Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsFood IdeasDrink IdeasWhen You Have No AppetitePreventionFoods to AvoidWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Food Ideas
Drink Ideas
When You Have No Appetite
Prevention
Foods to Avoid
When to Seek Care
Whether you’re nauseous from pregnancy, medications, or other reasons, it can be hard to figure out what to eat when you’re nauseous but hungry. However, going too long without eating can worsen nausea.
One good place to start to ease nausea is often theBRAT diet. Add low-fiber cereals, shakes, smoothies, frozen fruit bars, pancakes, and eggs as you can. Sip water, too, as staying hydrated is important.
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High-Starch Foods
Starchy foods are often recommended topeople experiencing nausea. Examples of good choices include:
It’s not clear why people tolerate dry, plain foods when they’re nauseous, and there isn’t any scientific research to verify their effectiveness. However, it’s known that people feel more nauseous on an empty stomach and react poorly to strong-smelling foods.
High-Protein Foods
To keep your energy up, it’s essential to have nutrient-rich foods. Choose high-protein meals, but keep your choices bland, skipping spicy seasonings and dressings. Healthy options include:
People with cancer often need more protein than usual because extra protein is needed aftersurgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy to aid healing and help fight infection.
Hard Candy
Sucking a bit of hard candy may also ease an upset stomach. Try candy flavors such as:
Research has shown ginger is an effective and safe treatment for nausea. Ginger comes in many forms—fresh, dried, pickled, preserved, crystallized, candied, and powdered or ground. More studies are needed to accurately determine the most effective doses and preparations for treating nausea.
High-Fiber Foods
High-fiber foods are nutrient-rich and important to eat regularly, but they can slow down digestion, so they may be difficult to tolerate when feeling nauseous. Try these foods that may help prevent or lessen nausea while also providing fiber:
Cool Foods
Spicy and hot foods can aggravate nausea. Instead, choose foods that are cool. In addition to being easier on your stomach, cool and cold foods have less odor, so they are less likely to bring on nausea. Try a variety of foods such as:
In a small study, pregnant people reported apples and watermelon to be the most agreeable and caused the least nausea of the four foods tested.
Tea
While cool foods help in some instances, hot tea is the best choice for others. Add honey and lemon for taste. Some of the best herbal teas to ease nausea include:
These teas can also be cooled and consumed as iced tea if cold foods and beverages are better tolerated.
Other Beverages
Drinking enough liquid is important when you’re nauseous, especially if you’re vomiting. Water is the best choice when it comes to relieving nausea, but you can sip any of these liquids to relieve symptoms:
Medication for Nausea
If your medications aren’t working, let your healthcare provider know. There are a variety of medications available, and it may take trial and error to find the right one.
What to Eat When You Have No Appetite
When nausea takes away your appetite for extended periods, getting nutrient-rich foods becomes even more important for increasing energy, maintaining immunity, and reducing inflammation. Choose foods such as:
Tips to Prevent and Soothe Nausea
Foods to Avoid When You Are Nauseous
Some types of food will make nausea worse. The list of foods to avoid when you’re feeling nauseous includes:
Some foods are double-whammies because they are not only greasy or processed but also high in salt. This includes white bread, pastries, donuts, sausages, fast-food burgers, fried food, chips, and canned foods.
Most of the time, feeling nauseous but hungry isn’t a medical emergency. However, contact a healthcare provider for advice if you experience any of the following:
Also, contact a healthcare provider if you are concerned or have an underlying health condition such as pregnancy or cancer treatment.
Summary
Nausea is a common side effect of some medical treatments, and it can affect you for a variety of other reasons, too, includingpregnancyor a bacterial infection. While you may not feel like putting anything in your stomach when you’re feeling ill, getting the nutrition you need to keep your strength up and recover is essential.
Since different foods work for different people, try a variety of these foods to help prevent or lessen nausea. If yournausea and vomitingget worse or are difficult to control, talk to your healthcare provider about other tests and treatments.
A Word From VerywellBland foods, foods lower in fat, and ginger may ease nausea for some people, while fragrant, spicy, and fatty foods may worsen nausea for some. Everyone is different. It may take some trial and error to find what eases or triggers your nausea. However, you don’t have to tackle nausea alone. A registered dietitian can guide you through this process.—ELIZABETH BARNES, RDN, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
Bland foods, foods lower in fat, and ginger may ease nausea for some people, while fragrant, spicy, and fatty foods may worsen nausea for some. Everyone is different. It may take some trial and error to find what eases or triggers your nausea. However, you don’t have to tackle nausea alone. A registered dietitian can guide you through this process.—ELIZABETH BARNES, RDN, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Bland foods, foods lower in fat, and ginger may ease nausea for some people, while fragrant, spicy, and fatty foods may worsen nausea for some. Everyone is different. It may take some trial and error to find what eases or triggers your nausea. However, you don’t have to tackle nausea alone. A registered dietitian can guide you through this process.
