Recipes To Treat Morning Sickness

Nausea and vomiting are some of the most common complaints during a woman’s pregnancy — and perhaps the first time that cracks appear in her romantic notions of motherhood. In fact, 50 to 90 percent of women have queasiness during the first trimester (the first thirteen weeks). Symptoms usually begin at the end of the first month, peak during the third month, and dissipate by week 14. A number of factors are thought to cause nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. They include hormonal shifts, a heightened sense of smell, psychological challenges, and genetics. Fortunately, most women have mild symptoms. Although those symptoms may be miserable for you, the good news is that nausea and vomiting during pregnancy don’t stunt your fetus’s growth.

1. Morning Bedside Snack

How it works: Low blood sugar often triggers nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Your goal is to prevent low blood sugar. Carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates, quickly raise blood sugar. While you sleep, you’re fasting. That’s why you want to break that fast as soon as possible. Try to eat a small meal every 2 hours.

• PREPARATION:

1. Rice cakes, crackers, or dry toast
2. Peanut, cashew, or almond butter, or tahini
3. Glass of water

• DIRECTIONS:

Prepare your snack the night before. (Or ask your partner to serve you in bed.) Spread the nut butter on the cakes or crackers and leave them on a plate at your bedside. (If nut butter suddenly seems loathsome, leave them off.)
Before you do as much as lift your head from the pillow, nibble your snack. Sip the water. Take your time. Get up slowly.

• YIELD: 01 SNACK

2. B6 Boost

How it works: Several studies have shown that vitamin B6 supplements reduce nausea in pregnancy. Spinach, sunflower seeds, potatoes, tuna, chicken, and whole grains are all good sources of B6. Other sources include nuts, peas, and beans. Eggs offer high protein, which takes longer to digest, so it stays in your system longer. All of these foods contain valuable nutrients.

• PREPARATION:

1. 1 cup (30 g) spinach, rinsed and drained
2. ¼ cup (56 g) diced, boiled potato
3. 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
4. 1 tablespoon (15 ml) balsamic vinegar
5. ¼ cup (36 g) sunflower seeds
6. 1 can (6 ounces, or 168 g) tuna or 6 ounces (170 g) cooked chicken breast (optional)
7. 1 hard-boiled large egg, sliced
8. 1 slice whole-wheat bread, toasted

• DIRECTIONS: Toss the spinach and potato in a salad bowl. Whisk the oil and vinegar in a small bowl. Drizzle the vinaigrette into the salad and toss again. Toss in the sunflower seeds. If the smell of tuna or chicken doesn’t make you gag, add as much as you want. Top with slices of egg. Nibble the toast as you eat the salad.

• YIELD: 01 SERVING
• NOTE: Use additional oil and vinegar, if desired, but keep their ratio 1:1.

3. Veggified Rice with Garlic and Ginger

How it works: The carbohydrates in rice help settle the stomach. Carrots, broccoli, and peppers are filled with vitamin B6, and ginger is a vetted antinausea agent.

• PREPARATION:

1. 1¾ cups (410 ml) water
2. 1 garlic clove, minced
3. Pinch of salt
4. ¾ cup (143 g) uncooked brown rice
5. 1 broccoli floret, sliced
6. 1 carrot, diced
7. ½ red bell pepper, seeded and diced
8. ½ onion, diced
9. ½ teaspoon fresh minced fresh ginger

• DIRECTIONS: Add the garlic and salt to the water and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice and bring to a boil again. Lower the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir the vegetables into the fully cooked rice. Sprinkle in the ginger and fluff the mixture. Remove from the heat and keep covered for 15 minutes, allowing the ginger flavor and its benefits to permeate the rice.

• YIELD: 04 SERVINGS
• NOTE: Eating garlic is safe during pregnancy. However, if the smell or taste of garlic makes you queasy, leave it out.

4. Comforting Potato-Cauli Mash

How it works: Potatoes and cauliflower are rich in vitamin B6. The warming food is also comforting to the stomach.

• PREPARATION:

1. 2 boiled potatoes, peeled
2. 1 garlic clove, minced
3. ½ head cauliflower, steamed until easily
4. pierced with a fork
5. Freshly ground black pepper

• DIRECTIONS: With a potato masher, mash the still-warm potatoes in a medium-sized bowl. Mash in the minced garlic. In a separate bowl, mash the warm cauliflower. Mix together the potatoes and cauliflower. Add the pepper and enjoy while still warm.

