A bland diet contains foods that are easy to digest and those that are soft, low-fiber, and gentle on the digestive tract. Foods that are raw or uncooked, high in fat, spicy, fried, or acidic often make problems worse. Drinks with caffeine and alcohol can also cause problems. It is best to stop eating or limit these foods.

Food	Eat this...	Instead of...*
Grains	Any low-fiber grains (such as pasta, rice, and bulgur) (Note: make them without adding fat.)	Whole-grains (such as wheat, whole wheat pasta, and cereal) and grains prepared with fat
Vegetables	Any non-gassy vegetables (Note: made without fat)	Veggies that cause gas (such as cabbage, cauliflower, onion, and peppers), veggies made with fat (such as French fries and mashed potatoes made with butter or cream), and tomato juice, tomato sauce
Fruits	Any (except citrus) (Note: made without fat)	Citrus fruits and juices
Milk	Low-fat or nonfat milk, soy milk, buttermilk, powdered milk, low-fat or nonfat yogurt, low-fat or nonfat cheese, low-fat or nonfat ice cream, sherbet	Whole and 2% milk products, cream, regular cheese
Meats and Beans	Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, soy, dried beans, nuts, and nut butters (Note: made without added fat)	Fried meats, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, salami, bologna, hot dogs
Snacks, Sweets, and Condiments	All unless listed	Pepper, pickles, chili powder, ketchup, mustard, vinegar, rich desserts (such as cakes and pastries), doughnuts, chocolate
Beverages	Water, nonfat or low-fat milk, juice, caffeine-free soda, and herbal tea	Peppermint or spearmint teas, decaffeinated or regular coffee and tea, caffeinated soda or energy drinks, chocolate milk, hot cocoa, alcoholic drinks
Fats and Oils	Less than eight teaspoons per day

*These foods or drinks can bother the stomach. But there may be foods on this list that don’t bother you. There may also be foods not on this list that do bother you. Keep a food diary. Write down the food you ate, what you were doing, and what symptoms you had. This will help to find what foods are causing your problems.

Tips

Other steps that may help are:

Eat six small meals instead of three large ones.
Eat slowly. Put your fork down between bites.
Avoid lying down for three to four hours after eating.
A dietitian can help you make a meal plan. This may be helpful if you will be on a bland diet for a long time.

RESOURCES:

American Gastroenterological Association
http://www.gastro.org

Eat Right—Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
http://www.eatright.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca

Health Canada
https://www.canada.ca

References:

American Dietetic Association. Nutrition Care Manual. American Dietetic Association website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed February 3, 2021.

Weir, S., & Akhondi, H. (2020). Bland Diet. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. PMID: 30844169.

Last reviewed December 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Dianne Scheinberg Rishikof MS, RD, LDN
Last Updated: 2/3/2021

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