Recipes · Sick-Day Food
Banana-Oat Porridge
Reader ratingsRolled oats simmered until very soft with a mashed ripe banana and a pinch of cinnamon: a mild, naturally sweet little bowl for when your stomach is unsettled or your appetite is just coming back.
Safety
- Porridge is food, not a rehydration treatment. With vomiting or diarrhea, sip an oral rehydration solution first (see the Oral Rehydration Solution recipe) and add food as soon as you can keep fluids down. Seek care for signs of dehydration (very dark urine or none for 8 hours, no wet diaper for 3 hours in a baby or toddler, no tears, sunken eyes, dizziness), blood in the stool or vomit, severe belly pain, a high fever, or symptoms that are not improving after a day or two.
- Oats are naturally gluten-free but are often contaminated with wheat during processing, so use oats labeled certified gluten-free if you have celiac disease. For a dairy allergy use water or a plant milk, and skip the almond butter for a nut allergy.
- Bananas are rich in potassium. If you have kidney disease or take medicines that raise potassium (ACE inhibitors, ARBs, potassium-sparing diuretics), ask your clinician how much is right for you.
- If you add ground cinnamon, buy a brand that tests for heavy metals: a 2023 to 2024 lead-exposure outbreak in US children was traced to cinnamon-containing applesauce pouches.
Why it’s good for you
Oats are a whole grain, a food group linked in large observational studies to lower long-term risk of heart disease and early death, and here they cook down into a soft, mild porridge that most people can face when little else appeals. Ripe banana adds natural sweetness and potassium, one of the minerals lost with vomiting and diarrhea.
Evidence
Limited evidence
Mostly small, early, or laboratory studies.
No trial has tested banana-oat porridge. A Cochrane review of 12 trials (1,283 children) found no evidence that giving food early during acute diarrhea increased vomiting, intravenous fluid use or persistent diarrhea, in line with European guidelines that say regular feeding should continue. The best-known banana research used cooked green banana, not ripe: in 62 Bangladeshi infants with persistent diarrhea, 55% fed a rice diet with green banana had recovered by day 3 compared with 15% on the rice diet alone, so those findings cannot be assumed for a ripe banana stirred into oats.
General information from research and traditional use — not medical advice, and not a treatment for any condition. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, check with your clinician first, and seek care for symptoms that are severe or do not improve.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine the oats, water and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes (1 to 2 minutes for quick oats), stirring often, until the oats are very soft and the porridge is thick.
- Stir in the mashed banana and the cinnamon, if using, and cook for 1 more minute. Add a splash of water for a looser porridge.
- Let it cool until just warm, since warm food sits more easily on a queasy stomach than steaming hot food. Eat a few spoonfuls and wait; have more only if you want it.
Tips
- Small, slow portions are easier than a full bowl. You do not need to stick to bland foods for long: European guidelines for children with stomach bugs advise carrying on with regular feeding.
- Thin the porridge with extra water, or blend it, for a drinkable version when swallowing is sore.
- If oats feel heavy, the Ginger Congee is a lower-fiber alternative.
Reader ratings & reviews
– out of 5
Loading ratings…
Rating breakdown
- 5 stars 0
- 4 stars 0
- 3 stars 0
- 2 stars 0
- 1 star 0
Made this? Please rate it.
Check your email
We sent a sign-in link to . Click it and you’ll come straight back here, signed in. It expires in 15 minutes; check your spam folder if it doesn’t show up. Thank you for helping the community!
Your review
Reviews are personal experiences. Every review is read by our team before it appears.
More sick-day food
Oral Rehydration Solution (Home Recipe)
The home sugar-and-salt version of the rehydration drink promoted by WHO and UNICEF: 1 liter of safe water, 6 level teaspoons of sugar and 1/2 level teaspoon of salt, sipped little and often during vomiting or diarrhea. A pharmacy packet is better whenever you can get one, and for children it is the one to use.
Strong evidence
Classic Chicken Soup
A plain, golden pot of chicken soup: a whole bird simmered slowly with onion, carrot, celery and parsley, then shredded back into the broth. Warm fluid, salt and easy protein for a day when little else appeals.
Limited evidence
Ginger Congee (Rice Porridge)
White rice simmered with plenty of water and fresh ginger until it melts into a silky porridge: the soft, soothing food that Chinese and many other Asian families make for anyone feeling unwell. A savory chicken-and-scallion version follows.
Traditional use
Soft Scrambled Eggs on Toast
Two eggs scrambled slowly over low heat into small, creamy curds and spooned over warm toast: a soft, protein-rich little plate for when your appetite is low but you want something more than broth.
Traditional use
Have a recipe of your own? Share it with us. We read every one before it goes on the site.