16 Tips for Easing (or Eliminating!) Nausea, Vomiting, & Heartburn in Pregnancy – Episode 40

Ginger is a safe, effective nausea remedy.

Try it in whatever form is most palatable to you:

• Sprinkle dried, powdered ginger in oatmeal.
• Make ginger tea from fresh ginger root or teabags (Alvita makes a good one). Drink it hot or iced, plain or
• sweetened, depending on whatever most helps your nausea.
• If bubbles help, sip ginger beer (it’s non-alcoholic). Get the real stuff – Reed’s Extra Ginger Brew, for
• example, contains 25 g of ginger per bottle, and is sweetened with fructose (fruit sugar) and juice instead
• of table sugar. (FYI standard ginger ales don’t typically contain ginger, but do have lots of high-fructose
• corn syrup.)
• Ginger candies or crystallized ginger are good choices if sweet tastes also help eliminate your nausea.
• Try cooking with fresh ginger root, or chewing on a small piece of ginger.

Eat small, frequent meals and snacks.

In pregnancy, an empty stomach can often cause or exacerbate nausea.

Stay hydrated

Water is best, but sip, don’t gulp water to prevent overfilling the stomach.

If aromas trigger nausea,

try eating cold foods (ie salads, fruits, sandwiches, cold pastas) – they’re much less
aromatic. Also, switch to natural cleaning products (unscented or aromatherapeutic, depending on what helps).

Heed food aversions.

If meat, dairy products, or certain vegetables repulse you, don’t force yourself to eat them,
even if others tell you they’re healthy or essential for pregnancy. Other, more palatable foods can have the same
nutrients, and you’ll probably find that later, you like (or even crave) the foods you can’t stand now.

Try eliminating dairy for a few days, to see if your nausea or heartburn resolves.

(Moms who weren’t habitual milk drinkers prior to pregnancy often find this especially helpful). Dairy lovers who find fluid milk was causing
trouble may have better luck tolerating yogurt and cheese. Those who dislike or can’t tolerate dairy at all can get
plenty of calcium from non-dairy sources.

Try peppermint or chamomile tea (or a blend).

Drink it hot or iced, plain or sweetened, depending on whatever
most helps your nausea. Earth Mama Angel Baby makes an organic Morning Wellness tea with ginger root,
spearmint, chamomile, lemon balm, peppermint and red raspberry leaf that many mamas like.

Reduce saturated fat and fried foods, (ie butter, lard), and eliminate partially-hydrogenated fats (ie stick margarine, shortening).

Most moms find they can comfortably eat healthy monounsaturated fats, like those found in olive oil, avocado, and nuts.

Switch to whole grains.

The soluble and insoluble fiber in oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice, etc. helps keep things moving in the right direction through the GI tract.

Plus whole grains help keep the blood sugar stable, which also helps reduce the likelihood of nausea.

Try munching on raw almonds.

Eat cold fruit.

Juicy fruits, like melons, apples, or berries (try frozen wild blueberries), are especially good.

Try sour things:

Lemon, grapefruit, or lime, kimchee or pickles, or yogurt (regular or soy).

Try salt:

A pinch of sea salt on the tongue, olive, pickles, soy sauce.

Try taking your prenatal vitamin with food, or at bedtime.

Try a new brand (ie Rainbow Light Just Once, which contains ginger and is vegan) or switch to a chewable.

If toothbrushing triggers your gag reflex,

switch to a mild, natural, SLS-free toothpaste (ie Tom’s of Maine), and use a soft, compact or kiddie toothbrush.

Try Sea-Bands, Psi Bands or Relief Band,

acupressure, acupuncture, hypnosis, or guided visualization. Earth
Mama has a “Morning Sickness Relief” CD, and Hypnobabies has an “Eliminate Nausea Now!” CD.

Download this list here