When to Eat to help Morning Sickness

Although there are many effective ways of reducing your nausea levels, the timing and type of food intake is the real secret. To lessen your morning sickness it's a good idea to make sure you have small snacks with you at all times, and if you can eat something every two hours or so, starting when you first wake up, you will find this much more helpful than letting your stomach get empty.

Dry, plain and starchy foods are suitable so carry a pack of crackers in your handbag, so you have quick access to the right type of food should you feel hungry. Having food like this to hand may prevent you from indulging in a different food or no food at all which you may later regret and bear in mind that an empty stomach will make your nausea worse.

During the daytime it is best to think small. As you wake you are advised to nibble on a carbohydrate-rich snack like a dry oatcake or an energy bar before getting out of bed in order to reduce your morning sickness. You should eat small amounts at frequent intervals thus keeping your blood sugar level where it should be, and thereby reducing the nausea. It is much better for you if you work on dividing the three meals you would normally have into five or six smaller snacks. Although you should not go hungry, you are advised to not over eat as well, as both of these extremes can aggravate the nausea.

Find a comfortable amount to eat and try to stick to it. The easiest way to measure the appropriate amount to consume is by cupping your hands together. What would fit into your hands is just right, and anything more than this is considered to be too much. This applies whether or not you are pregnant. Remember, eating five to six times spread out during the day on snack type meals will stop you from feeling stuffed with food, and will reduce the nausea.

The smell of hot food definitely induces nausea so try to eat either cold food or that which is room temperature and you will also still be getting the required nutrients from your food.

Before you go to bed you should try to have a protein snack, something like meat or cheese. Protein takes longer to digest and your stomach will not feel quite so empty the next morning. Your blood sugar normally starts to dip around three hours after your last meal and eating every two hours, and finishing off with protein will keep the level steady.

Keeping a food diary will help you to recognize the foods which make you feel queasy and the ones which agree with you. A separate pregnancy journal recording how eating certain foods affects you will help you through this pregnancy and any future pregnancies, although how you feel about particular foods this time may around may not be the same as the next time but by recording your eating regime you will be able to at least attempt to plan your menus accordingly.

Chewing food thoroughly helps the digestion process and this is particularly important when you are experiencing morning sickness. If your food is not chewed sufficiently, it will stay in your digestive system for longer and this in turn will make your nausea much worse.

Avoid drinking large amounts of fluids with your meals. Although this may at first be a difficult habit to break, if you really must have a drink try to do it fifteen to thirty minutes before you eat to ensure the liquid is absorbed quickly. If possible this should become a life long habit. It will make you feel much healthier and more energetic during and after your pregnancy. If you drink large amounts whilst eating your food, your digestive juices will be diluted, which in turn slows down your digestive processing of food. Your gut will then have to work extra hard to cope with this and extra energy to digest the foodstuffs will be needed. After all, digestion is one of the most demanding activities of your body, energy wise.

Surely, you will have noticed that you tend to feel sleepy after a heavy meal? This is because all your body's energy is being driven towards the gut to help you digest the large meal you have just eaten. Why make your gut work any harder than normal, especially when you are pregnant? By not diluting your gastric juices, your gut will have maximum efficiency in digesting your food, nutrients will be absorbed more quickly and efficiently and your energy levels are likely to increase just by adhering to this simple habit. As an alternative, you can opt to take solids and liquids at totally separate times - drink beverages one hour after your meal intake. My wife has a small drink half an hour before a meal and another drink one hour after the meal and this has helped to considerably reduce her nausea.

Although you are likely to feel you cannot keep anything down during periods of morning sickness, dry to take fluids primarily between meals as it is important for both you and your baby to maintain your hydration levels. Try to get the amount of fluids just right - not so much that you feel full and bloated as this will make you feel less hungry. Aim to drink around seven to eight glasses of fluids each day, sipped slowly, at the right temperature and if you have been vomiting quite a lot, a sports drink, available from sports shops and some pharmacies, containing glucose, salt, and potassium to replace lost electrolytes will be just the ticket. If plain water upsets your stomach you can try fruit juice, crushed ice, or frozen ice pops. Should you feel nauseated in between meals, small amounts of grape or apple juice, carbonated drinks, or peppermint/ginger tea can be taken to settle your stomach and calm the nausea.

When you have finished your meal try to stay upright, not laying flat for at least two hours. If you lay flat this is likely to make your nausea worse by triggering the onset of heartburn. Try taking your supplements or vitamins such as folic acid, iron, etc. at the same time as your food or just before you go to bed. It may be a good idea to speak to your doctor about switching to a prenatal vitamin with a lower dose of iron or even no iron at all for the first three months of your pregnancy as this mineral has been found to be harsh on your digestive system.

After so much advice about what you should eat and when you should eat it, a general rule is to eat what you want, when you want. During periods of morning sickness your appetite is not at its best, so when you do feel the urge to eat, go ahead and enjoy as your cravings are not likely to lead you too far in the wrong direction.

