Bland Diet: Foods You Should Be Eating and Avoiding

The Bland diet has been gaining increasing popularity over the last few years as it will help in treating gastrointestinal problems and upset stomach.

In this article, we will discuss what is a bland diet and the foods that you should eat in this diet. It will also provide you with a seven-day diet menu along with identifying the bland foods for an upset stomach.

What Is a Bland Diet?

A bland diet can be understood as an efficient method that will help in treating peptic ulcers, managing gastrointestinal distress, and reducing stress.

The foods in this diet are mildly seasoned, low in fiber, and have a higher pH value along with a softer texture. These types of bland foods will help in preventing rising acid production as well as irritation to your digestive tract.

Bland foods (Image via Pexels/Jane Doan)

Bland Diet Foods

There are a variety of the bland diet foods that you should incorporate into your routine tailored according to your body’s need and in consultation with the doctor. Common foods in this diet include:

Vegetables such as pumpkins, peas, beets, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, and green beans. However, you should avoid eating these vegetables in a raw manner and it is recommended to serve them boiled or steamed with a little added butter.

Low fiber foods such as melons and bananas can also be part of your diet routine.

Low-fat dairy, including mildly flavored cheese, low-fat yogurt, and fat-free milk, also tend to be good options for this diet. Dairy should be more or less avoided for people with lactose intolerance as it causes an upset stomach.

Processed grains such as refined wheat products, seedless rye, and white bread products can also be good options for the bland diet. People with a gluten allergy can try other products such as cooked cereals, cold cereals with less sugar, soft white pasta, and plain soda crackers so that their symptoms do not get worse.

Lean protein sources that you can try for your diet include shellfish, eggs, silken tofu, skinless chicken, salmon, and trout.

Desserts that you can incorporate into your diet include plain cookies, marshmallows, and vanilla pudding.

Bland Foods for Upset Stomach

The bland foods that you can try for an upset stomach include crackers, toast, rice, and oatmeal. You can also try chamomile tea as it is soothing.

Other tips that you can follow for an upset stomach include trying to eat smaller portions of meals a few times a day rather than relying on large meals, eating your meals slowly, avoiding late night eating, and relying on a light dinner.

7 Day Bland Diet Menu

The aforementioned bland diet foods are some of the best options that you can incorporate into your routine to experiment with an effective diet menu that works best for your body. You can also add certain other products to this diet, such as clear broth, chamomile tea, jelly, and creamy butter peanuts.

People’s toleration of different types of foods tends to vary from individual to individual. For instance, some people can easily digest spicy foods while others have certain troubles such as gastric symptoms with the spicy foods.

However, if you are following this diet, then you should avoid the following foods from your diet routine:

Vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, onion, garlic, and peppers. Tomatoes should also be avoided as they tend to be highly acidic in nature.

Acidic Fruits that trigger heartburn such as lemons, grapefruits, berries, oranges, limes, grapes, and more. You should also avoid fruit juices from your diet.

Fatty meats, fish, and beans should also be avoided as they can irritate your gut and cause certain digestive problems.

Whole grains such as grain bread, whole wheat pasta, sprouted wheat bread, and products with the added fiber should also be avoided.

Other food items that you should avoid from the 7 day bland diet menu include granola, nuts, fatty desserts, and popcorn along with alcoholic drinks that should also be avoided from your diet.

Avoid berries in bland menu (Image via Pexels/Jane Doan)

However, the bland diet cannot be considered sustainable in the long term as it does not provide your body with complete nutrition. You should consult your medical professional on how long you should continue with this diet along with the eating plan that will be best for your body. Your doctor can also provide you with a plan on how to reintroduce different food groups in the diet.