• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Pregnancy Logo 2018

Pregnancy Magazine

Pregnancy and infancy news, tips, and reviews

“Great
  • Pregnancy
  • Labor & Delivery
  • Baby
  • Breastfeeding
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • mom

Your morning sickness diet

by Pregnancy Contributor Leave a Comment

Here’s how to find healthy foods you can keep down, so you can power through your first trimester of pregnancy!

Prior to getting pregnant, there was nothing I loved more than a juicy grilled chicken sandwich or some pulled pork piled high with fried onions. But somewhere in my second month, that all changed. Just the thought of meat made me nauseous; the smell of it cooking sent me running to the toilet. As the list of foods I was avoiding began to mount, I started worrying that my morning sickness diet of bagels and ginger ale was depriving my baby of any nourishment.

Sarah Mullin, a mom-to-be in Raleigh, NC, experienced the same anxiety during the two months she struggled with nausea and vomiting.

“I was exhausted, weak, and worried that the baby wasn’t getting enough nutrients,” she says. Fortunately, as awful as you may feel, the baby is insulated from your misery, says Randy Fink, M.D., medical director of the Miami Center of Excellence for Obstetrics and Gynecology. “Most women have enough excess nutrients that the baby is getting what it needs,” he says. “I tell women that in the first trimester, they’re in survival mode. Forget obsessing over a perfectly balanced diet. If you’re having horrible nausea, the best you can do is try to get through by eating what you can keep down.”

Instead of three regular meals, Fink says that many women find eating six to eight small meals is easier on their digestion, because letting your belly get too empty or too full can trigger morning sickness. He’s sure to clarify the word “meal,” too — it may be just a piece of fruit or a bagel. The key is to find foods that are kind to your churning stomach and still have nutritional benefits. For example, a bowl of oatmeal is satisfying, but goes down easy. And just one packet of instant has about 40% of your daily iron needs.

First-trimester power foods

Although Saltines and dry toast can fill your belly a bit and soak up excess bile, settling your digestion, they don’t offer much nutrition, says Allison Tannis, M.S., R.H.N, co-author of The 100 Healthiest Foods to Eat During Pregnancy. She recommends enhancing your crackers and toast by adding healthy toppings. Peanut butter, for instance, is generally well tolerated by an upset tummy, plus it’s packed with protein, niacin, and folate. The latter is particularly important because most women don’t get enough of it in their normal diets, Tannis says.

morning_sickness_dietDairy doesn’t sit well with a nauseated belly, which is why pregnant women often don’t get much calcium from their diet, especially early on. So Tannis suggests trying cream cheese, because it’s relatively mild and doesn’t have much of a smell, making it an appealing topping choice. You can spread it on crackers or even cucumber slices.

Another lesser-known but smart choice is tahini. This Middle Eastern spread is made from sesame seeds, which carry the power of omega 6—a healthy fatty acid that’s required for immune-system function. You can try tahini alone, but it’s also an ingredient in hummus, another excellent spread for perking up plain bread. When you get tired of these, you can also try almond butter, Tannis says. “Just don’t turn to that nutrition-deprived can of Easy Cheese!”

Fruit can also be easy on troubled tummies. Susan Rau Fritts, a new mom in St. Paul, MN, says she suffered morning sickness her entire pregnancy, but after her 12th week she could eat fruit all day long. “I particularly loved grapes and watermelon,” she says. Jonny Bowden, Ph.D, CNS, co-author of The 100 Healthiest Foods to Eat During Pregnancy, says watermelon is a common favorite because it’s 90 percent water, making it bland—with just enough sugar to satisfy your sweet tooth. He adds, “Its water content also makes it filling and it’s easy to break down and digest, making it the perfect morning sickness food.”

The carb quotient

Nausea drives most women to load up on carbohydrates. Jennifer Mohtashami, a mom from Missouri City, TX, who’s pregnant with her second child, says they’ve been her primary food source. “Don’t stand between me and a potato these days,” she says. “Bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta are all I really feel like eating.”

Carbs can be very comforting, but opt for the healthier varieties—whole-wheat pasta and bread, for instance. Bowden also says that brown rice is the “nutritional champion” over white and contains about four times more fiber. Plus it offers vitamin B6, which studies have shown can play a role in combating morning sickness.

While nausea and vomiting are two of the worst experiences of pregnancy, remember that baby is safe and sound—even when you’re not. “Nausea and vomiting can feel debilitating and provoke a lot of anxiety if you’re worried about hurting the baby,” Fink says. “But unless it’s an extreme case, as awful as you feel, you are not harming the baby. Although it’s tough, try not to get discouraged. In most cases, it does get better.”

— Lindsey Aspinall Getz

Filed Under: Pregnancy

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Peaceful Discipline by Sarah Moore

More to See

parent coaching

Parent Coaching: 3 Ways to Create a More Joyful Home

By Sarah Moore

The perfect workout for pregnant women (sponsored)

By Isa Herrera, MSPT CSCS

how to be a good mother

How to Be a Good Mother: 5 Ways To Raise Children with Love & Respect

By Sarah Moore

Aligned Parents webinar

By Paul Banas

Footer

Copyright 2023 Pregnancy Magazine Group

Emails powered by Wishpond: PregnancyWishpond

Dedicated WordPress hosting: PregnancyFlywheel

WordPress Theme: PregnancyTheme

This website provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for an examination by your healthcare provider. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

 

Recent

  • A Beginner’s Guide to Gentle Parenting: 5 Ways to Lead with Love
  • How to Be a Good Mother: 5 Ways To Raise Children with Love & Respect
  • Best Parenting Books: 28 Books That Will Change Your Life for the Better
  • Aligned Parents webinar
  • How to make sure your home is ready for the new addition to your family

Search

© Copyright 2023 Pregnancy Magazine Group · All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT