Putting the diet into practice
Gastroparesis Meal Plan
A meal plan turns the gastroparesis diet's rules into real meals: small, low-fat, low-fiber foods spread across the day. Here is a sample day to adapt with your own care team.
A gastroparesis meal plan turns the diet's rules into real meals. It spreads small, low-fat, low-fiber foods across five or six light meals a day, so the stomach is never overloaded. The plan below is a sample to adapt with your own care team, not a prescription.
What does a gastroparesis meal plan look like?
A workable plan rests on three habits: keep each meal small, keep it low in fat and fiber, and eat more often so the day's nutrition still adds up. The reasoning behind those rules, including the step-by-step phases some people follow, is covered on our gastroparesis diet page. This page puts the rules into practice with a sample day and the foods that tend to sit well. Because calorie and protein needs differ from person to person, treat the example as a starting point to shape with a registered dietitian.
How should you structure your meals?
Aim for five or six small meals spread evenly through the day rather than three large ones. A smaller volume of food leaves the stomach more easily, which eases the fullness and nausea that large meals can bring. Sip water and other thin liquids through the day to stay hydrated, since liquids usually pass through the stomach even when solid food moves slowly. After eating, stay upright for an hour or two and take a gentle walk if you can, both of which help the stomach empty.
A sample day of meals
Here is one example of a gastroparesis meal plan, built from gentle, low-fat, low-fiber foods. Portions are small on purpose, and they are examples rather than set amounts.
- Breakfast: a small bowl of Cream of Wheat made with skim or low-fat milk, with a scrambled egg.
- Morning snack: a small container of low-fat yogurt with a few canned peaches.
- Lunch: a small turkey sandwich on white bread with a little low-fat mayonnaise, and a cup of smooth, strained vegetable soup or low-fat broth.
- Afternoon snack: a banana shake made by blending a ripe banana with low-fat milk and yogurt, or a ready-made nutrition drink.
- Dinner: a few ounces of baked or poached skinless chicken or white fish, a scoop of mashed potatoes, and well-cooked carrots or squash.
- Evening snack: a serving of low-fat pudding, custard, or gelatin.
The full lists of foods that tend to help or hurt are on our page about gastroparesis foods to eat and avoid.
What if solid food is too hard on a bad day?
On days when even small meals are difficult, lean on liquids and very smooth foods. Smoothies, milkshakes made with low-fat milk, strained soups, and ready-made nutrition drinks pass through the stomach more easily than solids while still supplying calories and protein. Our page of gastroparesis smoothies collects easy recipes for exactly these days. Many people find their symptoms are lightest in the morning, so a larger share of the day's solid food often goes down best earlier, with liquids carrying more of the load later on. The goal on a hard day is simply to keep calories and fluids up.
Tips that make a meal plan work
A few habits help the plan succeed. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly, which does some of the stomach's work in advance. Put protein first at each meal, since it is easy to fall short of it on a limited diet. Keep nutrition drinks or shakes on hand for days when appetite is low. Track which foods and portions sit well and which do not, and bring that record to your appointments so the plan can be adjusted. If you have diabetes, fold these meals into your blood sugar plan, as our diabetic gastroparesis diet page explains.
Keep reading
The pages that round out the eating plan.
Foods to Eat and Avoid
The full lists of foods that tend to help and the ones to skip.
See the foodsSources
Reviewed by Owen Hastings. NIDDK (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases), Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Gastroparesis (niddk.nih.gov), last reviewed January 2018, for eating five or six small low-fat, low-fiber meals a day and using liquids when solid food is hard to tolerate. Cleveland Clinic, Gastroparesis Diet (my.clevelandclinic.org), for the specific foods that are easier and harder to digest. International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (aboutgastroparesis.org), for the sample meal plan structure across breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Mayo Clinic, Gastroparesis (mayoclinic.org), for staying upright and taking a gentle walk after meals. This page is general health information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about your own care. Last reviewed June 2026.