What to eat after throwing up bile

Nausea and vomiting can make you feel miserable. But it's important to remember that these are not diseases. Rather, they are symptoms of many illnesses.

Table of Contents Show

Typical triggers
What to do for nausea
What to do for vomiting
When to seek medical care
Clear Liquids
Oral Rehydration Solutions
Solid Foods
What should I do after throwing up bile?
Should you eat if throwing up bile?
What can I take to settle my stomach after vomiting?

Nausea is a feeling of uneasiness in the stomach often tied to an urge to vomit. Nausea doesn't always lead to vomiting, though. Vomiting is the emptying of the contents of the stomach through the mouth.

Typical triggers

These are some of the more common causes of nausea and vomiting:

Gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the digestive tract most often caused by a viral or bacterial infection
Migraine headaches
Motion sickness
Peptic ulcers
Medicines or medical treatments, such as chemotherapy
Hormonal changes, such as those that lead to morning sickness during pregnancy
Food poisoning or food intolerance
Poisons, toxins, or chemicals in the blood, such as alcohol
Head injury
Gallstones
Stress and excitement in children ages 2 to 6

These are less common causes:

Brain tumor
Reye syndrome
Blockage of the bowel
Pancreatitis, or other inflammation in the abdomen such as diverticulitis and appendicitis
Inflammatory bowel disease
Delayed stomach emptying
Gynecologic problems
Eating disorder

What to do for nausea

Here are ideas on how to ease nausea:

Drink clear or ice cold beverages.
Sip beverages slowly.
Eat saltine crackers, plain bread, and other bland foods.
Don't eat foods that are fried or sweet.
Eat slowly.
Eat smaller meals.
Wait a while after eating before exercising or doing other vigorous activity.
Don't brush your teeth right after a meal.

If these tips don't ease your nausea, talk with your healthcare provider.

What to do for vomiting

Children become dehydrated more quickly than adults do. If your child is vomiting, ask your healthcare provider how to help your child feel better.

If you are vomiting, try these tips:

Take a break from solid food, even if you feel like eating.
Stay hydrated by sucking on ice chips or frozen fruit pops. Try drinking sips of water, weak tea, clear soft drinks without carbonation, noncaffeinated sports drinks, or broth. Sugary drinks may calm the stomach better than other liquids.
Temporarily stop taking oral medicines. These can make vomiting worse.
Slowly add bland foods. If you've been able to drink some fluids and haven't thrown up for 6 to 8 hours, try eating small amounts of foods such as bananas, rice, applesauce, unbuttered toast, dry crackers, or dry cereal.
Once you're back on solid food, eat small meals every few hours. This helps your stomach digest food slowly.
Stay away from strong odors, such as tobacco smoke, perfumes, or cooking smells.
Stay away from dairy products, tobacco, and alcohol. They may irritate your stomach.
Get plenty of rest.

Vomiting that is caused by medicines, surgery, or radiation therapy may be treated by taking a different medicine. Medicines are also available to treat vomiting in pregnancy and other conditions. Talk with your healthcare provider about what’s best for you.

When to seek medical care

For adults

See your healthcare provider if your vomiting doesn't ease with self-care within 24 hours, or if you become dehydrated. Symptoms of dehydration include:

Extreme thirst
Dry mouth
Little or no urination
Dizziness or lightheadedness

See your healthcare provider right away if any of these signs or symptoms occur:

Small amount of blood in the vomit
Severe abdominal pain
Vomiting with fever above 101°F (38°C)
Vomiting with diarrhea

Call 911 or get medical care right away at the nearest emergency department if any of the following occur:

Vomiting is a common symptom of motion sickness, morning sickness, or gastroenteritis — an inflammation of the stomach and intestines caused by an infection, such as the stomach flu or food-borne illness. This symptom may also be caused by excessive alcohol intake or certain medications, most notably chemotherapy drugs.

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While persistent vomiting or severe dehydration requires medical intervention, mild vomiting is often managed at home, with the priority of replacing fluids and electrolytes to prevent or treat dehydration. Resuming solid foods is not as critical as fluid replacement, and a transition back to a normal diet can begin as the vomiting resolves and the appetite returns.

Clear Liquids

After throwing up, fluid replacement is essential to counter and prevent dehydration — the most common complication of vomiting. 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 such as water, broth, diluted fruit juices or weakly sweetened tea to replenish their body of lost fluids.

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. Adults can also use sports drinks, however, they are not considered to be more advantageous than other clear liquids.

Oral Rehydration Solutions

In adults who have ongoing vomiting or dehydration, or in any children who are vomiting, the best beverage choice is 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.

ORS use in children is particularly important, and recommended, since dehydration and electrolyte loss in children can more quickly escalate to a serious situation. Hydration guidelines, as outlined in the June 2012 issue of "American Family Physician," recommend initiating frequent, small sips of ORS within 10 to 60 minutes of vomiting, although infants who are breastfed or formula fed should continue their current feeding plan and not use ORS.

Solid Foods

When fluids are tolerated and vomiting is no longer a current threat, solid foods may be resumed. However, diet choices do not need to be restrictive after throwing up.

Traditionally, bland foods have been recommended — most notably the BRAT diet, which stands for bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. While these foods — and other comfort foods such as broth-based soup, soft fruit, potatoes, hot cereal, or crackers — may work well for the first solid foods after vomiting, there is no demonstrated benefit from this diet approach.

Also, following the BRAT diet for more than a meal or two is considered too restrictive and does not provide optimal nourishment for recovery. Instead, as symptoms subside, a gradual transition back to normal foods, including fruits and vegetables, is recommended.

Warnings

While most cases of vomiting resolve within the same day, sometimes medical attention is needed. Severe, life-threatening dehydration is a significant risk in sick children.

A pediatrician should be consulted for advice on home management of vomiting, and urgent medical attention should be sought if vomiting persists, if the child is unwilling or unable to drink ORS, or if dehydration symptoms are still present after 24 hours of ORS treatment.

Adults should also seek medical care if they have persistent vomiting, if 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.

Also, medical attention is recommended with symptoms of abdominal swelling, ongoing pain or tenderness, blood in the vomit, or if the vomiting accompanies a recent head injury, a headache, stiff neck or confusion.

What should I do after throwing up bile?

Throwing up bile may not require medical attention if it has a clear cause and resolves with conservative methods, such as rest and rehydration. However, anyone who is persistently throwing up bile should see a doctor. Anyone who is throwing up bile and has indications of bile reflux should see their doctor.

Should you eat if throwing up bile?

After vomiting, a person should eat frequent, small, bland meals. In addition to the vomiting, many other symptoms may also become present, ranging from diarrhea to headaches, and even sometimes cognitive impairment.