The Best Soup for the Stomach Flu
Health ConditionsDigestive Health

The Best Soup for the Stomach Flu

The Best Soup for the Stomach Flu
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Updated on August 6, 2025
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If you have gastroenteritis, or the “stomach flu,” not many foods sound appetizing.

While your churning stomach and bowels won't be able to tolerate much, soup for an upset stomach is usually a good choice. Here's a closer look at which soups to reach for when recovering from the stomach flu, and which might make your symptoms worse.

Broth-Based Soup: The Best Soup for Stomach Bug

The nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea that come with gastroenteritis will certainly make you lose your appetite. But once you're able to keep liquids down, it's important to try to eat something to replenish lost nutrients and prevent dehydration.

Broth-based soups are a good option, as they're high in water content and help replace fluids.

 Examples of easy-to-digest broth-based soups include:
  • Chicken noodle soup
  • Vegetable soup
  • Chicken and rice
  • Miso soup
Adding ginger to your soup may offer additional benefits, as it's been shown to help relieve nausea and vomiting.

Broth-based soups also contain a lot of sodium, an electrolyte that quickly depletes through the vomiting and diarrhea that accompany gastroenteritis.

 One cup of a standard canned version of chicken noodle soup has 691 milligrams of sodium, or almost 30 percent of the recommended daily dose.

 However, be mindful of your sodium intake if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, or any other condition where you need to restrict sodium.
Additionally, broth-based soups don't have the high-fat content of creamy soups, such as cream of tomato or cream of chicken. High-fat foods can be hard to digest, especially when your stomach is healing from inflammation, so it's best to skip these soup varieties.

Also avoid spicy soups when you're healing from gastroenteritis, as bland recipes are easier on the stomach.

 If it's a homemade recipe, just leave out the chili flakes or other spicy ingredients.

Other Foods to Consider for the Stomach Flu

If you've successfully eaten broth-based soups while recovering from gastroenteritis and want to try some other foods, consider those that are soft, bland, and easy on the stomach.

These include those in the BRAT diet:

  • Bananas
  • Rice
  • Applesauce
  • Toast
In addition to the BRAT diet, other foods that can be easy to digest with the stomach flu include:

  • Potatoes
  • Oatmeal
  • Jello
  • Popsicles
  • Watermelon
  • Whole grains like bread and pasta
  • Squash
Importantly, make sure to avoid foods and drinks that can irritate your already overburdened digestive tract, such as:

  • Caffeine
  • Alcohol
  • Greasy foods
  • Fatty foods
  • Spicy foods
  • Sugary foods and drinks
  • Dairy

When Will I Feel Better With the Stomach Flu?

In most healthy people, gastroenteritis resolves in one to three days, but can last up to a week or two in severe cases.

The condition isn't usually harmful and typically clears up on its own without the need for medical treatment. However, in cases of severe dehydration, you may need medical care and hospitalization.

Seek care right away if you experience the following symptoms:

  • Vomiting blood
  • Unable to keep liquids down for 24 hours
  • Bloody stool
  • Fever above 104 degrees F
  • Severe abdominal pain or pain in the rectum
  • Signs of dehydration, including excessive thirst, dizziness, extreme fatigue, and little-to-no urine

The Takeaway

  • Broth-based soups, such as chicken noodle, vegetable soup, or miso soup, are excellent options for replenishing fluids and electrolytes when recovering from gastroenteritis.
  • Avoid creamy, high-fat and spicy soups, which can further irritate the stomach and hinder healing from gastroenteritis.
  • If severe symptoms like vomiting blood or signs of dehydration occur, seek immediate medical attention to address possible complications.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. What to Eat, Drink, and Avoid When You Have the Stomach Flu. Cleveland Clinic. February 2, 2024.
  2. Hoang Anh N et al. Ginger on Human Health: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of 109 Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients. January 6, 2020.
  3. Ochoa B. Diarrheal Disease Overview. American College of Gastroenterology. December 2012.
  4. Chicken Noodle Soup. U.S. Department of Agriculture. April 1, 2019.
  5. Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Viral Gastroenteritis (“Stomach Flu”). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. May 2018.
  6. Stomach Flu. Cleveland Clinic. July 10, 2023.
  7. Viral Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu). Mayo Clinic. April 30, 2025.
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Reyna Franco, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.

In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.

Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.

She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.

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Andrea Boldt

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Andrea Boldt has been in the fitness industry for more than 20 years. A personal trainer, run coach, group fitness instructor and master yoga teacher, she also holds certifications in holistic and fitness nutrition.

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