe Ones

Tiny detail that matters: the green banana is the one with more resistant starch.

This fact often comes as a shock to many.

That yellow banana you reach for when you’re feeling ill? That’s not the banana.

Resistant Starch (RS) in green bananas is a type of fiber that does NOT get digested until it reaches the colon.

When RS arrives at the colon, gut bacteria ferment it, producing short-chain fatty acids that will send signals to your bowel tissues, telling them to absorb more water and tighten everything up.

As bananas ripen, resistant starch converts to regular sugar; therefore, the green ones have the actual benefit.

Banana type	Why it matters
Green banana	Higher in resistant starch, which may help firm things up.
Yellow banana	Softer and sweeter, but lower in resistant starch.

SEE ALSO: How to Stock the Most Perfect Pantry

What to do: Can’t eat a green banana raw? Cook it. Boiled green banana is a traditional Caribbean remedy and honestly one of the gentlest things you can eat when your stomach is completely done with you.

 

Food 3

Papaya

Best move: eat papaya before a meal, not after.

It has a literal enzyme that digests food for you.

Papaya has this enzyme called “papain,” and it’s kind of a big deal.

Papain breaks down protein and helps with digestion, and it’s been used as a stomach remedy across Central and South America for generations.

A clinical trial of a papaya-based preparation showed real improvements in bloating, constipation, and IBS symptoms.

It’s one of those foods that’s been doing the work long before any study confirmed it.

Papaya is not just soft fruit. The papain enzyme is the interesting part.

♥ Works better when
You eat it before your meal so the enzyme is there while digestion is happening.

♡ Works worse when
You treat it like a random dessert and expect it to fix everything after the fact.

What to do: Eat it before your meal, not after, so the papain is active while you’re actually digesting. Timing matters here.

SEE ALSO:  Easy Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Beginners (The Calm Body Era)

 

Food 4

Plain White Rice

Best move: cook it plain in water and keep the portion small.

Not brown rice right now.

Look, brown rice is usually the “healthy” choice, but not right now.

White rice is low in fiber, gentle on the stomach, and helps firm up stool.

Brown, wild, or black rice are harder on your digestive system and really not what you want when things are already bad.

White rice is also rich in starch that converts to soluble fiber in the gut, so it’s actually doing something, not just filling space.

This is not the moment to make digestion harder just to pick the “healthier” rice.

Rice type	When your stomach is upset
White rice	Gentler, lower fiber, and usually easier to handle.
Brown rice	More fiber, which can be too much when your gut is irritated.

What to do: Cook it plain in just water. No butter, no seasoning, no broth. Eat it warm and keep your portions small until you start feeling more like yourself.

 

Food 5

Bone Broth

Best move: sip it warm before trying solid food.

Think of it like a warm little reset for your gut.

Bone broth is one of those things that sounds kind of intense but is genuinely so good for an upset stomach.

It contains glycine, which studies show helps digestion, and an amino acid called glutamine that supports the intestinal barrier.

So it’s not just warm and comforting.

It may actually support the lining of your gut while you drink it.

Gut recovery tip:
Many people tolerate warm broth before they can handle solid food. Start there if everything feels like too much.

If even chewing sounds like a lot, warm broth is a very fair place to start.

What to do: Sip it warm like tea before you eat anything solid. Think of it as prepping your gut before food shows up.

SEE ALSO: 6 Clever Ways to Absorb Your Nutrients Faster

 

Food 6

Chamomile Tea

Best move: steep it for the full 10 minutes, not 2.

It’s anti-spasm, not just “relaxing.”

Chamomile gets written off as just a sleepy tea, but it’s genuinely doing something real for your stomach.

It relaxes the muscles that move food through your intestines, reduces gas, and lowers gastric acidity.

A 2024 randomized clinical trial found a chamomile-containing herbal blend significantly reduced symptoms of indigestion and GERD.

The anti-spasm thing is the part that makes it so helpful for cramps and that tight uncomfortable feeling.

Chamomile is not just a cozy bedtime tea. It may help calm that tight, crampy stomach feeling too.

♥ Works better when
You steep it long enough for the tea to get stronger.

♡ Works worse when
You dunk the bag for two minutes and expect magic.

What to do: Steep it for a full 10 minutes, not 2. Most people understeep chamomile and then wonder why it’s not doing anything.

 

Food 7

Applesauce Over Whole Apples

Best move: choose unsweetened applesauce with no added sugar.

The sauce version is the smarter move here.

The whole apple is too much fiber when your stomach is already irritated, so the sauce version is genuinely the smarter move here.

Both apples and bananas contain pectin, a soluble fiber that binds excess water and helps firm up stools, according to Dr. Jacqueline Wolf, a gastroenterologist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

You still get everything that makes apples good for digestion, just without the roughage your gut doesn’t need right now.

You still get the gentle apple benefit without making your gut deal with a whole crunchy apple.

• ♥ Choose unsweetened applesauce.
• ♥ Eat a small amount first.
• ♡ Skip added sugar if you are bloated or nauseous.
• ♡ Skip whole apples until your stomach calms down.

What to do: Unsweetened only. The added sugar in regular applesauce can make nausea and bloating worse, so flip it over and check the label. It should just say apples.

SEE ALSO: 7 TRUE Benefits of Becoming a Vegan

 

Food 8

Toasted Bread Over Regular Bread

Best move: plain white toast, simple and warm.

Yes, toast really is different from regular bread.

This one sounds like something your grandma told you and turns out she was right.

Toasting actually breaks down carbohydrates and makes the bread easier to digest than an untoasted slice.