• YIELD: 02 SERVINGS

5. Steady-on Afternoon Snack

How it works: Apples contain both simple and complex carbohydrates. Peanut butter contains protein and fats. The combination can help keep your blood sugar steady and avoid nausea.

• PREPARATION:

1. 1 tablespoon (16 g) organic peanut butter (with no added salt or sugar)
2. 1 organic apple, cored and sliced

• DIRECTIONS: Spread the apple slices with the peanut butter and enjoy.

• YIELD: 01 SNACK
• RECIPE VARIATION: Put slices of high-protein cheese or dollops of cottage cheese on crackers

6. Nausea-Quelling Ginger Tea

How it works: A half-dozen studies support the use of ginger for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. One study in pregnant women found that ginger was nearly as effective as the antinausea drug metoclopramide (Reglan) and another found it was as effective as dimenhydrinate (Dramamine). Study doses have not exceeded 1 gram a day (usually divided into four doses) of encapsulated ginger nor have they continued past the first trimester.

• PREPARATION:

1. 2 cups (475 ml) water
2. 1 teaspoon (3 g) grated fresh ginger, or
3. ½ teaspoon dried
4. Honey or agave nectar

• DIRECTIONS: Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Lower the heat to low. Add the ginger. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. Strain. Add sweetener, as desired. Sip over the course of the day.

• YIELD: 02 SERVINGS

7. Manipulate Aromas

How it works: Some plant aromas have actually been studied as treatments for nausea and vomiting. For instance, essential oils of peppermint, spearmint, ginger, and cardamom reduce postoperative nausea. Although nurse-midwives commonly recommend aromatherapy to pregnant women, studies have not yet evaluated its effectiveness. The most important thing is that the essential oil smells good to you.

• PREPARATION: 4 drops spearmint essential oil

• DIRECTIONS: Place a cotton ball in a 1-ounce (28 ml) bottle. Drop in the spearmint essential oil. Cap. Open and inhale the scent as needed. If you have an aromatherapy diffuser, you can use it to deliver scents into the air.

• YIELD: MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS
• NOTE: Pregnant women can apply essential oils during pregnancy, but should cut the concentration in half. If a recipe calls for 10 drops of essential oil blended into a carrier oil, use 5 drops instead.

8. Scented, Soothing Spearmint and Chamomile Tea

How it works: Spearmint’s soothing aroma and chamomile’s antispasmodic qualities also may help quell rising nausea.

• PREPARATION:

1. 2 cups (475 ml) water
2. 2 teaspoons (1 g) dried spearmint leaves
3. 2 teaspoons (1 g) dried chamomile flowers

• DIRECTIONS: Boil the water. Add the spearmint and chamomile. Steep, covered, for 15 minutes. Strain and sip.

• YIELD: 02 SERVINGS
• NOTE: Alternatively, boil 2 cups (475 ml) of water and dunk in one spearmint teabag and one chamomile tea bag.

Fact or Myth?

• TAKE IT EASY DURING PREGNANCY AND TRY NOT TO EXERCISE. Myth. Get outside and move. Fresh air and exercise can definitely help morning sickness and overall health—both yours and the babies. If you’re not used to exercising, start slow. Walking is a great exercise for everyone. Be sure to drink water afterward.

Lifestyle Tip

• Take time to relax and to get enough sleep. many women find that stress and exhaustion worsen symptoms.
• Shun strong smells. That might mean avoiding restaurants that use lots of spices and fry their foods, such as fast-food diners and Indian and Chinese restaurants. Artificial fragrances in personal care products can also be problematic. Don’t feel shy about asking friends and co-workers to refrain from wearing perfume around you. And definitely invite smokers to leave your airspace.
• Nibble watermelon. Getting enough fluids is vital during pregnancy and can help dispel queasiness. Watermelon is a delicious water-delivery system. It contains energy-boosting carbohydrates, electrolytes (mineral salts), carotenoids, potassium, vitamin B6 (previously noted as taming nausea of pregnancy), and other B vitamins. Also, it’s relatively low in calories and contains fiber, which can counteract pregnancy-associated constipation.

When to call the doctor

• Simple home remedies fail to relieve nausea and vomiting.
• You feel nauseated all day.
• You vomit more than three times a day and can’t keep down food and fluids.
• You lose more than 2 pounds (905 g).
• You vomit blood.
• Nausea and vomiting continue longer than four months.