YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health (Autumn 2015) | Page 15

HEIDI SZE, APD Heidi is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist with a passion for helping people have fun with their food, enjoy eating good food and learn how to make the most nourishing meals for their body. She believes that every meal should be enjoyed, including homemade ice-cream and pie and she shares these types of tips via her website (www. gatherandgrownutrition.com.au). You can also read more about Heidi at n4foodandhealth.com NUTRITION TIPS FOR FIRST TRIMESTER NAUSEA Nutrition expert Heidi Sze shares these handy hints. recently announced on my blog that I am pregnant with my first child. So naturally that makes me an expert on all things pregnancy and babies. I’m kidding! This is a very new experience for me, but nevertheless the nausea, food aversions and tiredness are things I am experiencing in full force, so I’ve done my resarch and want to share a few tips. I Nausea Nausea can really impact your appetite, not to mention make you feel generally awful all day long. I’ve found the following strategies useful: • Keep your blood sugar levels steady by eating every two hours (give or take). • Eat something as soon as you wake. Some mornings I’d have a piece of toast (or even half a piece) in bed before getting up. A piece of fruit might work well too, often I would have a banana or some dried figs before a morning walk. Gone were the days when I could exercise or function on an empty stomach. Being prepared and having dry crackers or something plain by your bedside is a good idea, to grab when you wake up (or even if you wake during the night hungry! I’ve been there). • Have plain, gentle foods like toast, potato, rice and pasta, then add some protein where you can (based on preference at the time), to help balance your blood sugar levels. I found cheese, tuna and eggs (well cooked) to be wonderful, but I took a • • • • • while to enjoy nut butters. Having a bit of protein alongside my carbohydrates helped keep nausea at bay. Side note: wherever you can get vegetables in is great. I was quite amenable to potatoes, peas, carrots and corn. Eat smaller portions (you may find this is all you can really manage anyway). Avoid foods that are too rich or fatty. Those hot chips might seem really great (because they are), but watch your portion size as they might cause a bit of stomach upset. Ginger has long been used to help manage nausea. Sip on ginger ale or a homemade ginger syrup, along with water or soda water. Go for a gentle walk and get some fresh air. Lastly, keep busy and distract yourself! Watch a movie, read a magazine or a book and tune out. Seeing friends also really helps. Sitting around wallowing in your nausea will indeed make things worse. Note: if you are vomiting frequently and cannot keep food or fluids down, you should see your obstetrician or head to the hospital. There are medications that can help you with extreme sickness and really extreme sickness will require treatment. The above tips relate to mild-moderate nausea. Food aversions When you’re pregnant, you may find that you go off certain foods that you once loved (for me it has been vegetables, particularly zucchini and beetroot). There’s not a lot of understanding as to why this occurs, but many experience it and it can really narrow your choice of food (and at a time when eat