Foods to Eat When You Have Nausea and Vomiting from Pregnancy

I have fantastic news: we are going to become parents in the spring!  Now that I’m in the second trimester, I have my normal hearty appetite back again.  But those first few weeks of pregnancy left me with no appetite, so I didn’t want to eat much at all.  As a dietitian, I know that the secret to deter nausea and vomiting in pregnancy is to eat small, frequent snacks every 1-2 hours.  It’s when your stomach is truly empty that you will feel at your worst!  I’ve compiled a list of the foods that worked well for me in my first trimester – the ones at the top were best at first, and then I slowly started incorporating more foods as time went on.  Remember, every woman is different (and every pregnancy for that matter), but these same foods have worked well for many of my patients as well.  (Note: The suggestions with a GF next to them are gluten free).

Foods to Eat When You Don’t Feel Well
(and they’re good for baby too!)

• Goldfish crackers – look for the whole grain ones (or rice crackers GF)

• Wheat toast w/ butter (or rice bread toast to be GF)

• (GF) Plain rice cake – try adding a little peanut butter too

• (GF) Unsweetened applesauce

• (GF) Chocolate pudding – “nonfat” is best

• (GF) Yogurt –some people tolerate it best if it’s frozen

• (GF) Strawberry banana smoothie

• Macaroni & cheese – try cooking the pasta w/ frozen green beans & add diced tomato for a balanced meal. (GF note: Annie’s makes a GF mac & cheese).

• (GF) Baked potato w/ cheese – try adding broccoli on top

• (GF) Eggs and rice – try adding some sautéed kale or spinach. Remember: no runny yolks for pregnancy!

More Ideas:

• Try to eat a few bites every couple hours – dry carb foods are the most helpful to soak up that extra saliva!

• Sip on ginger or mint tea (read labels for teas without licorice root, hibiscus, or chamomile)

• Plenty of ice cold water

• Chew on gum to get rid of that yucky taste!

• Ask someone else to do the cooking when you don’t feel well