Morning Sickness – Top Food Tips to Rid You from Nausea & Vomiting in Pregnancy   by Claire Batten

Are you suffering the affects of morning sickness. It seems so unfair that at a time of great joy and excitement women are plagued with nausea, vomiting and food aversions. Don’t lose hope though, there are lots of practical things you can do with you diet that have a track record of helping women who are suffering from morning sickness

* The smell of food can trigger morning sickness. Food that is cold tends to smell less so this is a better option to avoid triggering nausea and vomiting.

* Research has proven that blood sugar has an impact on morning sickness. By keeping your blood sugar stable you are less likely to suffer from nausea and vomiting. Having a good sized portion of protein at each meal will help to maintain your blood sugar levels. Having a protein snack before you go to bed and if you wake during the night will alleviate sickness on waking

* Try to avoid foods that make your blood sugar rise to quickly and subsequently fall. Foods such as fruit juice sugary snacks, highly processed foods including cereals and any food that contains white flour.

* Consume small frequent meals with a good amount of protein.

* Don’t worry if the foods you are choosing do not seem too balanced. It’s better to keep it down, than have a perfectly balance meal down the loo!

* Put a snack next to the bed at night so that you can eat it 20 minutes before you get up (hopefully you won’t need to run to the loo)

* Foods that are high in fat are more difficult to digest and can make nausea and vomiting worse. Other common culprits include, rich, spicy, acidic and fried foods

* Stay hydrated. This is so important. Try and have regular small drinks (tea, soup, cool drinks) as gulping down large volumes of water can also increase the feelings of nausea. If you have been vomiting consider sipping an isotonic sports drink as it will help to restore balance to your blood sugars, glucose and electrolytes. It is much better to have some fluid in your stomach if you are going to vomit.

* Consider taking your prenatal vitamins at dinner time or just before you go to bed. Your body can handle it much better later in the day and is less likely to trigger nausea or vomiting. Sometimes iron supplements either on their own or part your normal prenatal can be harsh on your digestive system so consider reducing the amount. As soon as the nausea has passed you can increase the amount again. You have a history of anemia then do reduce your iron supplementation without first discussing it with your healthcare provider.

* Ginger tea can be helpful as well as chewing raw ginger. It is worth trying any ginger based product such as ginger candy, ginger beer and stem ginger biscuits.

* As obvious at it might seem avoid any food (or situation) that you find triggers your nausea

* Some ladies find Brewer’s yeast capsules help to relieve morning sickness

* Vitamin B6 has been demonstrated to reduce morning sickness and can be found in cereal grains, legumes, eggs, fish, chicken, nuts and avocados.

* Suck or sniff a lemon when you hit a wave of nausea

* Mint tea and mint chewing gum can be very calming to the digestive tract. Chewing gum can help if excessive saliva is a problem.

Overall it is best to listen to your instinct. It is there for a reason. If you are driven to eat a certain food, then eat it. If the thought or smell of a food makes you feel sick then it is best avoided. Try to be as balanced as possible but do not worry if you cannot. If you are unable to keep anything down it is important to speak to your health care provider.

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* Stay hydrated. This is so important. Try and have regular small drinks (tea, soup, cool drinks) as gulping down large volumes of water can also increase the feelings of nausea. If you have been vomiting consider sipping an isotonic sports drink as it will help to restore balance to your blood sugars, glucose and electrolytes. It is much better to have some fluid in your stomach if you are going to vomit.