How to Eat Healthy with Morning Sickness [Top 3 Strategies]
I don’t know about you, but I went into my pregnancy with a PLAN. I was going to eat all the healthy things, drink all the green juice, and grow a genius baby. Sure, I had heard that morning sickness was a thing, but I knew how important eating healthy was so I was going to make it happen. Right?
NOPE. Despite all of my planning, for my first trimester I survived primarily on quesadillas, tea, and the occasional Taco Bell. My morning sickness and food aversions were so bad, I couldn’t get down any vegetables or meat, leaving me to survive on cheese, carbs, and tea.
If you’re in that position, first of all- take a breath. This is normal. You and your baby will both be okay, even if your body is rejecting everything healthy that comes near it.
Here is some reassurance for you-
THIS IS TEMPORARY. Most women start feeling better around 16-20 weeks and are able to resume a (mostly) normal diet.
Your body is wise. You have nutrient stores from before you were pregnant that you are using throughout the whole first trimester. That is one of the reasons that I recommend optimizing your diet and lifestyle months before you actually conceive! Building up healthy stores of nutrients can carry you through a few rough months.
If you’re in the middle of morning sickness, be sure to check out my blog post on Morning Sickness Solutions. If you’re stuck with morning sickness and food aversions, however, I did figure out some hacks to still get the healthy foods I knew my baby and I needed, even when all I could keep down was pasta and chips.
nutrient-dense snacks/meals that you might be able to tolerate:
✳ Smoothies
Sneak a protein powder in, make sure you have coconut milk, avocado, or nuts for a healthy fat, and finish off with some frozen greens and fruit, and you have a cool, delicious, and balanced snack or meal.
✳ Roasted nuts + seeds
Nuts are very nutrient dense and help to balance blood sugar. Many women crave salty foods in the first trimester, so roasted nuts can be a great choice. Try to buy raw nuts and roast them at home to avoid the inflammatory oils from the store-bought version. Great options include almonds, cashews, walnuts, brazil nuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
✳ Eggs
Meat can be TOUGH to get down in the early days. If you can stand the thought of eggs, they can be a great staple to keep your protein intake up. Additionally, eggs are an incredible source of many nutrients that are CRUCIAL in early pregnancy, such as choline, vitamin D, and folate. I personally spent many dinners eating eggs, scrambled in chees and wrapped in a cassava tortilla. Simple, carb-y, cheesy, and still full of important nutrients.
If you can only eat a few things, find the highest quality version possible.
Many women find carbs easier to keep down than any other food. Listen to your body, but find the most nutrient-dense carb options that you can tolerate. Here are some ideas of carb upgrades that will get you more nutrient bang for your buck.
✳ Instead of white bread, try sprouted, whole grain bread
✳ Instead of pasta, try lentil or chickpea pasta
✳ Instead of chips, try cassava, sweet potato, or other root vegetables chips
✳ Instead of tortillas, try cauliflower wraps, egg wraps, or cassava tortillas
✳ Aim to eat potatoes of all colors (white + sweet potatoes) to increase the variety of micronutrients.
This goes for non-carbs too. If cheese is one of the only things that sounds good, eat the cheese! Just see if you can make it organic + grass-fed for the highest nutrient content. Can you get eggs down? Invest in pasture-raised, organic eggs for a higher nutrient profile. Are tacos your thing you can eat? (spoiler alert: they were kind of my thing) Get grass-fed beef, sneak some veggies into the meat mixture, and top with avocado, salsa, lettuce, and cilantro. Even if you were to eat only that every day for a few months, you would still be getting a good variety of essential nutrients!
sneak in protein where you can
Protein is often the hardest for women to eat in early pregnancy, and unfortunately is a very important nutrient for baby’s development. Eating enough protein can also help keep blood sugar stable, which also helps with morning sickness symptoms. If you can’t stand the thought of meat, go for eggs, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, and tempeh.
Another excellent source of protein is collagen powder. Collagen contains amino acids that are essential in pregnancy, namely glycine. Collagen powder is flavorless, odorless, and dissolves in liquid. Basically, it’s a nauseous mama’s dream! You can add collagen to smoothies, tea, coffee, soup, or even water. On days when I couldn’t eat anything else, I knew I was at least getting some protein from my collagen!
invest in your prenatal
Y’all. I get it. Supplements can be expensive. Unfortunately, not all prenatals are created equal, and for some women with moderate to severe morning sickness, your prenatal may be your primary source of nutrients for a little while! Make sure your prenatal has active forms of essential vitamins (like folate instead of folic acid, and B6 in the form of pyridoxal-5-phosphatete) and contains key nutrients like choline, selenium, vitamin D, and magnesium.