Although there are many effective ways of reducing your nausea levels, the timing and type of food intake is the real secret. To lessen your morning sickness it's a good idea to make sure you have small snacks with you at all times, and if you can eat something every two hours or so, starting when you first wake up, you will find this much more helpful than letting your stomach go empty. Dry, plain and starchy foods are suitable so carry a pack of crackers in your handbag, so you have quick access to the right type of food should you feel hungry. Having food like this to hand may prevent you from indulging in a different food or no food at all which you may later regret and bear in mind that an empty stomach will make your nausea worse.

During the daytime it is best to think small. As you wake you are advised to nibble on a carbohydrate-rich snack like a dry oatcake or an energy bar before getting out of bed in order to reduce your morning sickness. You should eat small amounts at frequent intervals thus keeping your blood sugar level where it should be, and thereby reducing the nausea. It is much better for you if you work on dividing the three meals you would normally have into five or six smaller snacks. Although you should not go hungry, you are advised to not over eat as well, as both of these extremes can aggravate the nausea.

Find a comfortable amount to eat and try to stick to it. The easiest way to measure the appropriate amount to consume is by cupping your hands together. What would fit into your hands is just right, and anything more than this is considered to be too much. This applies whether or not you are pregnant. Remember, eating five to six times spread out during the day on snack type meals will stop you from feeling stuffed with food, and will reduce the nausea. The smell of hot food definitely induces nausea so try to eat either cold food or that which is room temperature and you will also still be getting the required nutrients from your food.

Before you go to bed you should try to have a protein snack, something like meat or cheese. Protein takes longer to digest and your stomach will not feel quite so empty the next morning. Your blood sugar normally starts to dip around three hours after your last meal and eating every two hours, and finishing off with protein will keep the level steady.

Keeping a food diary will help you to recognize the foods which make you feel queasy and the ones which agree with you. A separate pregnancy journal recording how eating certain foods affects you will help you through this pregnancy and any future pregnancies, although how you feel about particular foods this time may around may not be the same as the next time but by recording your eating regime you will be able to at least attempt to plan your menus accordingly.

Chewing food thoroughly helps the digestion process and this is particularly important when you are experiencing morning sickness. If your food is not chewed sufficiently, it will stay in your digestive system for longer and this in turn will make your nausea much worse.

Avoid drinking large amounts of fluids with your meals. Although this may at first be a difficult habit to break, if you really must have a drink try to do it fifteen to thirty minutes before you eat to ensure the liquid is absorbed quickly. If possible this should become a life long habit. It will make you feel much healthier and more energetic during and after your pregnancy. If you drink large amounts whilst eating your food, your digestive juices will be diluted, which in turn slows down your digestive processing of food. Your gut will then have to work extra hard to cope with this and extra energy to digest the foodstuffs will be needed. After all, digestion is one of the most demanding activities of your body, energy wise.

Surely, you will have noticed that you tend to feel sleepy after a heavy meal? This is because all your body's energy is being driven towards the gut to help you digest the large meal you have just eaten. Why make your gut work any harder than normal, especially when you are pregnant? By not diluting your gastric juices, your gut will have maximum efficiency in digesting your food, nutrients will be absorbed more quickly and efficiently and your energy levels are likely to increase just by adhering to this simple habit. As an alternative, you can opt to take solids and liquids at totally separate times - drink beverages one hour after your meal intake. My wife has a small drink half an hour before a meal and another drink one hour after the meal and this has helped to considerably reduce her nausea.

Although you are likely to feel you cannot keep anything down during periods of morning sickness, dry to take fluids primarily between meals as it is important for both you and your baby to maintain your hydration levels. Try to get the amount of fluids just right - not so much that you feel full and bloated as this will make you feel less hungry. Aim to drink around seven to eight glasses of fluids each day, sipped slowly, at the right temperature and if you have been vomiting quite a lot, a sports drink, available from sports shops and some pharmacies, containing glucose, salt, and potassium to replace lost electrolytes will be just the ticket. If plain water upsets your stomach you can try fruit juice, crushed ice, or frozen ice pops. Should you feel nauseated in between meals, small amounts of grape or apple juice, carbonated drinks, or peppermint/ginger tea can be taken to settle your stomach and calm the nausea.

When you have finished your meal try to stay upright, not laying flat for at least two hours. If you lay flat this is likely to make your nausea worse by triggering the onset of heartburn. Try taking your supplements or vitamins such as folic acid, iron, etc. at the same time as your food or just before you go to bed. It may be a good idea to speak to your doctor about switching to a prenatal vitamin with a lower dose of iron or even no iron at all for the first three months of your pregnancy as this mineral has been found to be harsh on your digestive system.

After so much advice about what you should eat and when you should eat it, a general rule is to eat what you want, when you want. During periods of morning sickness your appetite is not at its best, so when you do feel the urge to eat, go ahead and enjoy as your cravings are not likely to lead you too far in the wrong direction.