Pregnancy can do strange things to the body.

Suddenly foods you once loved smell terrible…
Sometimes even water becomes difficult to drink.

One expectant mother asked: I am 15 weeks pregnant, every food smells bad to me, and I do not eat like before – even water. What is the cause because I do not understand?

Early pregnancy can be a trying time for a number of women as they go through tiredness, breast tenderness, loss of appetite, nausea etc.

Here are some tips to help you get back into the groove of eating normally

1) Focus on portion sizes and try to eat small portions during each meal. You can use smaller plates (to stop you from feeling overwhelmed by lots of food on one plate) and an empty tummy increases the likelihood of throwing up. But this is not an excuse to binge and over eat 😀

Remember that you can have 5 small meals: breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack and then, dinner. Good snack options are fruits, nuts, yoghurt etc

2) Exercise also helps to work up an appetite (be sure to check with your doctor before you start on any rigorous exercise regimen). You may not have the energy to get back into your regular exercise routine…assuming you had one before 😀 But taking a walk before meal times can help improve your appetite.

As a result of the energy needs at this time, it may be necessary to have some foods that we ordinarily would not suggest 😀 And so, at this time, ice cream, butter, full cream milk etc. may be used to supplement energy needs. Please note that this is just for this period of appetite loss. Once you got it back, kindly ease off 😀

Remember a second on the lips, a lifetime on the hips 😀

3) Manage nausea, which could cause loss of appetite in early pregnancy where it appears the tummy cannot seem to keep anything down. If you feel nauseous, the following tips may help:

a) The standard teaching is to try eating some bland foods like Crackers biscuits or dry toast. That personally didn’t work for me. I preferred tart/sour things…which some may want to avoid. I loved lemons during my pregnancies. They were the one thing guaranteed to ‘wake up’ my mouth and chase nausea far away.

I also had a particular brand of very tart/sour bubble gum, I indulged in 🙂 These were key for me because, though I didn’t have a bad case of morning sickness that sent me to the hospital, brushing my teeth in the morning always sent me into a bout of retching/vomiting. So, I always had a ready supply of the gum or lemon/lime to pop into my mouth once I was done brushing/retching! Not a very pleasant memory ;D

So, if lemons work for you to prevent nausea, go for it. Remember that moderation is key. A few drops (one or two) in a glass of water are enough to provide that tart kick that sends nausea far away.

There is a catch here though…remember the heart burn associated with pregnancy. The acid content of lemon might make the heart burn and any pre-existing gastro-esophageal (stomach and esophagus/gullet) problems worse. So, this is all the more reason to be very moderate or stop if it exacerbates an already bad case of heart burn. Wherever and whenever in doubt, please be sure to see your doctor.

b) Cold drinks and even cold foods may be easier to also tolerate at this time as they do not give off smells that may cause you to feel queasy. Be sure to stay hydrated by taking in sufficient fluids. Eat and drink slowly, generally during this period to enable you keep more down.

Other tips:
• Attractive looking foods also look appetizing and are more likely to tempt a sluggish palate/appetite
• Avoid fatty and greasy foods.
• Avoid smells that trigger nausea
• Get loads of fresh air and rest

And most importantly, don’t worry. This too shall pass 🙂

Mothers – did this happen to you during pregnancy?
What food suddenly became impossible to tolerate?