Plain Foods for Morning Sickness

When nausea is strong, plain and bland foods are often the only thing you can face. This page explains why they help, which plain foods are worth keeping stocked at home, and how to use them as part of a sensible eating strategy during the first trimester.

Why Plain Foods Work
Plain Foods to Keep Stocked
Building Back Up as Nausea Eases
When Plain Foods Are Not Enough
Frequently Asked Questions

Why Plain Foods Work

Plain foods are low in fat, strong flavour, and spice. All three of those qualities matter when you have morning sickness.

Fat slows digestion and can make nausea worse. Rich, fatty foods sit in the stomach for longer and are harder for a sensitive digestive system to process. Plain foods — toast, rice, crackers — digest more quickly and sit more lightly.

Strong flavour can feel overwhelming when your senses are heightened in early pregnancy. Highly seasoned or heavily flavoured food requires more effort to eat and is more likely to trigger a gag reflex when you are feeling fragile.

Odour is closely linked to flavour, and smell is one of the most common nausea triggers in pregnancy. Plain foods tend to have very little scent, which means they are easier to prepare, be around, and eat without the smell causing a problem before the food even reaches your mouth.

The BRAT diet — bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast — has long been used for stomach upsets and gastric illness, and many of its principles apply equally well to morning sickness. It is not a long-term nutritional plan, but as a short-term framework for getting something in when nothing else appeals, it is practical and effective.

The aim with plain foods is not to survive on them indefinitely — it is to keep your blood sugar stable, prevent your stomach from being empty (which often makes nausea worse), and give your digestive system a break so you can recover enough to eat a wider range of foods again.

Plain Foods to Keep Stocked

These are the staples that many women find most useful during the worst weeks of morning sickness. They are cheap, easy to find, and widely tolerated:

Bread and toast One of the most reliable options. Plain white toast with a thin scraping of butter or marmite is easy to eat at any time of day. Many women keep plain crackers or breadsticks on the bedside table and eat a few before getting up in the morning, which can help with the wave of nausea that often hits before breakfast.

Plain rice Boiled white rice with no sauce or seasoning is very gentle on the stomach. It digests easily and provides a source of carbohydrate for energy without triggering nausea. Eat it warm or at room temperature. Adding a small knob of butter is fine if tolerated.

Plain pasta Cooked and cooled pasta with a drizzle of olive oil, or eaten warm with just a light butter coating, is a useful meal when nothing more elaborate is possible. Avoid rich sauces, cream, or strongly flavoured additions during the worst of the nausea.

Bananas Easy to eat, low in odour, gentle on the stomach, and a good source of potassium. Bananas are one of the most nausea-friendly foods available and are easy to keep to hand. Eat them at room temperature rather than refrigerating, as cold bananas can be harder to digest.

Boiled or baked potatoes Plain boiled potatoes or a baked potato with minimal topping (a small amount of butter or mild cheese) are filling and easy to tolerate. Avoid chips or fried potato products during the worst of the nausea, as the fat can worsen symptoms.

Plain crackers and oatcakes These are ideal for grazing throughout the day and for settling the stomach when it is completely empty. The dry, starchy texture absorbs stomach acid and reduces queasiness for many women. Keep them easily accessible — in a bag, on your desk, or by the bed.

Mild yogurt Plain or lightly flavoured yogurt is a useful source of protein and calcium when you cannot face more substantial food. Choose full-fat yogurt if your appetite is generally poor, as it provides more calories per portion. All standard supermarket yogurts in the UK are made from pasteurised milk and are safe in pregnancy.

Applesauce or stewed apple Gentle, low in odour, and easy to digest. Stewed apple without added spice is a particularly good option if your stomach is very sensitive.

Plain boiled eggs Once you can tolerate them, eggs are an excellent source of protein. Start with hard-boiled rather than fried or scrambled, as these involve less cooking smell and less fat. In the UK, eggs with the British Lion mark are produced to safety standards that make them safe to eat even with a slightly soft yolk, but many women prefer hard-boiled during pregnancy.

Mild soup or broth A clear vegetable broth or very mild chicken broth can be sipped rather than eaten, which suits days when solid food is a struggle. Avoid strongly flavoured or spiced soups. A warm mug of plain broth can also help with hydration.

Building Back Up as Nausea Eases

Pregnancy nausea usually peaks between six and ten weeks and begins to ease for most women around twelve to fourteen weeks, though this varies considerably. As your symptoms improve, gradually reintroduce more variety rather than returning to a full diet all at once.

A sensible order of reintroduction tends to be:

Add lean protein alongside the plain carbohydrates — chicken, fish, eggs, or legumes
Reintroduce vegetables, starting with mild ones such as courgette, peas, or carrots, before moving to stronger-flavoured brassicas
Return to small amounts of dairy if you have been avoiding it
Gradually add back more complex flavours and seasoning as tolerated

This steady approach is more likely to succeed than trying to eat normally as soon as you feel slightly better, only to find the nausea returns if you overdo it.

When Plain Foods Are Not Enough

Plain foods are a helpful strategy, but they are not a treatment for severe nausea. If you find that you cannot keep any food or fluid down for more than 24 hours, are losing weight, feel lightheaded or very weak, or are not passing urine regularly, you should contact your GP or midwife promptly.

Severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, known as hyperemesis gravidarum, affects a smaller proportion of women but is a medical condition that needs treatment — not something to push through with dietary adjustments alone. Your GP can discuss safe medication options and, in some cases, hospital admission for fluids may be needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

### What are the best plain foods for morning sickness?

Bananas, plain rice, toast, plain crackers, boiled potatoes, mild yogurt, and plain pasta are all good starting points. They are low in odour, easy to digest, and widely tolerated. Keep a selection of these accessible so you can eat without preparation when nausea peaks.

How long should I eat plain foods?

Use them for as long as you need to — there is no time limit. Most women find they can gradually return to a more varied diet as nausea eases, usually after the first trimester. Reintroduce new foods slowly and go back to plain options on difficult days.

Are plain foods nutritionally adequate during pregnancy?

They are a practical short-term fallback, not a long-term diet. Plain carbohydrates will keep your energy up and prevent your stomach from being empty, but they do not provide everything you need. As soon as you can tolerate more variety, focus on adding protein, dairy, fruit, and vegetables back in. Continue taking your pregnancy vitamin supplement throughout — folic acid and vitamin D are important regardless of what you are eating.

Always speak to your midwife or GP for advice tailored to your personal circumstances, and seek urgent help if you cannot keep fluids down or symptoms become severe.

Further reading:

NHS — Vomiting and morning sickness in pregnancy