My Touch Of Heaven

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

• Odour plays a major role in morning sickness. Cold food tends to smell less so you might find cold foods easier to tolerate than hot food.

• 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

• Foods that make your blood sugar rise and fall quickly are most likely to trigger nausea and vomiting. Foods that are high in sugar will have the biggest effect, so try and limit fruit juice, sugary snacks and highly refined foods such as cereals and any food that contains white flour.

• Eat small meals frequently with lots of protein

• It might seem that your meals are not very balanced. If you are able to keep it down, then don’t worry too much. You can go back to a more balanced diet once the sickness disappears.

• 2o minutes before getting up have a snack that you put next to the bed the night before (this might be tricky if you need the loo on waking!)

• It is harder to digest fatty food and it will help to avoid these foods. Other trigger foods include, rich, spicy, acidic and fried foods

• Don’t let yourself become dehydrated. Try to drink little and often. Large amounts of fluids gushing into your stomach will only increase your feelings of nausea. Soups, cool drinks or herbal tea will all help you do not have to limit yourself to water. If you are going to be sick it is much better to have some fluid in your stomach. If you are vomiting frequently try to sip an isotonic sports drink as it will restore your blood sugar, glucose and electrolyte balance ( if it is excessive do contact your health care provider)

• If you are taking prenatal vitamin, your system will handle it much better later in the day and even at bed time than it will in the earlier part of the day. It is also worth using one, just for a few weeks with less iron, which can be particularly harsh on your digestive system. Please do not reduce your iron supplementation if you suspect or have been confirmed to be anaemic.

• Ginger can be really helpful to ease morning sickness. It can be chewed or used in tea. Some women find other products such as candied ginger, ginger beer and stem ginger biscuits. • Morning sickness can be eased by ginger. It comes in many varieties so it is worth trying a few. The most common forms are ginger tea, candied ginger, ginger beer and stem ginger biscuits.

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

• Brewer’s yeast has be known to help pregnant ladies with morning sickness

• Research suggests that vitamin B6 helps to reduce morning sickness. You will find vitamin B6 in grains, cereals, legumes, eggs, fish, nuts and avocados.

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

• Mint based products have a calming effect on the digestive system. Try sipping some mint tea. If you have excess saliva then you will find chewing mint gum very helpful.
Finally listen to your instincts. They are there to serve you. Morning sickness is not fully understood but it probably as a protective function. If a certain food or smell makes you feel sick then avoid it. If you are driven to eat a particular food then go for it. Try to be as balanced as possible but do not get hung up about it. You will soon feel better and then you can restore the balance in your diet. If you vomit everything you consume you need to speak to your healthcare provider.