What to eat when you have hyperemesis for a more comfortable pregnancy

October 20, 2025 •

3 min read

Hyperemesis gravidarum is a severe form of morning sickness that affects approximately 0.3% to 2% of pregnancies, often causing extreme, debilitating nausea and vomiting. When managing this condition, understanding what to eat when you have hyperemesis is crucial for maintaining nutrition and hydration.

Quick Summary

A diet for hyperemesis involves frequent, small meals of bland, low-fat foods to minimize nausea. Hydration is key, often achieved by sipping clear, cold fluids between meals. Some relief comes from ginger, vitamin B6, and bland starches like crackers and rice. Avoiding strong odors and trigger foods is also essential to manage symptoms.

Key Points

Small, Frequent Meals: Eat every one to two hours to prevent an empty stomach, a major trigger for nausea.
Bland and Low-Fat Foods: Stick to foods that are easy to digest, such as crackers, rice, and baked potatoes.
Prioritize Hydration: Sip cold, clear, or carbonated fluids between meals to avoid dehydration.
Use Ginger and Vitamin B6: Some people find relief from nausea using ginger or vitamin B6 supplements, but always consult a doctor first.
Avoid Triggers: Steer clear of foods with strong odors, greasy textures, or high sugar content that can worsen symptoms.
Keep Snacks Handy: Keep bland snacks like crackers by your bed and in your bag to quickly address hunger.

Navigating the Hyperemesis Diet: Eating for Nausea Relief

Experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum can make eating and drinking feel like an impossible task. The key to managing it lies not in trying to eat three large, conventional meals, but rather in a strategic, gentle approach to nutrition. Bland, dry, and low-fat foods are typically easier to tolerate and less likely to trigger a bout of nausea or vomiting. The goal is to keep something in your stomach at all times, as an empty stomach can often worsen feelings of sickness.

The Importance of Frequent, Small Meals

Instead of aiming for the standard breakfast, lunch, and dinner, break your intake into five or six very small meals throughout the day. Eating every one to two hours can prevent your stomach from becoming completely empty, which is a common trigger for nausea. Keep crackers or dry toast by your bedside to eat a few bites before you even get out of bed in the morning, which can help settle your stomach for the day ahead.

Tolerable Foods to Incorporate

When figuring out what you can stomach, a list of generally well-tolerated foods can serve as your foundation. These items are typically bland, easy to digest, and don't have strong odors that can trigger nausea.

Dry and Starchy Foods: Crackers (especially saltines), dry toast, plain bagels, and dry cereal are excellent choices. They provide carbohydrates that can help stabilize blood sugar.
Bland Carbohydrates: Plain rice, mashed potatoes, and baked potatoes are simple, non-irritating options.
Protein-Rich Snacks: Small amounts of lean meat, poultry, or fish can be tolerated, especially when cooked simply. Cottage cheese and plain, low-fat yogurt can also be good sources of protein and calcium.
Fruits: Applesauce, ripe bananas, melons, and canned or frozen fruits often go down well. Apples and bananas can help replace lost electrolytes like potassium.
Fluids: Clear fluids are essential for hydration. Try sipping on cold water, watered-down fruit juice, ginger ale, or herbal teas like ginger or peppermint tea. Freezing juice or water into popsicles can also be an easy way to get fluids and nutrients in.
Liquid Nutrition: If solids are too difficult, consider using smoothies with fruit, yogurt, and protein powder, or prescribed oral nutritional supplements like Ensure, as recommended by a healthcare provider.

Comparison of Tolerable vs. Triggering Foods


Feature	Generally Tolerated Foods	Foods to Avoid
Fat Content	Low-fat or non-fat	High-fat, greasy, or fried foods
Flavor	Bland, salty, or mildly sweet	Spicy, heavily seasoned, or overly sweet foods
Smell	Low-odor or pleasant aromas (lemon, mint)	Strong odors from cooking, coffee, or spices
Form	Dry solids, cold liquids	Hot foods, large amounts of fluid with meals
Examples	Saltine crackers, plain toast, baked potato, broth, popsicles, ginger ale	Fried chicken, rich desserts, pizza, strong cheeses

The Importance of Hydration

Dehydration is a serious risk for those with hyperemesis. It's often easier to tolerate small sips of fluids between meals rather than drinking a large amount at once. Some find cold, carbonated, or sour drinks more palatable. If keeping fluids down is a persistent problem, your healthcare provider may suggest intravenous (IV) fluids.

Managing Triggers and Environment

Beyond food choices, managing your environment is critical. Avoid strong smells from cooking, perfumes, or cleaning products by ensuring good ventilation. If possible, ask family or friends to help with meal preparation to reduce exposure to food odors. Stress and fatigue can also worsen nausea, so prioritize rest whenever possible.

Conclusion

Dealing with hyperemesis is an exhausting and relentless battle. The dietary strategies presented, focusing on small, frequent meals of bland and low-fat foods, are designed to make it more manageable. Experiment to find what works for you, as individual tolerances vary significantly. Staying hydrated is non-negotiable and should be a top priority. Always work closely with your healthcare provider to ensure you and your baby are receiving adequate nutrition and hydration. In severe cases, where dietary management is not enough, further medical intervention may be necessary. For additional information and community support, the HER Foundation offers valuable resources..

Frequently Asked Questions

Clear, cold, or carbonated fluids are often best, including water, ginger ale, peppermint tea, and watered-down fruit juice. Popsicles made from fruit juice are also a good way to stay hydrated.

Focus on nutrient-dense liquids like protein smoothies or nutritional supplement drinks like Ensure, if tolerated and approved by your healthcare provider. For very severe cases, medical professionals may recommend IV fluids or tube feeding.

Prenatal vitamins, especially those with iron, can sometimes worsen nausea. Discuss with your doctor if a different formulation, a chewable version, or taking them at night might help. Some may need to temporarily stop iron supplements.

Ginger can be an anecdotal remedy for nausea in some individuals. It is available in various forms like tea, candies, or supplements. Always consult a healthcare provider before starting any supplements.

Avoid fatty, greasy, and spicy foods, as well as those with strong odors. Heavily seasoned dishes, coffee, and rich, sugary desserts are also common triggers.

Whenever possible, have someone else cook for you or prepare simple, low-odor meals. Use an exhaust fan and open windows for ventilation. Cold foods, like sandwiches and yogurt, produce fewer odors and may be easier to tolerate.

With hyperemesis, it's generally advised to separate your intake of solids and liquids. Wait about 30 minutes after eating a solid snack before sipping fluids to prevent feeling overly full and triggering nausea.