A bland diet can have a soothing effect on gastrointestinal complaints such as gastritis, intestinal inflammation, diarrhea or vomiting. The easily digestible dishes are gentle on the stomach and intestines and support recovery.
Here you will find simple, light and yet tasty light food recipes that are good for your body - whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Also: the best bland foods and practical tips for preparing them.
Which foods are included in a bland diet?
Ingredients that are easy to digest and gentle on the gastrointestinal tract are particularly suitable for light foods. Here are some examples:
Vegetables
- Carrots: Easily digestible and soothing to the stomach.
- Zucchini and pumpkin: Mild and soft after boiling or steaming.
- Parsnips and fennel: Particularly well tolerated and stomach-friendly.
- potatoes: Ideal filling and easy to digest, especially as puree or mashed potatoes.
Grain
- Reis: White rice is particularly gentle and helps with gastrointestinal problems.
- oatmeal: Gentle on the stomach, e.g. B. as oatmeal or porridge.
- Bulgur: Well tolerated when cooked and combined with mild vegetables.
Meat and eggs
- Lean poultry: Chicken or turkey, preferably steamed or boiled.
- Fisch: Lean fish like cod or hake, boiled or steamed, is also gentle.
- Owner: Particularly suitable as soft scrambled eggs or hard-boiled, but not too greasy.
dairy products
- Low-fat yogurtandLow-fat quark: Well tolerated, best in small quantities and lactose-free if necessary.
- cream cheese: As a light spread, low in fat and mild in taste.
Fruit
- Banana: Easily digestible and soothing to the stomach, especially good for diarrhea.
- applesauce: No added sugar and gently prepared, ideal for a sensitive stomach.
- Stewed pears: A mild alternative for variety.
Drinks
- herbal teas: Fennel, chamomile and ginger tea calm the stomach.
- Still water: The best choice for gastrointestinal complaints.
Light food recipes for breakfast
Light-colored breads with some sweet spread are suitable as a light food breakfast. It is better to avoid whole grain bread if you have gastrointestinal problems.
Whole grain products contain a lot of fiber, which is healthy but can put a strain on the gastrointestinal tract - especially if it is irritated or inflamed. In the case of gastrointestinal complaints and the light food diet, the aim is to relieve digestion so that the body can recover.
The fiber in whole-grain bread, pasta and rice stimulates digestion, which can lead to flatulence, abdominal pain or diarrhea if you have a sensitive stomach or irritated intestines.
Light food recipes with bread
- Avoid butter or margarine, they are too high in fat. It is better to spread the bread with low-fat cream cheese. You eat it like this or you can put lean sausage on it, e.g. E.g. ham sausage, turkey or smoked pork cold cuts.
- If you like it sweet, you can eat a little jam or honey. It is better to avoid raw foods such as cucumber slices or tomatoes.
- If you suffer from lactose intolerance like me, you should test how well you tolerate milk or yogurt.
Light food recipes with oatmeal
If you eat muesli in the morning, you should avoid ready-made mueslis and cornflakes. They contain too much sugar. A great stomach-friendly recipe is porridge.
To do this, pour fine oat flakes into a bowl, pour hot water over the flakes and add a little cinnamon and honey. Let it soak briefly and then enjoy with, for example, sliced banana.
Also try:
Tip for your stomach in the morning:Drink herbal or ginger tea instead of coffee - this calms the stomach and promotes digestion.
Light food recipes for lunch
A warm meal at lunchtime is often more pleasant for an irritated stomach than cold food such as salad. In general, raw foods are more stressful for the gastrointestinal tract than cooked or steamed foods.
Well-tolerated vegetables include: E.g. zucchini, pumpkin, carrots, fennel, parsnips or kohlrabi. If you want proteins to end up on the table, you should choose lean types of meat or fish and cook them without a lot of oil.
Personal tip:Instead of cooking vegetables etc. for the light food recipes, you should steam them. This method of preparation is particularly gentle and ensures that the food retains its healthy vitamins. In this way you are doing something good for your ailing body.
Donation costsRecipe: Potato and carrot mash
Ingredients for 2 servings:
- 350 g mainly waxy potatoes
- 250 g carrots
- some oil
- 100 ml milk or water
- a little salt
- Nutmeg, freshly grated
Preparation:
- Peel the potatoes and carrots, cut them into large pieces and cook until cooked.
- Drain the water and mash the potatoes and carrots with a potato masher while adding milk or water. Depending on your taste, puree finely or make it a little more chunky.
