The Best Drinks and Foods to Eat After Throwing Up

Vomiting is a common symptom of many different issues, including viruses, food poisoning and some underlying health issues.

While persistent vomiting or severe dehydration requires immediate medical intervention, mild vomiting is often managed at home by replacing fluids and electrolytes to prevent or treat dehydration. Once you stop vomiting, you can return to some solid foods.

Here, learn what to drink and eat after vomiting, what helps with nausea and how to soothe your stomach after throwing up.

There are several reasons your body would need to vomit, or empty the contents of your stomach, per the Cleveland Clinic:

• Viruses (like the "stomach flu") and bacteria (food poisoning)
• Drinking too much alcohol or smoking too much marijuana
• Medical conditions (like pregnancy, motion sickness, migraines or vertigo)
• Pain
• Medication side effect

After throwing up, fluid replacement is essential to counter and prevent dehydration — the most common complication of vomiting, per the Mayo Clinic. Some good beverages to drink after vomiting include:

After a single episode of vomiting, when dehydration symptoms such as dry mouth or reduced urine production are not yet present, adults can consume clear liquids to replenish lost fluids, per the Cleveland Clinic. These include:

• Water
• Broth
• Diluted fruit juices
• Popsicles

Undiluted fruit juice and most other sugar-sweetened drinks are not recommended, as the sugar concentration in these beverages may lead to cramping or diarrhea, per Harvard Health Publishing.

Adults can also use sports drinks, however, they are not considered to be better than other clear liquids, per Merck Manuals.

Another way to rehydrate after vomiting, for children and adults, is an an oral rehydration solution (ORS), such as Pedialyte, Infalyte or Rehydrate.

These drinks aid in recovery by providing the optimal concentration of sugars and certain electrolytes, including sodium, potassium and bicarbonate, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

ORS use in children is particularly important and recommended because dehydration and electrolyte loss in children can more quickly escalate to a serious situation, per the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

The AAFP also recommends giving frequent, small sips of ORS to children and adults within 10 to 60 minutes of vomiting (infants who are breastfed or formula-fed should continue their current feeding plan and not use ORS).

If you're wondering what to eat after throwing up all night, the answer will depend on your symptoms. If your throat hurts after throwing up, you may still want to stick with liquids.

But if you can tolerate fluids and are no longer vomiting, you can start eating solid foods, such as the following:

Traditionally, bland foods have been recommended to settle a stomach after throwing up — most notably the BRAT diet, which stands for bananas, rice, applesauce and toast.

This diet is supposed to help by making your stool firmer, as all the foods are low-fiber, bland and starchy, per the Cleveland Clinic.

However, the BRAT diet is no longer widely recommended, especially for more than a meal or two, because it's too restrictive and does not provide optimal nourishment for recovery, per the CDC.

Instead, as symptoms subside, a gradual transition back to normal foods, including fruits and vegetables, is recommended, per Advanced Pediatric Associates.

Broth-based soup is good to eat after throwing up, along with other comfort foods like potatoes, hot cereal and crackers. There are also some fruits to eat after vomiting, such as apples, pears and pureed fruits. However, there is no demonstrated benefit from this diet approach, per Merck Manuals.

There are some foods you'll want to avoid eating for a few days after throwing up to give your stomach a chance to recover. These include the following, per the University of Connecticut:

• Alcohol
• Coffee
• Spicy foods
• Salad/raw vegetables
• Milk/dairy products
• Fried foods

Besides getting plenty of fluids and eating bland foods, there are other things you can do to help reduce nausea, per the Cleveland Clinic:

• Eat slowly, and eat smaller, more frequent meals
• Drink beverages slowly
• Consume foods cold or at room temperature
• Avoid physical activity right after eating
• Suck on a popsicle or sour candy
• Lay in a position with your head elevated, especially after eating
• Avoid strong odors, which can trigger your gag reflex

If none of the above work, you can try taking medication to treat nausea (like prescription Zofran or over-the-counter Dramamine), or take an over-the-counter migraine medication if migraines are the culprit.

Talk to your doctor if you experience persistent nausea. They can help you come up with a plan to reduce this feeling and hopefully prevent vomiting, too.

While most cases of vomiting resolve within the same day, sometimes medical attention is needed, per Merck Manuals.

It's especially important to monitor children who have vomited, as they can get easily dehydrated. Watch out for symptoms like dry mouth, crying without tears, less urination, irritability, tiredness and a sunken abdomen, per Nemours KidsHealth.

If vomiting persists, call your pediatrician and visit the nearest emergency room, especially if your child is unwilling to drink Pedialyte, or if dehydration symptoms are present.

Adults should also seek medical care if they have persistent vomiting, are unable to drink more than a few sips of liquid or if they have signs of severe dehydration such as cracked lips, little or no urine output or severe weakness, per the Mayo Clinic.

You should also see your doctor if you have symptoms like abdominal swelling, ongoing pain or tenderness, blood in the vomit, bloody stool or if the vomiting accompanies a recent head injury, headache, stiff neck or confusion.