There’s a real structural change happening to the starch when heat hits it, so your gut has a measurably easier job processing toast versus the same bread straight from the bag.

Sometimes the old remedies survive because they actually work. Toast is one of them.

♥ Works better when
The bread is plain, white, and toasted. 

♡ Works worse when
It has seeds, grains, heavy butter, or sugary jam.

What to do: Plain white bread only, nothing with seeds, grains, or add-ins. The simpler the loaf, the better. A little butter is fine; hold off on the jam until you feel better.

 

Food 9

Sweet Potato

Best move: bake it until soft and skip the skin for now.

Soft, gentle, and backed by a 2023 study.

Most people grab plain white potato when they’re sick and that’s fine, but sweet potato is doing something extra.

A 2023 study published in Food & Function found sweet potatoes improved microbial balance and reduced markers of leaky gut.

It’s soft, easy to digest when cooked all the way through, and naturally low in anything that would irritate your stomach further.

Sweet potato is gentle when it is cooked until soft. The skin is the part to skip while your gut is annoyed.

Eat this part	Why
Soft inside	Gentler and easier to digest.
Skin	Higher fiber, so skip it until your stomach settles.

What to do: Bake it until it’s almost falling apart, scoop out just the inside, and eat it plain with a pinch of salt. Skip the skin for now since it has fiber your gut really doesn’t need while it’s recovering.

 

Food 10

Fennel

Best move: steep crushed fennel seeds in hot water and sip slowly.

Genuinely one of the most underrated things on this list.

A 2023 clinical review in Phytotherapy Research found fennel reduced IBS symptoms, including bloating and cramps.

It works by relaxing the smooth muscle along your intestinal wall, which is exactly what you want when everything feels tight and uncomfortable.

It has a mild anise flavor that most people find naturally settling, and it’s been used in European folk medicine for stomach cramps for a really long time.

If people knew how much fennel could help bloating and cramps, it would probably be sitting beside ginger in every grocery store.

What to do: Fennel tea is the move. Steep crushed fennel seeds, not the bulb, in hot water for about 8 minutes and sip it slowly. The research is finally catching up to what people have known about this one for centuries.

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SEE ALSO: 9 Best Foods/drinks That Help Alleviate Nausea

 

Helpful To Know

What About The BRAT Diet?

At one time or another, you’ve likely heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast.

The BRAT diet was used for many years due to its bland taste, low-fiber content, and gentle use for the digestive system when things were going badly.

However, while the BRAT diet will give your digestive system a break, it does little to provide anything back to your body to recover from.

Currently, most medical professionals now suggest using BRAT as a starting point and then add to it, and this is just what this list does.

Adding bone broth, ginger, chamomile, papaya, fennel, and sweet potatoes will each offer something new to the mix.

Think of BRAT as your foundation. Everything else on this list helps build on it.

 

Recovery Tips

Why What You Eat Actually Matters

When your digestive system is irritated, inflamed, or just completely overwhelmed, it goes into a kind of protective mode.

Gut motility slows down or speeds up depending on what’s wrong, the intestinal lining becomes more sensitive, and your body is working harder than usual just to process anything you put in it.

The wrong food at the wrong time can genuinely make things worse because certain foods demand more digestive work than your body can comfortably handle right now.

Easy-to-digest foods work because they ask very little of your system while still giving your body something useful to work with.

That’s why simple foods can feel surprisingly helpful when your stomach is having a bad day.

How Long Should You Eat This Way?

This is not a forever diet. This is a reset.

Most people will start feeling better within one to three days and be able to gradually introduce normal foods back into their diets.

You should first drink a lot of liquids and eat soft foods, then progress to regular meals.

Your goal right now is not to eat perfectly. It is simply to give your digestive system time to rest while it heals.

Good rule of thumb: If symptoms return after adding a food back in, give your stomach another day and try again later.

 

When To See A Doctor Instead

A healthy diet has many benefits, however, when dealing with an illness, food is just one of the tools at your disposal.

When your symptoms persist for longer than several days, or you develop a fever, notice blood in your stool, are unable to maintain adequate hydration levels, or experience extreme abdominal discomfort, those warrant professional medical evaluation.

♡ Symptoms lasting more than 3 days

♡ Blood in your stool

♡ Fever with stomach symptoms

♡ Severe pain

♡ Trouble keeping fluids down

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I eat all of these foods at once?

Start simple. On a really bad stomach day, choose one or two foods first and see how you feel. Bone broth and rice are a great starting combination.

Is the BRAT diet still recommended?

Kind of. It still works as a foundation, but most experts now suggest expanding beyond just bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast.

What about ginger ale?

Most commercial ginger ales contain very little actual ginger and a lot of sugar. Fresh ginger tea is usually the better option.

Can I eat these foods if I’m not sick?

Absolutely. Many of these foods are great for digestion in general and not just when your stomach is upset.

What foods should I avoid?

Fried foods, alcohol, spicy foods, heavy dairy, coffee, and large fatty meals are usually the biggest offenders when your stomach is already irritated.

Does it matter what order I eat these foods in?

Yes. Liquids and soft foods are generally easiest first. Think broth and tea before moving to rice, toast, or other solids.

A Quick Note Before You Go

Your gut is trying. So are you.

These foods aren’t magical. They are supported by science and actually work with your digestive system rather than working against it.

Start easy, take things slow, and be kind to your body as it heals.

If you come back here each time that your stomach gets upset, that’s okay too.

Save this for future reference. It will likely come in handy.

 

SIMILAR: 8 Easy-to-Digest Foods for Easier Digestion

Medical Disclaimer: The information on this website is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or emergency services immediately.

 

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