When you’ve been glutened through cross contact, or maybe when you’ve even outright had gluten by accident, it can be hard to feed yourself while dealing with painful and unpleasant symptoms. Here are some nutritious and easy-on-the-stomach foods to eat while you recover.

Hydration

First and foremost, if you’ve been experiencing any vomiting or diarrhea, you’ll want to replenish your hydration. Drinking a lot of water is great, but you’ll also want to replenish important minerals and electrolytes to ensure that your cells and body processes keep functioning well.

I like to make my own electrolyte drink using lemons, limes, salt, and honey. I freeze the drink into an ice cube tray, and melt down four large cubes whenever I need some. It’s delicious and natural, and I love that I don’t have to worry about any additional cross contact since I made it in my own home.

You can view my electrolyte lemon-limeade recipe here!

But what if you’re already sick from gluten exposure right now and don’t have the time or energy to make your own electrolyte drink? Here are some pre-made gluten-free options. These are not sponsored and are not affiliate links, just a quick reference of options.

• Nuun Hydration: certified gluten-free by the Gluten Intolerant Group (GIG)/GFCO. They are also made in a dedicated gluten-free facility!
• Gatorade drinks: not certified, no gluten-free claim on the label, but PepsiCo says they are gluten-free. I have not tried these since before my diagnosis!

But what about food?

Even before going gluten-free, you probably heard of the BRAT diet—bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Classic bland, beige food to eat when you’re sick. For the first few days, you’ll probably want to stick to that formula.

My typical post-gluten exposure menu includes chicken congee, gluten-free cereal with non-dairy milk, and meals made with low-FODMAP whole foods.

I don’t know about you, but after I am exposed to gluten I become majorly sensitive to certain foods that I don’t usually have any problems with. For example, onions and garlic give me a hard time when I’m recovering from being glutened. but typically I love to eat a lot of onions and garlic on a normal day! Depending on how severe my gluten reaction is, I may choose to eat low FODMAP for 1-3 weeks.

Here are some food suggestions that work for me. You might need to tweak this depending on your own allergies or specialty diets.

• Hard boiled or scrambled eggs with rice.
• Rice congee, rice porridge, or rice pudding.
• Pho, tinola, or any light & brothy soup of your choosing.
• Potatoes: air-fried, roasted, baked, boiled, mashed—however you like them!
• Chicken: grilled, baked, air-fried, or lightly stir-fried.
• Tofu: when it’s hot outside, I love to put grated ginger and gluten-free soy sauce on top and eat it raw. When the weather is cold, I’ll heat it up with broth, vegetables, or rice.
• Smoothies: hit or miss for me when I’ve been glutened. Sometimes drinking my nutrition feels nice, but other times the sweetness of the fruits feels too intense for me if I’m feeling nauseous.