Stomach aches are brutal, especially when you're supposed to be having fun over a long weekend. In my case, that happened to be last fall, during which I ate a horrendous bratwurst/hot dog concoction in Germany. It reared its ugly head when I discovered I contracted food poisoning on my flight to Barcelona the next day. Lovely. Luckily, my friends helped cure me with the blandest of bland foods (mostly, all part of the BRAT diet). But hey, it worked. Now as a survivor of blind faith in bratwurst, I'm here to assist with a list of what to eat when those stomach cramps finally hit. Here's what to eat with a stomach ache.
1. Bananas
This is the B in the BRAT diet that our moms encouraged us to follow when our tummies were hurting as youngsters. Bananas provide your body with some much-needed electrolytes to whip your GI tract back into shape. These yellow bunches also offer potassium to aid your belly when it's been ravaged by diarrhea and/or vomiting. Hey, we've all been there guys. But this is real talk on how to ease your future pains.
2. Rice
The R in the BRAT diet, starchy white rice — mind you, not healthy, whole grain brown rice with plenty of manganese — is very easily digestible, like bananas. White rice also helps to coat the lining of the stomach and soothe your belly by absorbing nasty toxins from unsanitary bratwurst that should not be served to humans.
3. Applesauce
Applesauce fulfills the A part of the BRAT diet because of its pectin properties. Pectin works as a thickening agent to help form solid stool and prevent recurring diarrhea.
4. Apples
Conversely, apples can come in handy when you're constipated. Since the skin of an apple is replete with pectin, chomping down on one of these babies that can fit in the palm of your hand can add some necessary roughage to move the process along.
5. Toast
Toast, aka the T in the BRAT diet, is very easily digested and will not make your tummy rumble any more than necessary. Toast also refrains from causing acid reflux. Make sure not to top your toast with peanut butter, avocado or very much butter, however — the key is to keep it bland and easy to digest.
6. Ginger/Ginger Ale
My roommate had a wealth of knowledge provided by her mother, who owns her own restaurant and has come up with herbal remedies for ages. While Claudia made me buy ginger ale, you can also go with ginger tea or chews to alleviate nausea induced by stomach unhappiness.
7. Plain Potatoes
Also a bland starch like white rice and white toast, potatoes, when baked, are good for when you have a stomach ache. Potatoes (with the peel) contain a lot of potassium and will help put some of that back in your body and soothe your tummy after a long day of upheavals (literally).
8. Oats/Oatmeal
Bland oats and oatmeal will be a comforting presence in quelling your queasiness and reducing diarrhea. Make sure to keep it plain though. No fancy additions like you might find at 26 Grains.
9. Saltine Crackers
Saltine crackers are recommended not only for what to eat with a stomach ache routinely, but also for women with morning sickness. We're on the lookout for foods that are easily digestible here, people, and Saltine crackers rank pretty highly up there.
10. Soup broth
When it comes to what to eat with a stomach ache, clear liquids are preferable. And clear soup broth, as opposed to rich and creamy soups like clam chowder, can keep you hydrated when your body is feeling anything but.
11. Herbal Tea
Whenever my stomach hurts or I feel sick in general, chamomile is my welcome companion. Chamomile tea in particular helps to relieve abdominal pain and reduces inflammation.
12. Coconut Water
Like bananas, each bottle of coconut water is filled with electrolytes your body is sorely missing thanks to a certain achy feeling. Coconut water is also high in potassium and will aid in making sure your hydration levels are up to snuff.
13. Papayas
Papayas contain an enzyme called papain, which oh-so-kindly aids digestion. By promoting a healthy acidic environment, eating papaya also helps with constipation.
14. Water, Water, Water
Most importantly, make sure you're drinking lots of water to flush out those toxins trying to damper your study abroad fun. No hostile German bratwurst should be able to rain on your parade charging towards prized Barcelona paella.
No one wants a stomach ache ever. But, they're inevitable. You never know when an eatery will steer you wrong. At least now you know what to eat when a stomach ache comes on and you can halt the pain in its tracks sooner rather than later. With these foods, you'll be feeling better in no time.