6 Foods for an Upset Stomach You Should Always Have at Home

There's not always a rhyme or reason as to why we experience stomach pain, but let's be honest—it's painful and pretty darn annoying. Few things can interrupt your day (or week) more than being doubled over in discomfort or dealing with a bout of nausea. So you should definitely be aware of which foods you should always keep on hand for an upset stomach. You likely have some of these healing foods in the house already, and the others you can pick up at your grocery store or pharmacy. Below, we've rounded up the six best foods for an upset stomach. Scroll through, and take our advice the next time you're having some tummy trouble.

Both bananas and apples contain a natural ingredient called pectin that helps keep your bowel movements firm. (Because the applesauce is cooked, it will be milder on your stomach than a raw apple would.) A study found that 75% of participants reported decreased stomach difficulties when they added banana powder to their diet for eight weeks.

If you're dealing with stomach trouble, one option is to eat some plain yogurt, although it should be unsweetened. There aren't any studies that prove that it works, but many doctors believe that the probiotics in the food can help your gut.

The compounds found in licorice root are linked with easing an upset stomach and helping to treat more severe stomach ailments. Studies even show that the herbal medicine helps heal peptic ulcers. You can drink some licorice tea or buy chewable licorice root to incorporate it into your diet.

If you're hungry but you've been dealing with stomach difficulties, try making some toast and eating it with jam, says Claudia Gruss, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Arbor Medical Group in Norwalk, Connecticut. The toast will be easy on your stomach, and the fruity jam will give you the jolt of sugar that your body will need if you haven't eaten much that day.

Ginger has been used in Chinese medicine for more than 2000 years. Scientists believe the root's volatile oils and phenol compounds are responsible for easing nausea and stomach trouble. Astudy tested whether ginger helped 70 pregnant women with their morning sickness; those who took ginger reported less nausea and vomiting. You can purchase different ginger extracts and oils, but perhaps the easiest (and tastiest) way for you to consume it is by buying the fresh root and making your own tea.

Make a cup of ginger tea to soothe your stomach, and drink it out of one of our favorite cups below.

Which foods for an upset stomach do you like to keep in the house? Up next: the foods a gut expert won't touch.