Can Eating Greasy Food During Pregnancy Help Fight Morning Sickness?

If you're fighting morning sickness during your pregnancy (and there's a good chance you are since 90 percent of pregnant women get it at some point), some well-intentioned types may recommend eating greasy foods to help coat and settle the stomach.

Well, we've never met a cheeseburger we didn't like, but this advice isn't really the greatest for helping alleviate morning sickness. Fatty foods might have helped cure a hangover or two (in your much younger days, right?), but eating greasy, fried, or fatty foods is actually one of the worst things you can do for your stomach right now. These foods tend to be heavy and highly processed, which means they take more energy to digest. You want to look for foods that are light and easily digestible, not ones that are going to make matters worse. Morning sickness and pregnancy are tough on your digestive system—give it a break with fruit, crackers, or other light fare.

Some morning sickness-sufferers find salty potato chips or other snacks helpful and palatable, and if you eat these to stay full and comfortable, just be sure to drink lots of water to offset the salt.

Of course, if apples and chicken soup make you want to hurl and you really, truly can't keep anything down but cheese fries or a plate of mozzarella sticks, then you have our blessing to indulge. Hey, at least it's something! Once the morning sickness is under control, then you can start worrying about getting your nutrition back on track.