Morning sickness: Food to avoid

Morning sickness can put a wet blanket on the wonderful feeling of being pregnant. This upsetting condition can turn you into a puking monster and kill your appetite. Though you may feel you cannot keep anything down, eating right is the key to manage it better.

"Morning sickness or nausea more often, could be due to a long gap in the last meal and the 1st meal causing long overnight empty stomach acidity," says Dr. Swati Thoda, Nutritionist and Lactation Consultant from Hiranandani Fortis Hospital, Navi Mumbai.

According to her, there is no particular known food or food group that triggers nausea, but some eating habits and food preparations are observed to worsen the condition and are best avoided. Here are some tips:

Spice is not so nice

Stay away from spicy foods, and dishes with too much garam masala. This may aggravate acidity and trigger the urge to throw up.

French fires? Not worth the try

Avoid deep fried foods, specially during dinner. Fatty foods delay digestion and lead to acidity as well.

Red chilly? Not really

Dinner preparations made with red chillies also are observed to trigger acidity, and nausea and vomiting.

Gravy and red meat, no longer a treat

Dried fruit based gravies and rich red meat preparations also can be avoided during this condition.

Masala Chai, buh-bye!

Instead of strong chai, sipping on weak tea or hand-churned cool milk with cool water (1/4:3/4 in proportion) provides amazing relief. Tea before bedtime is also a no.

Late dinner isn't the winner

Avoid having late dinners if you suffer from morning sickness. Digestion over sleep is sluggish.

Three to four, not more

Keep no more than a 3-4 hour gap between meals. Snacking often great helps in overcoming nausea.

No two pregnancies are the same. If the vomiting or nausea is severe even after adapting the necessary dietary changes, get in touch with your gynaecologist.

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