MegaFood | July 2020

Whether you’ve experienced pregnancy or not, you’ve certainly heard of morning sickness. There’s a reason it has such a public reputation - it is unpleasant and common. In fact, according to the American Pregnancy Association, up to 85% of pregnant women experience morning sickness.

If you find yourself in the midst of this fun pregnancy symptom, (which, let’s be real, can happen day or night despite its name!), you may find yourself wondering “Why?! What is the point of this?” Science has been looking to answer just that, and it all boils down to keeping baby safe: Cornell University biologists determined that “morning sickness is Mother Nature's way of protecting mothers and their unborn,” from foodborne illness and other concerns.

So while it has a biological function, morning sickness is also a really challenging pregnancy symptom, making it difficult to eat, get adequate nutrition, or enough hydration, all of which are important to do during pregnancy (especially during the first trimester, when morning sickness is at its worst for most women).

While there is no “cure” for morning sickness, there are foods you can eat and measures you can take to lessen the impact of pregnancy-related nausea.

Foods to eat:

• Bland foods - try brown rice, steamed vegetables, applesauce, and other easy-to-digest, bland foods
• Lemon - some women find the sour flavor of a lemon to be helpful in mitigating nausea associated with morning sickness
• Ginger - the classic morning sickness go-to, ginger supports relief from occasional nausea*
• Sparkling water
• Hard or sour candy
• Fruit popsicles
• Coconut water

Foods to avoid:

• Spicy foods
• Caffeine
• Acidic fruits
• Highly fragrant foods

Other considerations:

• Sea Bands - using pressure-point wristbands can help relieve nausea and are commonly recommended by healthcare practitioner
• Find the right multi - Prioritizing real whole foods should be the goal throughout pregnancy, but when you’re experiencing bouts of morning sickness, getting all the nutrients you need can be a challenge. Consider prioritizing a prenatal vitamin that can be taken any time of day, even on an empty stomach. This will help ensure you and baby are getting the nutrition that you need, even when nausea and lack of appetite make it a challenge to eat the way you’d like.

While morning sickness can be a challenging obstacle in early pregnancy, you have a number of tools in your arsenal to help you feel better and ensure you’re still getting the nutrition that you need. And, for an easy grab-and-go nausea solution, check out our MegaFood Morning Sickness Nausea Relief* Soft Chews - a combo of ginger and B6 designed to support relief from occasional nausea.

We understand it’s important you know what you’re putting in your body. We always say food first, and supplements made with real food are a close second! Find out how we make our supplements with real food from our trusted farm partners, and the quality and certifications we guarantee.