- Season with a little salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Donation costsRecipe: Pasta and vegetable pan
Ingredients for 2 servings:
- 200 g pasta of your choice
- 1 Zucchini
- 1 small broccoli
- 2-3 carrots, peeled
- some cream cheese
- a little salt
- Thymian
Preparation:
- Cook the pasta together with the broccoli florets.
- In the meantime, wash the remaining vegetables and cut them into small cubes.
- Fry the vegetable cubes in a little oil in a non-stick pan.
- Add the drained pasta, broccoli and some cream cheese.
- Season with salt, pepper and chopped thyme
Looking for more lunch ideas?
My cookbook tip:If you would like to have further tips and suitable light food recipes at home at all times, we recommend “The Big Light Food Cookbook”. It contains over 130 dishes that can relieve gastrointestinal problems.You can find the light food cookbook on Amazon here*
Light food recipes for dinner
As with breakfast, light types of bread are also suitable as a light diet for dinner. Low-fat cream cheese or margarine quark are well suited as a spread. For example, turkey breast, chicken breast or lean cooked ham are suitable as bread toppings for a light food dinner. These varieties are rich in protein and have little strain on the stomach.
Warm, light food dinner
Are you looking for a warm, light food dinner? Finely pureed soups made from easily digestible vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, pumpkin or sweet potatoes are the ideal light food dishes. It's better to avoid cream and hot spices.
If you are a salad fan, you can prepare a bulgur salad with cooked vegetables and enjoy it cold. You should also avoid leafy salads at dinner as they often cause digestive problems.
Donation costsRecipe: pumpkin soup
Ingredients for 2 servings:
- 1/2 Hokkaido pumpkin
- 500 ml vegetable broth
- 1 piece of ginger
- some salt
Preparation:
- Remove the seeds and cut the pumpkin into rough pieces.
- Cook the pumpkin pieces in vegetable stock until the pumpkin is soft, then puree with a hand blender.
- Peel the ginger, chop it finely and stir it into the soup along with a little curry, salt and pepper.
Donation costsRecipe: Bulgur and vegetable salad
Ingredients for 2-3 servings:
- 1 Bulgur Cup
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 1 small zucchini
- 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
- some vegetable broth
- a little salt
- Parsley, coriander, mint if desired
Preparation:
- Prepare the bulgur according to the package instructions and let it cool.
- Cut the carrots and zucchini into small cubes or strips and cook them together with the peas in a little oil.
- Fold the vegetable mixture into the bulgur along with some vegetable broth.
- Season with a little salt and pepper.
- Fold in fresh herbs such as parsley, mint or coriander.
Reading tips:
Light food recipes for diarrhea
If you have acute diarrhea, even these bland food recipes can be too much for your stomach. It's better to just use dry rusks or porridge. Grated apple or carrot soup can also help against diarrhea.
Carrot soup recipe
Ingredients for 1 serving:
- 3-4 carrots
- 250 ml vegetable broth
- some ginger
Preparation:
- Peel the carrots and cut them into rough pieces.
- Cook in the vegetable broth until the carrots are soft, then puree until fine.
- Peel the ginger and grate it finely.
- Add the ginger to the soup and bring to the boil again. The light food soup is ready!
Season light food recipes
Mild spices and herbs are allowed in the bland diet, which are gentle on the stomach and still add flavor. Fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, basil and dill are ideal as they are easy to digest and rich in vitamins.
Caraway, fennel and mild ginger are also recommended as they have a calming effect on the gastrointestinal tract and can reduce flatulence. Cinnamon goes well with sweet dishes like porridge, while a pinch of nutmeg rounds off mashed potatoes or vegetables.
Hot spices such as chili or intense garlic should be avoided as they can irritate the stomach.
Preparing bland foods: 8 tips
No matter which recipe you choose, certain rules apply to bland foods so that the dishes are really stomach and intestinal friendly in the end:
- Uses little fat
- Avoid hot spices such as chili or pepper
- Season with a little salt and prefer fresh herbs
- Avoid vegetables that are difficult to digest, such as cabbage or legumes
- Cook vegetables and avoid raw vegetables
- Avoid high-fat foods such as cream or bacon
- Avoid onions
- Seasoned with caraway, which makes food easier to digest
We hope that our light food recipes and tips will help you get your symptoms under control. If they persist or possibly even get worse, you should urgently seek medical advice.
Important NOTE:This article is for informational purposes only and does not replace a medical diagnosis. If you have any uncertainties, urgent questions or acute symptoms, you should contact your doctor or ask for advice at the pharmacy. The medical on-call service can be reached via the nationwide number 116117.
