I know you want to eat well during your pregnancy to nourish your growing baby, but it can be
hard when all you feel is hot chips.
Today, I'm going to share my top 7 dietitian-approved, best foods for morning sickness, that will
simultaneously help you feel better and nourish your baby.
Stay tuned!
If you're feeling nauseous, try these foods....
Number one is a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon - dehydration can often make your
morning sickness worse.
But, sometimes it can be difficult to drink enough...especially if you're vomiting all
the time.
The strong sour smell of the lemon can reduce nausea, so be generous with the amount of
lemon that you add.
Furthermore, the lemon juice impacts the way that your body absorbs and retains water,
so it's often easier to drink more water when it is flavoured with lemon juice.
And, if you're REALLY sick, and you can't even stomach water, just try smelling the
cut lemon first.
Give it a go.
I bet you'll be glad that you did!
Okay, number two is another drink.
This time, it's a green smoothie with ginger - simply put your favourite green vegies into
a blender....I'd recommend some baby spinach, celery and mint with some citrus fruit, such
as an orange, lemon or lime and ginger.
The green vegies are for folate which is a very important nutrient during your first
trimester of pregnancy when you're also most likely to be struggling with morning sickness.
Citrus fruits are also a good source of folate, and they contain some carbohydrate for energy.
Carbohydrate has also been found to be helpful for relieving morning sickness, and then ginger
as that has been found to be beneficial for relieving nausea too.
Add as much ginger as you can tolerate.
Drinks are often easier to stomach than food when your morning sickness is really bad,
so you should find this helpful.
Number three is vegemite on toast - Vegemite contains vitamin B6 which has been found to
improve nausea.
I'd recommend using either wholemeal, rye or white bread if you're feeling really sick,
instead of grainy bread or sourdough, which is what I'd usually recommend as a dietitian.
This is because you want a higher GI bread, so that the carbohydrates in the bread break
down quickly and easily giving you a quick boost of energy.
Use as little butter as possible, as research shows that fat can make your nausea worse.
Forth on my list is Miso soup - You can either buy this or make it yourself.
You'll find a recipe on my blog.
Just go to melaniemcgrice.com.
The tofu in miso soup will provide you with some protein which is essential for your growing
baby, and even more important if you can't stomach meat and chicken at the moment.
And the stock used to make miso is really good for rehydration.
Number five is popcorn - But, you need to be really careful about which popcorn you
use.
Remember I said that too much fat can make you feel even worse?
So avoid buttered popcorn and pop your own.
The carbohydrates and salt in this will help to make you feel heaps better, so nibble on
this throughout the day.
Number six is slices of apple - I often recommend leaving an apple and a knife next to your
bed, and then peeling the apple and having a few slices before you get out of bed in
the morning.
This will help to optimise your blood sugar levels and hormones before you get out of
bed, and can be a great help if you truly are experiencing morning sickness.
Banana also works well.
And, number seven is low fat yoghurt - The reason why this made my list is that it is
rich in carbohydrates and protein which are good for morning sickness, and low in fat.
Furthermore, there's some suggestion that the probiotics may also be helpful for morning
sickness, especially if your morning sickness is caused by a bug called H pylori.
Try to get a natural yoghurt without any additives.
If you've tried all this and are still vomiting three times or more per day, or have lost
more than 3 kilograms or 6 pounds, make sure that you make an appointment to see a prenatal
dietitian.
And, can I please ask you a favour?
Let me know in the comments below, which of these you're going to try first.....and how
you go!
I'd love to hear if it makes a difference for you.
Can you also please share this video with your other friends who are pregnant or trying
to conceive?
Just click the share button below this video, or copy and paste the link to your favourite
social media.
It's estimated that approximately 90% of women experience nausea and vomiting during their
first trimester of pregnancy, and this can really impact on the nutrients that your baby
is receiving, so this is important stuff.
And, make sure that you check out my other pregnancy videos on Nourish, so that you can
give your baby a headstart in life.
I look forward to seeing you in my next video!