What’s best for me to eat to keep up my strength when I feel nauseated?

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Q: What’s best for me to eat to keep up my strength when I feel nauseated? 

A: Choose foods with little odor because smells can trigger nausea. Use the microwave for speedy cooking. Try to keep a little food in your stomach at all times because an empty stomach feels more nauseated. Eat small amounts frequently—as often as every half-hour—rather than “three square meals.” Avoid sweets, rich desserts, and fat-filled, greasy, spicy, or gas-producing foods.

Good eating choices include: oatmeal, soup, pudding, canned or frozen fruits, scrambled or hard-boiled eggs, pancakes, granola bars, trail mix, fruit smoothies, or chicken and ice pops. Ginger has naturally occurring antinausea properties. If you like the taste of ginger, try some ginger tea, ginger ale, or gingersnaps to alleviate nausea. Remember to eat what tastes good to you at the moment.
--Kathy Newman, RN, BSN

For more tips, ideas, and recipes for managing your symptoms, see Nutritional Wellbeing.