—ELIZABETH BARNES, RDN, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Marx W, Kiss N, McCarthy AL, McKavanagh D, Isenring L.Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: A narrative review to inform dietetics practice.J Acad Nutr Diet. 2016;116(5):819-827. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2015.10.020American Cancer Society.Benefits of good nutrition during cancer treatment.Lete I, Allué J.The effectiveness of ginger in the prevention of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and chemotherapy.Integr Med Insights. 2016;11:11-17. Published 2016 Mar 31. doi:10.4137/IMI.S36273Tan GN, Tan PC, Hong JGS, Kartik B, Omar SZ.Rating of four different foods in women with hyperemesis gravidarum: a randomised controlled trial.BMJ Open. 2021;11(5):e046528. Published 2021 May 13. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046528MedlinePlus.When you have nausea and vomiting.American Cancer Society.Managing nausea and vomiting at home.National Health Service.Good foods to help your digestion.National Cancer Institute.Nutrition in cancer care (PDQ®)–patient version.MedlinePlus.Nausea and vomiting – adults.Additional ReadingOncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group.The Clinical Guide to Oncology Nutrition, Second Edition. (Elliott L, Molseed LL, McCallum PD, Grant B, Eds.). American Dietetic Association: Chicago, IL.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Marx W, Kiss N, McCarthy AL, McKavanagh D, Isenring L.Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: A narrative review to inform dietetics practice.J Acad Nutr Diet. 2016;116(5):819-827. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2015.10.020American Cancer Society.Benefits of good nutrition during cancer treatment.Lete I, Allué J.The effectiveness of ginger in the prevention of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and chemotherapy.Integr Med Insights. 2016;11:11-17. Published 2016 Mar 31. doi:10.4137/IMI.S36273Tan GN, Tan PC, Hong JGS, Kartik B, Omar SZ.Rating of four different foods in women with hyperemesis gravidarum: a randomised controlled trial.BMJ Open. 2021;11(5):e046528. Published 2021 May 13. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046528MedlinePlus.When you have nausea and vomiting.American Cancer Society.Managing nausea and vomiting at home.National Health Service.Good foods to help your digestion.National Cancer Institute.Nutrition in cancer care (PDQ®)–patient version.MedlinePlus.Nausea and vomiting – adults.Additional ReadingOncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group.The Clinical Guide to Oncology Nutrition, Second Edition. (Elliott L, Molseed LL, McCallum PD, Grant B, Eds.). American Dietetic Association: Chicago, IL.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Marx W, Kiss N, McCarthy AL, McKavanagh D, Isenring L.Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: A narrative review to inform dietetics practice.J Acad Nutr Diet. 2016;116(5):819-827. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2015.10.020American Cancer Society.Benefits of good nutrition during cancer treatment.Lete I, Allué J.The effectiveness of ginger in the prevention of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and chemotherapy.Integr Med Insights. 2016;11:11-17. Published 2016 Mar 31. doi:10.4137/IMI.S36273Tan GN, Tan PC, Hong JGS, Kartik B, Omar SZ.Rating of four different foods in women with hyperemesis gravidarum: a randomised controlled trial.BMJ Open. 2021;11(5):e046528. Published 2021 May 13. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046528MedlinePlus.When you have nausea and vomiting.American Cancer Society.Managing nausea and vomiting at home.National Health Service.Good foods to help your digestion.National Cancer Institute.Nutrition in cancer care (PDQ®)–patient version.MedlinePlus.Nausea and vomiting – adults.
Marx W, Kiss N, McCarthy AL, McKavanagh D, Isenring L.Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: A narrative review to inform dietetics practice.J Acad Nutr Diet. 2016;116(5):819-827. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2015.10.020
American Cancer Society.Benefits of good nutrition during cancer treatment.
Lete I, Allué J.The effectiveness of ginger in the prevention of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and chemotherapy.Integr Med Insights. 2016;11:11-17. Published 2016 Mar 31. doi:10.4137/IMI.S36273
Tan GN, Tan PC, Hong JGS, Kartik B, Omar SZ.Rating of four different foods in women with hyperemesis gravidarum: a randomised controlled trial.BMJ Open. 2021;11(5):e046528. Published 2021 May 13. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046528
MedlinePlus.When you have nausea and vomiting.
American Cancer Society.Managing nausea and vomiting at home.
National Health Service.Good foods to help your digestion.
National Cancer Institute.Nutrition in cancer care (PDQ®)–patient version.
MedlinePlus.Nausea and vomiting – adults.
Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group.The Clinical Guide to Oncology Nutrition, Second Edition. (Elliott L, Molseed LL, McCallum PD, Grant B, Eds.). American Dietetic Association: Chicago, IL.
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