10 Foods That'll Relieve Your Upset Stomach Instantly (2024)

There is nothing worse than the agony of an upset stomach. Belly bloating, diarrhea, cramping, and nausea are all too familiar stomach ache symptoms that can feel so excruciating, they can’t be ignored. “People can experience an upset stomach for an endless amount of reasons,” explains Keri Glassman MS, RDN and founder of Nutritious Life. “It can be from stress, a food borne illness, full-blown food poising, or maybe you’re feeling gassy from eating too many vegetables.” It’s not always easy to pinpoint exactly what led to your tummy trouble, but the good news is relief isn’t too hard to come by.

However, if your symptoms get serious, it can be a sign of a larger problem. “If you’re throwing up blood, experiencing severe abdominal pain or fever, or passing blood in your stool, which can sometimes become a black color, seek immediate medical attention. Drive to the doctor or go to an urgent care center,” American Gastroenterological Association spokesperson and gastroenterologist Tauseef Ali, MD, says. A cup of ginger tea won't remedy those symptoms. But the next time your tummy just isn't feeling right, consider adding these foods to your diet for relief.

Research has shown that ginger can in fact help alleviate stomach pain and nausea. “Make a fresh ginger tea by cutting up ginger root and letting it soak in a cup of hot water,” Glassman recommends. You can add some lemon or honey to enhance the flavor, too. Too much ginger can cause gastric discomfort though, so keep your consumption to a cup or two of ginger tea a day.

Due to their high fiber content, specifically the thickening fiber, pectin, bananas are a great choice to help with diarrhea. They are also easy to digest and help absorb water from the intestine, which assists in binding loose stool. Bananas are also high in nutrients that can energize you after a bout of debilitating diarrhea.

“Fennel seed tea can help with constipation,” Dr. Ali explains. Boil dried fennel seeds in water to make a tea, use fennel oil in your cooking, or mix fennel powder with water. You can also consume the seeds to help relieve painful constipation.

Most herbal teas are helpful in reducing gastrointestinal distress, but chamomile’s anti-inflammatory properties make it a smart choice in soothing an upset tummy. “The same mechanisms in the tea that help with calming and sleep work for relieving stomach issues as well,” Glassman explains. “A cup of chamomile tea is good for your GI tract.”

Apples and applesauce have high pectin content. Pectin is a compound found in many fruits, like bananas, that the body uses as a thickening agent. If you’re suffering from loose stool or vomiting, foods containing pectin can help firm-up your insides.

If you’re experiencing constant stomach pain and can’t trace it to something specific, it can mean you’re missing certain probiotics, aka good bacteria, in your gut. “Probiotics can help with bacterial overgrowth,” Dr. Ali explains. Bacterial overgrowth, or having too much bad bacteria in the gut, is thought to be one of the main causes of irritable bowel syndrome. Eating probiotic-rich yogurt daily will help to keep your gut balanced.

The benefits of staying hydrated are endless, and you can add constipation relief to the list. Constipation essentially happens when your colon gets dehydrated. The stool being stored in your colon ends up hardening, making it difficult to move through the body. If you tend to get constipated, drink lots of water throughout the day.

If keeping food down is your issue, stick with simple, bland foods, like potatoes. “The reason these foods help isn’t that scientific,” Glassman shares. “They’re just simple carbohydrates that are easy to digest and will give your body some fuel.” Rice, toast, and plain potatoes can help with diarrhea symptoms by absorbing excess water in the body.

Fruits, in general, are great to eat when you’re experiencing constipation. Their high-fiber and water content help rehydrate the body and soften stool. Dates, grapes, and papaya are particularly helpful because of their high insoluble fiber content. This means that the fiber in these fruits doesn’t dissolve in water, which helps provide volume and moisture to hardened stool stuck in colon.

“A brothy soup will help coat your stomach if you can’t food down,” Glassman says. Broth is also hydrating, so if nothing else, your body is getting some amounts of liquid. Just make sure to keep the broth light, avoid spicy flavors or foods that may cause more discomfort like beans or greens.