Friday, March 11, 2011

Trying to eat well while battling horrible morning sickness...


A friend recently asked me how in the world she could eat well when morning sickness made her feel sick at just the thought of food! I can totally relate; it seems that with each pregnancy, I am more sick. Last time I couldn't even go into the kitchen without wanting to throw up! I literally held my breath as I tried to get my girls lunch each day and it was usually just almonds and cheese or something easy like that. My husband fixed meals the rest of the time because it bothered me so much.
I hate to admit this, but I pretty much gave up being healthy during the first trimester... I just couldn't eat hardly anything. So I would say, just eat whatever sounds good to you and if nothing does, try to swallow some buttered toast or a cracker! If you don't eat anything, you will feel so much worse! You can make up for it and try to eat healthier as soon as the morning sickness passes.
The carbs always sounded the best to me -- mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, chunks of cheese, etc. Soups are very good for you, so if you can swallow some chicken noodle, that would be great. And I never ate in the kitchen because the thought of all that food in there bothered me so much -- I always ate on the couch and in my bed. For breakfast, it was much easier to eat something before I sat up, so my husband would bring me a piece of buttered toast and I would eat it laying down. If I didn't do that , then I usually had a hard time eating anything!
Also, try going a a day or two without your prenatal vitamins and see if you feel better. I'm never one to actually throw up during pregnancy usually, I just feel miserable, but my vitamins actually made me sick to my stomach! As soon as I got rid of them, I stopped throwing up. Of course, it didn't help my paranoia that I wasn't giving my baby any nutrients, but I figured that if I was throwing it up, the vitamins weren't helping anyways You can always try a different brand and see if it helps.
If you are a milk drinker, that can sometimes help settle your stomach. Milk was probably the best way I gave my baby nutrients during that time. If your Kroger carries Homestead Creamery whole milk, it is ten times more nutritious than other brands at the store. I get mine straight from a farm and some days all I did was drink milk.
Lara Bars are the "healthiest" snack bars available and if you can find a flavor that sounds good to you, stock up on them. Kroger carries them, as well as other health food stores. My favorite is peanut butter cookie and all it contains are peanuts and dates-- no bad sweeteners or unnatural foods. Somehow I could eat those when feeling sick. They can be pricey, but they often go on sale 10/10 and I stock up then. They are worth the price if you can't eat anything else!
Ginger and honey tea can help settle your stomach. I didn’t want any of my normal favorite teas when I had morning sickness, but a simple ginger tea did seem to help a little bit. I bought fresh ginger at the grocery store and would simply cut off a few pieces and let it steep in my hot water for a few minutes. It was a very mild ginger taste and I would add just a drop of honey as well.