Thai food and an upset stomach: what to eat (and avoid) in Thailand
If Thai food has upset your stomach, eat plain and simple for a day or two: rice porridge (jok), rice soup, plain rice, clear soups and bananas, with plenty of fluids. Skip chilli, fatty food, raw seafood and alcohol until you feel normal. This guide lists the gentlest Thai dishes, what to buy at 7-Eleven, and when an upset stomach needs a doctor.
The short version
An upset stomach in Thailand in five points
- Fluids first: small, frequent sips of water and oral rehydration salts, even if you don’t feel like eating.
- Eat plain when you’re ready: jok (rice porridge), khao tom (rice soup), plain rice, clear noodle soup, toast and bananas.
- Say “mai phet” (not spicy) when you order, and avoid fried, greasy and very rich food for a few days.
- Skip the risky stuff: raw or undercooked seafood, salads washed in tap water, fruit juice, fizzy drinks and alcohol.
- Know the red flags: blood in your poo, a high fever, severe pain or not keeping any fluids down means a doctor, not a diet.
Spicy Thai food or a stomach bug?
Not every upset stomach in Thailand is food poisoning. Plenty of visitors simply eat more chilli, oil, coconut milk and strong flavours in a week than they normally would in a month, and their gut lets them know. A spicy-food tummy usually means a burning feeling, some loose stools and wind after a big meal, and it settles within a day once you eat more gently.
A stomach bug is different. It tends to come on suddenly, often with vomiting, cramps, frequent watery diarrhoea and sometimes a temperature, and it can leave you drained for a few days. If that sounds like you, read our guide to food poisoning on Koh Phi Phi for the symptoms, how long it lasts and when to get help. The eating advice below works for both.
What to eat in Thailand with diarrhoea
The NHS advice is simple: keep drinking, and eat when you feel able to, avoiding fatty or spicy food. Thailand is actually a good place to have a delicate stomach, because some of its most comforting dishes are exactly what you need:
- Jok (rice porridge): rice cooked down to a smooth, soft porridge, eaten across Thailand for breakfast and when people are unwell. Ask for it plain or with a little minced pork or chicken, without the chilli and fried garlic toppings.
- Khao tom (rice soup): rice in a light, clear broth. Gentle, salty and hydrating.
- Plain steamed rice (khao suay), with a little plain grilled chicken when you’re ready for more.
- Clear noodle soup (kuay teow nam sai): ask for clear broth, thin rice noodles and no chilli. Leave the chilli flakes, sugar and fish sauce on the table alone.
- Bananas: easy on the stomach and sold everywhere, from market stalls to 7-Eleven.
- Toast, plain bread and crackers: easy to find in the island’s cafés and shops.
Eat small portions, slowly. You don’t need to force food down while you’re still being sick: fluids matter more for the first day, and your appetite will come back.
Best Thai food for an upset stomach: how to order
A few Thai words make ordering much easier, and most restaurants on Phi Phi are happy to adjust a dish:
- Mai phet: not spicy. Many kitchens still add a little chilli by habit, so you can say it twice.
- Mai sai prik: no chilli added.
- Ask for things on the side: sauces, chilli dips and fried toppings, so you decide how much goes on.
- Choose cooked and hot: food that has just been cooked and is served steaming is the safer choice, wherever you eat it.
Once you feel better, build back up over a couple of days: fried rice without chilli, grilled chicken (gai yang) with sticky rice, or a mild omelette on rice (khai jiao) are good next steps before you go back to curries and salads.
Thai food to avoid with an upset stomach
Until you feel completely normal, give these a miss:
- Very spicy dishes: papaya salad (som tam), spicy salads (yum, larb), jungle curry and anything with lots of fresh chilli.
- Rich, fatty and fried food: coconut curries, deep-fried snacks, pork belly and greasy late-night street food.
- Raw or undercooked seafood and meat: raw prawn and shellfish salads, rare meat and anything that has been sitting out in the heat.
- Raw salads and cut fruit that may have been washed in tap water. Fruit you peel yourself is fine.
- Fruit juice and fizzy drinks: the NHS notes they can make diarrhoea worse.
- Alcohol: buckets and beer dehydrate you further and irritate the gut. Have a night off.
- Milky drinks and ice cream: some people find dairy harder to digest for a few days after a stomach upset.
Wondering about the ice in your drink or brushing your teeth with tap water? See is tap water safe in Thailand?
Diarrhoea in Thailand: a 7-Eleven shopping list
You’re never far from a 7-Eleven on Phi Phi Don. For an upset stomach, these are worth picking up:
- Oral rehydration salts (ORS sachets) to mix with bottled water. They replace the salts you lose with diarrhoea far better than plain water.
- Large bottles of drinking water, so you can sip steadily in your room.
- Instant rice porridge cups if you can’t face going out to eat.
- Bananas, plain crackers and plain bread.
- Ginger drinks or tea, which some people find settling.
For medicines, go to a pharmacy rather than guessing. Tell the pharmacist your symptoms, how long you’ve had them, and about any other medication, allergies or pregnancy. Medicines that stop diarrhoea are not right for everyone, for example if you have a fever or blood in your poo, so let the pharmacist or a doctor decide.
When you need a doctor, not a diet
See a doctor if you have blood in your poo or bleeding from the bottom, a high temperature, severe or constant tummy pain, you keep being sick and can’t keep fluids down, you still have signs of dehydration (very dark pee or hardly peeing) after using rehydration salts, or the diarrhoea lasts more than 7 days or vomiting more than 2 days. Get help early for babies, young children, older people, anyone pregnant and people with long-term health conditions. Call 1669 (Thailand emergency medical services) for confusion, fainting, a stiff neck with a rash, or someone who is very drowsy or hard to wake. Our guide to medical help on Koh Phi Phi lists where to go on the island.
Can an IV drip help an upset stomach?
Only in some cases. A spicy-food tummy doesn’t need a drip: plain food and fluids are enough. A drip makes sense when a stomach bug means you can’t keep fluids down, you’re feeling weak and dried out, and you’re struggling to catch up by sipping. Our food poisoning IV drip rehydrates you in your room, and the nurse checks you first and tells you honestly if you need a doctor instead.
Upset stomach FAQ
Thai food and your stomach: your questions
Why does Thai food upset my stomach?
Usually it’s the change: much more chilli, oil and coconut milk than you’re used to, different bacteria in food and water, heat, alcohol and late nights. Sometimes it’s a stomach bug from food or water that wasn’t handled safely.
What is the best Thai food for an upset stomach?
Jok (rice porridge) and khao tom (rice soup) are the classic choices, along with plain rice, clear noodle soup without chilli and bananas.
How long should I eat plain food?
Until you feel normal again, usually a day or two for a spicy-food tummy. After a stomach bug, build up slowly over a few days before going back to spicy curries, salads and alcohol.
Is street food safe in Thailand?
Much of it is cooked fresh and served hot, which is the safer choice. Pick busy stalls where food is cooked in front of you, and be more careful with raw salads, seafood and food that has been sitting out.
Should I stop eating if I have diarrhoea?
No. Keep drinking and eat small amounts of plain food when you feel able to. Not eating for a while is fine if you’re being sick, as long as you keep sipping fluids.
Keep reading
Looking after your stomach on Phi Phi
Read food poisoning on Koh Phi Phi for symptoms and when to get help, or see our food poisoning IV drip on Phi Phi if you can’t keep fluids down.
Sources: NHS: Diarrhoea and vomiting · NHS: Dehydration · WHO: Food safety. Last updated October 2026.
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