When you're feeling green around the gills, food is probably the last thing you want to think about. But your kitchen may have just what you need to quell your queasies.
Ginger root has been used to over 2,000 years in China to treat nausea. Scientists suspect it blocks the release of hormones that can cause irregular muscle contractions in the gut - the ones that leave you with that heaving feeling.
Ginger appears particularly effective against motion sickness and morning sickness. In one study naval cadets who were new to the open sea took either placebos or 1 gram of powdered ginger prior to a period of sailing through high waves. Those who took the ginger reported much less nausea and vomiting and fewer cold sweats than those two took the placebos.
Other studies on ginger have been less promising, but because it's safe and cheap, it's well worth a try, especially for pregnant women. In one study, symptoms of morning sickness became milder in more than half the women who took 1 gram of fresh ginger daily.
Aim for: For motion sickness, chew on 1 gram (about 1 tablespoon/15 millilitres or a 1-inch/2.5-centimetre piece) of peeled raw ginger or candied ginger several hours prior to travel and every 4 hours while traveling. Or take two capsules of powdered ginger every 4 hours for a full day before traveling and throughout the trip. For morning sickness, take 1 gram of fresh or candied ginger daily. You can also drink a cup of ginger tea every few hours. Avoid powdered ginger because it may be less safe in large quantities for pregnant women.
Hint: For some people, ginger is more effective when taken on an empty stomach.
Remember staying home from school with the stomach flu while your mother coaxed you to drink ginger ale or flat cola? In small quantities, sweet liquids like these or like apple or grape juice seem to calm the stomach, and they provide some energy when you can’t eat. They’re absorbed into the bloodstream quickly, yet they have no fiber to activate stomach acid and digestive tract contractions that could stimulate nausea. Coconut water (not coconut milk), with its wealth of potassium, is like nature’s Gatorade, and island cultures often turn to it as a remedy for nausea. Look for it in health food stores.
Aim for: Small sips. Don’t drink too much at once. If carbonation bothers your stomach, let sodas go flat before drinking.
Cold liquids can be a godsend to pregnant women. When you can’t keep anything else in your stomach, sucking on frozen fruit juice cubes (make your own in an ice cube tray) or fruit-based ice pops can replace some of the liquids and energy that you’ve lost.
Aim for: A few fruit-based ice pops a day may pave the path to a slightly larger meal. Avoid those that contain artificial sweeteners, some of which may worsen nausea in some people.
These quickly dry saliva from the mouth, and that can help tone down nausea. The acid in lemons also triggers the formation of bicarbonate in the stomach, helping neutralize intestinal acids and calm gas and bloating that may intensify nausea.
Aim for: Suck an olive when nausea strikes or add lemon juice to hot or room-temperature water and sip it.
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