Nutritional Remedies For Morning Sickness

Written by nutrition student, Teresa Butler

What is Morning Sickness?

Morning sickness is one of the most common and well known pregnancy symtoms. The precise cause of morning sickness is not known, but it is likely the result of the large change in hormone production.  If your nausea is mild, you may be able to nourish yourself and eat normally. Some people, though, experience nausea at a level that makes it difficult to find food appealing!

When Does Morning Sickness Occur?

“Morning” sickness can happen during any time of the day, not just in the morning! Bouts of nausea and vomiting last longer in some women than others, and some women don’t experience it at all.

The symptoms usually take place during the first 12-14 weeks of being pregnant. Remember, even if you do fall into the category of women who experience nausea or vomiting during pregnancy, is IS only temporary!

Remedies For Morning Sickness

Each pregnant woman is unique and will experience different symptoms, cravings and solutions to deal with nausea and vomiting during pregancy. Every woman is different, and it’s important to experiment and figure out what works best for you.

Foods Choices That May Aggravate Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy:

• Deep-fried, greasy foods
• Spicy foods
• Caffeinated or sugary drinks
• Be mindful of which foods you trigger your personal nausea symptoms, and avoid them!

Food Remedies For Morning Sickness

Beverages

• Eat 6-8 small frequent meals throughout the day. Low blood sugar / blood sugar crashes can lead to nausea. Eating small, frequent meals helps to stabilize your blood sugar.
• Keep hydrated, drink 10-16 glasses of filtered water
• Herbal teas can help alleviate nausea associated with pregnancy., ginger, peppermint, lemon are good ones, although you should avoid peppermint if you also have heartburn! Click HERE for a good list of herbs for morning sickness.
• Lemonade is a great drink to fight off nausea. Even just the scent pf fresh lemons may provide some relief.
• Try drinking 1-2 fruit smoothies a day

Foods

• Keep dried granola, nuts and other snacks by your bed so you have snacks to eat as soon as you wake up. Although you may not want to eat or feel hungry, nausea is much more likely to occur on an empty stomach
• Bland high carb foods may be all you can tolerate in certain phases of intense nausea: try dry toast, plain baked potatoes, popcorn
• High-protein foods work great as well, lots of lean meat, beans, legumes, nut butters (try avoiding peanut ones, and choose almond instead), hard cheeses, poultry, milk, and nuts. Almonds are the best choice to have in a bag handy to snack on throughout the day
• “Liver-clearing” foods such as radishes, artichokes & beets are good choices to include in your diet

Mealtime Suggestions

• Breakfast
  Dry toast
  Plain Oatmeal
  Cereal (dry or with a little milk)

• Snacks (plenty throughout the day)
  Graham crackers
  Plain popcorn (no butter or salt)
  Pretzels, almonds and potato chips (salted, not spicy flavors)
  Celery sticks, carrot sticks, apples, raisins, prunes
  Tart/sour pickles

• Lunch & dinner
  Soup or broth
  Pasta
  Rice (white or brown)
  Unseasoned plain mashed potatoes, plain baked potato

• Beverages
  Water – filtered is best.
  Lemonade
  Decaffeinated/ herbal teas: (peppermint, chamomile, Gingerroot tea)

Consider consulting a Holistic Nutritionist or a Registered Dietician. A consultation can give you a more throrough and personalized nutritional remedies for pregnancy symptoms, while ensuring you are getting all the nutrients you need for you and baby.  Most extended health plans cover Registered Dieticians. Holisitic Nutritionists and Dieticians take different approaches to nutritional health, so look into your options and pick a practitioner that fits for you.

Supplements

• Vitamin B6 is a good morning sickness treatment. Oral B6 can be difficult to take while nauseated, so look into B6 injections.
• Folic Acid can also help alleviate symptoms of morning sickness
• Milk Thistle is known to relieve nausea and vomiting during pregnancy
• Iron is a common supplement prescribed to women during pregnancy. It sometimes causes nausea. Speak to your doctor or midwife about this, and ask for suggestions before altering your dose in any way.

Other Tips

• Get plenty of fresh air
• REST! REST! REST! REST! Very important to nap during the day, and try to stay in bed for an extra 30-60mins before getting up
• Avoid smoking, as it can add to nausea symptoms during pregnancy
• Make slow and mindful movements
• Avoid strong odors, perfumes, scented lotions which can aggravate nausea

Bonus: try the “Bean Cure” – a tablespoon of lentils at onset of nausea! Legumes are high in protein and vitamin B and this trick has been found helpful by a LOT of people!

Written by Teresa Butler, Nutrition Student at The institute of Holistic Nutrition in Vancouver, BC