Low carb when sick is the one moment I find hardest to stay the course, and after two very long weeks I am finally back. I'm so sorry for being away for so long. In the midst of moving and packing somewhere along the way I picked up a nasty stomach virus that left me in a pile of mush for over a week.
Cooking let alone thinking about food was far out of my control. It has been a long time since I have been truly that sick. I don't know about you, but whenever I'm sick this is one of the few times that it is truly hard to avoid eating carbs.
The BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast) has been forever ingrained in our brains as the only way to get your stomach back on track. I have a few Low Carb tricks to avoiding this extremely bland diet the next time you are sick.
Low carb foods to eat when sick
BRAT is almost all carbs, so it never fit my Low Carb lifestyle. These three are what I reach for instead. Each one goes easy on a weak stomach and keeps the carbs down, so start with small amounts and build up as you feel steadier.
Egg drop soup. Make your own and you get something warm and brothy that is far gentler than a can of chicken noodle or ramen. I keep my super simple Egg Drop Tofu Soup on hand when I'm sick because it is light, low carb, and easy to sip. Tip: if your stomach is extra weak, skip the egg yolk and keep the broth clear, since the extra fat from the yolk can feel too rich early on.
Cottage cheese. Cheese in general acts as a firming food for a weak tummy, and cottage cheese is about as easy as it gets. It is soft, easy to digest, low carb, and ready to serve with no fuss.
Frozen blueberries. Berries are binding too, and they bring vitamin C and a little fiber while staying low in carbs. Freeze them for a cold treat that feels soothing when nothing else sounds good.
Go gentle and let your appetite lead. If your symptoms drag on for more than a couple of days, or you cannot keep fluids down, please check in with your doctor. For more easy ideas once you are upright again, keep an eye on my other Low Carb guides.
What the rest of the world eats when sick
Reach past the BRAT diet and most cultures land on the same sick-day comfort: a soft, soupy bowl of rice. Congee, called jook in Cantonese and across Korea, is the Asian answer to chicken noodle soup, rice simmered down to a savory porridge that asks for almost no chewing and sits easy on a sour stomach. The low-carb version keeps the idea and drops the rice. Simmer riced cauliflower in a good broth until it softens, mash part of it to thicken the bowl and leave the rest in grains, and you get the same warm, spoonable comfort at a fraction of the carbs. Stir in a beaten egg the egg-drop way for protein without weight, and lean on ginger, scallion, and broth, the things that make congee soothing in the first place. It is the gentlest option here for a day when even soup feels like work.
Since my stomach is still extremely weak I have chosen spend the rest of the week re-posting a few of my favorite posts from when I first started my blog that you may have missed seeing the first time around. I'm hoping next week to be back and feeling 100%.
Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central (cottage cheese and blueberry nutrient values). American Academy of Pediatrics, guidance on diet during gastroenteritis.
Frequently asked questions
What can I eat low carb when sick?
Reach for foods that are gentle and easy to keep down: a light egg drop soup, plain cottage cheese, and frozen blueberries. Start with small amounts, sip plenty of fluids, and add more as your stomach settles. If the egg yolk feels too rich while you are still weak, leave it out and keep the soup brothy.
Is the BRAT diet low carb?
No. The BRAT diet is bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast, which is almost all carbs. For a Low Carb lifestyle the gentler swaps are brothy soup in place of toast, cottage cheese in place of applesauce, and frozen berries in place of the banana craving.
Can I do keto with a stomach bug?
You can stay low carb through a stomach bug by leaning on broth, soft eggs, and a little dairy, though appetite and ketones often dip while you are ill and that is normal. Focus on fluids first and food second, and eat only what sounds bearable.
What low carb food settles an upset stomach fastest?
Warm brothy soup is usually the easiest first food, since the liquid is soothing and the broth adds back sodium you lose. Cottage cheese and a few frozen blueberries work once you can handle something more solid.
