Foods that fight nausea during pregnancy

Nausea is a common pregnancy symptom for women during their first trimester. It’s usually short-lived and starts around the 6th or 9th week and often ends between the 12th and 16th week.

If you’re feeling nauseous right now, hang on! I’m crossing my fingers the end is near. In the meantime, here’s a rundown of some foods that help with morning sickness and other home remedies for nausea during pregnancy!

In this post:

• Foods that help fight nausea during pregnancy

• Tips for reducing nausea during pregnancy

foods that help fight nausea during pregnancy

Navigating nausea during the first trimester isn’t the most fun way to start your pregnancy, but incorporating certain foods into your diet may help ease discomfort. Here are some foods that are known to fight nausea naturally:

• Lemon
  Lemon is a great first choice when trying to stop nausea naturally during pregnancy. It contains natural compounds that stimulate saliva production, neutralizing acids that aid in digestion, and its scent can have a calming effect on the stomach. Research shows that inhaling lemon essential oil can significantly reduce nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.
  
  Home remedies with lemon to fight nausea:
  • Sparkling water with lemon
  • Diffuse lemon essential oil
  • Sugar-free lemonade
  
  

• Ginger
  Ginger is one of the most popular ways to fight nausea during pregnancy. It helps soothe the stomach and alleviate nausea because it has two natural chemicals that relax the digestive system.
  
  Home remedies with ginger to fight nausea:
  • Ginger tea
  • Ginger ice cubs in sparkling water
  • Natural ginger ale
  • Ginger smoothie
  * I don’t recommend diffusing ginger essential oil. Large doses can lead to uterine cramping.
  
  

• Peppermint
  The peppermint plant has been used throughout history as a remedy for many things, including nausea, upset stomach, and vomiting.
  
  Home remedies with peppermint to fight nausea:

  • Peppermint tea (safe to drink during pregnancy, in moderation)
  • Diffuse peppermint essential oil

  • Peppermint candy (try to use sugar-free)
  
  

• Carbonated beverages
  Carbonated beverages can help settle the stomach and alleviate nausea by encouraging burping, which can relieve gas and bloating.
  
  Here are a few ways to try carbonated beverages to fight nausea:
  • Sparkling water with lemon
  • Sparkling water with ginger ice cubes
  • Ginger ale
  
  

• Papaya
  Papayas contain a natural digestive enzyme called papain, which helps break down the proteins in your food. Optimizing your digestion can help fight nausea.
  
  Here are a few ways to try papaya to fight nausea:
  • Eat a papaya fruit
  • Papaya enzyme supplement
  
  

• Citrus fruits
  Citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit can help with digestion and help keep nausea away. Even though they are acidic, they help neutralize stomach acid which can keep away morning sickness.
  
  Here are a few ways to try citrus fruits to fight nausea:
  • Eat a grapefruit
  • Eat an orange
  • Diffuse orange or grapefruit essential oils
  (*note, don’t ever use citrus oils topically)
  • Drink a glass of orange juice
  
  

• Bland and odorless foods
  Bland and odorless foods are often more tolerated by your body. Think crackers, toast, potatoes, brown rice, and noodles.
  
  Here are a few ways to try plain foods to fight nausea:
  • Boil, steam, bake or mash potatoes
  • Boil noodles and eat plain
  • Steam or boil brown rice and eat plain or with a little sea salt

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Tips for reducing nausea during pregnancy

Now that you have a good idea of what foods can help fight nausea, here are some other tips you can try!

1. Practice self-care
   The first thing to make sure you’re doing to stop nausea is to make sure you’re taking care of yourself! Prioritize sleeping 8 hours/night, drink plenty of water, exercise as you can and try to get outside at least 15 minutes every day.

2. Eat small but frequent meals
   It’s okay to not eat big meals, but snacking is your friend. If you let yourself get too hungry it will actually make your nausea worse! Try to eat a healthy snack every couple of hours and aim to get 80 grams of protein each day.

3. Avoid odorous, greasy, and spicy foods
   You want to stick to nutrient-dense food and well-balanced meals as much as you can. In addition to the foods listed above, bone broth is great if you can tolerate it — it’s the perfect source of electrolytes you’ll need to replenish if you’ve been vomiting a lot.

4. Vitamin B6 supplement
   Talk to your healthcare provider to see what dosage is right for you, but your OBGYN or midwife will probably recommend somewhere between 25-50mg every 6-8 hours.

5. Magnesium

6. Sea-band acupressure

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