Morning sickness is a pregnancy symptom that is marked by nausea and occasional vomiting. Some women experience it in their first trimester while others deal with this symptom throughout their pregnancy.
My friend, Omalicha experienced morning sickness in all her pregnancies. According to her, it was usually her first sign of pregnancy and it always lasted for sixteen weeks. She recalls that she experienced a loss of appetite as a result of it. In her words,
“food tasted like saw dust in my mouth and after eating, I won’t feel okay till I throw up. In my first pregnancy, I lost some weight because sometimes, after eating, I would stick a finger into my throat just so that I would vomit and feel better. In subsequent pregnancies, however, I learnt to manage it by avoiding certain foods while eating only foods that help to ease that nauseous feeling.”
Today, we’ll be discussing eight foods that can help ease nausea in pregnancy. So, if you know someone who is dealing with morning sickness, you can ask them to try any of the following foods:
1. Ginger: One herb that can help you manage nausea effectively is ginger. This herb can be used in different ways or forms. Someone once told me
that when dealing with morning sickness, she only needs to inhale ginger steam to feel better. Ginger tea works too. You can even buy the lozenge to suck on. So, experiment with ginger till you discover what works best for you.
2. Fluids: Hanty, I know you think that anything that goes into your mouth will send you back to the toilet bowl. But you need to stay hydrated when you’re having morning sickness otherwise you’ll become dehydrated. Aim to drink at least eight glasses of fluid in a day. If you don’t like drinking good old water, try lemon water. You may want to avoid carbonated drinks at this time, though. They can cause bloating or worsen your acid reflux.
3. Greek Yoghurt: When you’re not feeling your best, loyal foods like Greek yogurt remind you that you’re still special. This delightful, creamy, cold snack contains twice as much protein as regular yogurt. It’s filling too. Go ahead and scoop some into a plate. Garnish it with berries, if you have some and remind yourself as you’re eating it that morning sickness will soon be over.
4. Herbal Tea: Some herbs contain properties that can help ease nausea. Chamomile, lemon, peppermint are notable examples. They can be found in supermarkets around you. Oya, buy a pack and make your tea with hot water. It will sooth your queasy stomach.
5. Pepper Soup: This delicious, spicy broth is served hot. It’s also seasoned with spices like ginger, garlic, negro pepper, calabash nutmeg; some of them are pretty effective in the management of nausea and vomiting. Moreover, pepper soup and other broth-based soups supply necessary fluid and nutrition to the body. However, it must be stated that the soups prepared to manage nausea should not be too spicy so as not to trigger diarrhea.
6. Salty Crackers: Nausea is likely to occur when you wake up with an empty stomach. Thus, you might want to keep some crackers in your bedside drawer before retiring at night. Having something to nibble on when you wake up may settle your stomach and help you prevent nausea before it starts.
7. Banana: This sweet fruit will provide your body with potassium and other nutrients that it needs. You can eat your banana alone. You can also add more nutrients to your diet by making a smoothie with your banana. A four-ingredient smoothie made with frozen bananas, oats, ginger and milk will refresh and satisfy you.
8. Toast: This food is dry. It doesn’t have an overwhelming flavour. So, it’s less likely to cause queasiness. Besides, it’s versatile. Thus, you can eat it alone. You can equally create full meals out of it by making a sandwich. You can also top it off with avocado.
Finally, all expectant mothers will not like all the foods on this list. But they will definitely find a few that will ease their nausea and ensure that they don’t starve themselves and their little ones while dealing with morning sickness.
Sources
Hanatonic
Invidyo
Medicine Net
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