Nausea during pregnancy: what type of diet can alleviate it?

Although nausea during pregnancy remains something of a mystery and varies from woman to woman, eating certain diets is recommended for reducing nausea as much as possible. We investigate!


Nausea during pregnancy in a few words:

During the nine months of pregnancy, almost 85% of women may suffer from nausea, mainly during the first few months of pregnancy. With a peak estimated in the 9th week, morning sickness tends to stop in the 14th week. However, each woman is unique, as are their symptoms. Furthermore, the causes of morning sickness are not even certain.


What diet should you follow to combat nausea during pregnancy?

Even though every woman reacts to nausea differently and there is no miracle cure, some foods are thought to significantly help expectant mothers to get used to this unpleasant sensation, which is not just confined to the mornings.

To start the day right, it is recommended to eat breakfast in bed; having a full stomach before getting up reduces morning sickness.

Light snacks are recommended to facilitate digestion: almonds, dried fruit, etc. A dairy product or a piece of fruit are also good suggestions if you don’t have much of an appetite when you wake up. In any case, heavy, fatty meals should be avoided1

Another food to try: ginger.

This spice is currently the only natural remedy without side effects officially recognised by the World Health Organization for treating morning sickness. It can be consumed crystallised (on its own and separate from meals), as an infusion, in juice, or even grated directly onto your meals to season them.

Talking of seasoning, gentle, fat-free cooking should be favoured. Different seasoning can then be added to avoid consuming cooked fats that are hard to digest.

A balanced diet is necessary to not disrupt your body further and therefore increase nausea; it is important to make sure that your body is getting all of its daily nutrients. For each meal, it is recommended to have some carbohydrates, a piece of meat or fish, a dairy product and a piece of fruit. Every meal of the day is important and must be complete. But be careful, complete doesn’t mean copious, as this is likely to encourage nausea.

With this in mind, meals should be lighter and spread out. One snack at 4 o’clock and one in the evening so that you don’t wake up in the night are therefore recommended.

But the most important thing is to not forget about pleasure. Pregnant women are therefore recommended to eat little (with the balanced meal system), but to always enjoy what they are eating. If you get an urge at any point of the day, don’t deprive yourself otherwise you could end up feeling frustrated.

Good luck! And remember one thing... when baby is born, you’ll forget (almost) all about it!

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Breast milk is the ideal food for infants. WHO recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first 6 months and then continuation thereof until the age of 2 alongside the introduction, from 6 months, of safe and appropriate complementary foods. Please consult a healthcare professional if you need any advice about feeding your baby.