Foods that Help with Morning Sickness

One of the best ways to help you get through morning sickness is by eating. Eating may be the last thing you want to do when you’re suffering from morning sickness, but overall good nutrition may help reduce the nausea experienced during pregnancy that is more commonly known as morning sickness.

• Nibble continuously: The first thing you can do to eat away your morning sickness is to try to never have an empty stomach. All those acids churning around in an empty stomach will make you feel worse and probably even more difficult to eat. If you're feeling nauseated, it’s likely that nothing will sound good to you. However, it’s very important to always keep some food in your stomach, even if you think that it’s junk food.

• Keep snacks with you: Keep a little something by your beside and eat a little something before you go to bed and right when you wake up. I've even seen some people recommend eating first thing when you wake in the morning, before you even sit up all the way. And always be sure to take snacks with you wherever you go. Graze frequently throughout the day.

There are certain foods that have been known to help relieve nausea for a long time. One of those is ginger. You can eat ginger in a vast amount of ways. You can try it in pretty much anything that sounds appealing to you. Some of these options are: ginger gum, ginger candies, ginger ale, ginger carrot soup, ginger muffins, ginger scones, crystallized ginger or ginger tea. Just make sure that you’re getting real ginger, as many ginger ales or processed ginger muffins or scones don't contain real ginger.

There are tons of great recipes available online that use ginger. There are even some that teach you how to make your own ginger ale, which sounds interesting. You can also break off a piece of ginger root and simply smelling it may help reduce nausea.

Another common nausea-relieving food is lemon. The same goes for lemon as ginger: eat it in whatever way sounds most appealing to you. You can squeeze some into fresh, ginger tea for some extra nausea butt-kicking. Squeeze some fresh lemon into your water and sip throughout the day. You can also lick or sniff lemon whenever you start to feel the queasies.

Some women find that they feel much better when they manage to eat more and more balanced meals. I know this can be extremely difficult, as nothing sounds appealing when you’re feeling sick. However, try the best you can to get adequate nutrition and it may help you feel better. Try making smoothies or shakes so you can sip your nutrients if you really can’t handle many solid foods. Meal replacement shakes such as Ensure are a good option. Smoothies are pretty simple to make, taste good and if you use fresh fruits and vegetables, can be packed with nutrients.

Some foods are easier to digest and may be helpful in relieving your morning sickness. These foods include:

• Crackers,
• Cereal,
• Avocado,
• Frozen yogurt,
• Frozen fruit bars,
• Pudding,
• Potatoes and potato chips,
• Gum,
• Mint,
• Peppermint candies,
• Rice cakes,
• Granola bars,
• Grapes, and
• Applesauce

My thoughts are to listen to your body. When you are pregnant, you may find foods that you used to love appalling and vice versa. If something specific sounds good to you, go for it. If it doesn't, don't.

I want to make a special note about avocado. It is a super-food and easy on your stomach. It is full of antioxidants, healthy fats and other nutrients. Surprisingly enough, it has a very mild flavor and goes great in smoothies. I bet that you won’t even taste it if you toss half an avocado in your smoothie. It is a great way to get some nutrients in your body while you’re struggling with eating. It might even help make you feel better. (Mashed banana and avocado makes a great first food for baby as well!)

There are some foods that are heavy on your stomach or cause excess gas and bloating and should probably be avoided if you’re suffering from morning sickness. These foods include:

• Coffee,
• Cola,
• Cabbage,
• Cauliflower,
• Fried and greasy foods,
• Onions, and
• Sausage

Eating may be the best way to help morning sickness. Of course, there are other things you can try if changing your eating habits alone does not help. Generally, the time when morning sickness peaks during pregnancy corresponds with feeling extra fatigued. Be sure to get lots of rest and remember that your body is working hard to bring you a beautiful, healthy baby. This thought alone might help you get through this difficult time. Hang in there and good luck on your journey.