How to Keep Food from Refluxing into Your Throat When You're Sick

There are various reasons you may feel nauseous or vomit, including undergoing chemotherapy or simply having the flu. Many people struggle to keep anything in their stomach when feeling nauseous or vomiting. However, there are simple ways to help keep food or drinks from coming back up when you're sick.

Try the BRAT Diet. Some doctors recommend the BRAT diet, which stands for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. These foods are easy to digest, low in fiber, and help replenish lost nutrients, making them ideal for nausea and vomiting. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAFP) no longer recommends the BRAT diet for children. Instead, they suggest that children eat a balanced diet suitable for their age 24 hours after starting to feel unwell.

• Other easily digestible foods include:
• Crackers: plain salted crackers, rice crackers, or any crackers made from "white flour"
• Boiled potatoes
• Pasta: egg noodles, macaroni, ramen noodles. Avoid whole wheat pasta.
• Gelatin: popular brands like 'Jello' are often favored, but any brand will work as long as you enjoy the taste.

Gradually Introduce More Complex Foods. Once you've been able to keep simple foods like clear broths, rice, bananas, and toast down, you can start adding more complex foods once you start feeling better. This can help reduce feelings of nausea and vomiting, while avoiding overwhelming your stomach.

• Some more complex foods you can slowly incorporate include cereals, fruits, cooked vegetables, chicken, peanut butter, and plain pasta without sauce.

Avoid Foods That Can Upset Your Stomach. During this phase, it's essential to stick to light, easy-to-digest foods. Avoid items such as dairy products or spicy foods that could worsen nausea.

• Stay away from fatty foods, including fried items. For example, if you're vomiting, a greasy cheese sandwich could intensify nausea and lead to more vomiting.
• Avoid spicy foods like curry, hot wings, or spicy marinated meats.
• Dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese can exacerbate nausea and vomiting.
• Sweets like cookies and pastries can trigger or worsen nausea.
• Stay away from whole grain bread, cereals, and pasta until the nausea subsides.
• Nuts and seeds can also irritate your stomach.

Drink Plenty of Clear Liquids. Keeping your body hydrated during vomiting or illness is crucial. Drinking liquids helps maintain hydration, soothes the stomach, and reduces nausea.

• Liquids are more important than solid food. The body becomes dehydrated long before fasting causes issues. Many foods are rich in liquids, such as gelatin, bananas, or rice.
• You can drink any clear beverage, such as ice chips, broth, ginger water, or popsicles.
• Water, clear fruit juices (without pulp), broth, clear sodas like ginger ale or Sprite, tea, and popsicles can help keep you hydrated and prevent vomiting.
• Sports drinks or electrolyte solutions can replenish nutrients and help stabilize your stomach. However, it's best to dilute them with half water, or take small sips of sports drinks alongside water. Sports drinks are often too concentrated and need to be diluted to ease the stomach.

Make Ginger or Peppermint Tea. Some scientific evidence suggests that ginger tea and spicy peppermint tea can help alleviate nausea and vomiting. Brew yourself a cup of ginger or peppermint tea to soothe and stabilize your stomach while also hydrating your body.

• You can prepare the tea by buying ginger or peppermint tea bags or by steeping fresh mint leaves or slices of ginger in hot water.

Avoid Liquids That Can Cause Nausea or Vomiting. Stay away from any drinks that upset your stomach. Liquids like alcohol, coffee, or milk can worsen nausea and lead to vomiting.

• Don't add cream to any beverages.

Wait until the nausea subsides before eating. It might seem obvious, but sometimes people rush to eat before their stomach has settled. If you are feeling nauseous, it’s best to hold off on solid foods until you can eat without vomiting. Instead, opt for clear liquids or electrolyte drinks to prevent dehydration.

• Only eat solid foods once you've been nausea-free for about 6 hours.

Avoid foods that make you feel nauseous when you think about them. Sometimes, your body knows better than your mind. If merely thinking about a certain food makes your stomach churn, that food is likely not going to stay down. There’s a psychological component to how we process nausea, and it can be tough to override. If thinking of a banana makes your stomach turn but you can handle a small bowl of rice, go for the rice.

Eat easily digestible foods. Certain foods, like dairy, might make your nausea worse. Stick to foods that are easier to digest to help calm your stomach and reduce nausea.

• If possible, try the BRAT diet and simple foods like boiled potatoes or clear broth. Once you start feeling better, you can slowly introduce more complex foods.

Eat small meals and chew thoroughly. Along with sticking to a simple and easy-to-digest diet, it’s helpful to eat smaller meals throughout the day, ensuring you chew slowly and well. This can reduce nausea and prevent your stomach from feeling too full.

• Start with a slice of toast or a banana. Gradually introduce more foods as your stomach tolerates them. If the toast stays down and you’re still hungry, try a banana after half an hour or an hour.
• Chewing food thoroughly reduces the amount of work your stomach has to do in digestion.
• You’ll find it easier to chew well if you take smaller bites. This way, you’ll have a better sense of how much you can eat without overloading your stomach.

Sip small amounts of water. Just as it’s important to eat small bites, sipping small amounts of water can be equally beneficial. This helps prevent your stomach from becoming too full, which can worsen nausea.

• Drink 120-240 ml of water every hour, taking only about 30-60 ml at a time. This ensures you stay hydrated without risking more vomiting or low sodium levels (hyponatremia).
• If you don’t want to sip fluids, try sucking on small ice cubes until you can safely manage 30-60 ml of liquid per intake.

Be mindful of medications that can upset your stomach. Certain medications, like oxycodone, can cause stomach disturbances and trigger nausea. If you’re taking a medication and experience nausea, consult with your doctor about discontinuing it until you feel better.

• Painkillers such as codeine, hydrocodone, morphine, or oxycodone can all lead to nausea.
• Some over-the-counter medications like iron or potassium supplements, and even aspirin, can also cause nausea.

Get adequate rest. Often, resting can help alleviate nausea and vomiting. Whenever possible, lie down to keep food settled in your stomach, especially after eating.

• Too much physical activity can exacerbate nausea and vomiting, as it disrupts the stomach.

Consider anti-motion sickness and antihistamine medications. If you’re struggling to keep food in your stomach due to motion sickness, consider taking anti-motion sickness medications or antihistamines. These can help reduce nausea and vomiting, allowing you to eat something.

• Over-the-counter antihistamines like dimenhydrinate may help keep food down. Use as directed by your doctor or according to the label.
• If your nausea and vomiting are severe, a doctor may prescribe scopolamine in patch form. This is only for adults.
• Reduce nausea through acupressure. This method can be very effective and doesn’t require any medication or specialized knowledge of Eastern medicine.

See a doctor. You should visit a doctor if your nausea, vomiting, or inability to keep food down persists. The doctor will rule out more serious conditions and provide a treatment plan to help improve your symptoms.

• If vomiting lasts for more than 24 hours, see a doctor as soon as possible.
• If you cannot keep any liquids down for 12 hours or longer, seek medical attention.
• If your vomit is black or contains blood, go to the emergency room immediately.
• If vomiting is severe (more than three times a day), consult a doctor.