Managing Nausea

What causes nausea?

Nausea can be caused from a variety of factors. Taking medication on an empty stomach, side-effects of medications, constipation, pregnancy, viruses (stomach bug, flu, COVID, etc.), motion sickness, and the list goes on. Since the causes vary, the prevention and treatment

can vary quite a bit as well.

But did you know that there are nutrition factors that can exasperate nausea?

• Dehydration

• Empty stomach/waiting too long to eat

• Taking supplements on an empty stomach

  • Zinc, Iron, Vitamin E

Staying on top of the nausea

Hydration: For the person experiencing nausea due to a condition like pregnancy, cancer, chemotherapy, the flu, etc., staying ahead is so important. Particularly, making sure to stay hydrated. Dehydration will make the nausea worse, so making sure to drink plenty of fluids can help the nausea from taking over.

This can simply be water, or if eating has been difficult fluids with electrolytes, protein, and calories is helpful as well. Think bone broth, protein shakes, coconut water with salt, protein waters. For some people, fruit is another helpful way to keep hydrated: watermelon, oranges, apples, etc. Or have fun with it and have a popsicle!

Eating: An empty stomach is a sour stomach. When experiencing nausea, hunger is not your friend. Stomach acid by itself (without food to help neutralize) can exasperate the feelings of nausea making it even more difficult to eat. Try snacking on stale, crunchy, dry foods every 2 hours. Crackers are great for this.

What about relieving nausea once it hits?

Feeling nauseous is never fun. Ginger is a natural anti-emetic (anti-nausea), so incorporating ginger can be very helpful. There are plenty of products now to make it easy.

Ginger chews, ginger candy, ginger tea, ginger-ale. Consuming ginger followed by bland, crunchy, stale (like a cracker) can help calm the stomach to make it easier to eat foods and drink water.

Try staying away from strong smells or flavors. As foods are heated, the smell and flavor is stronger. Eating room temperature foods are more easily tolerated. Try avoiding getting too hot if possible. Holding an ice cube, or an ice pack on the neck can be helpful. And don't forget, hydration is so important!