What to Eat For Morning Sickness: The Best Foods and Recipes

There's no question morning sickness stinks; worse, scientists aren't entirely sure why it happens. It seems that pregnancy trips the part of the brain that controls vomiting, which leads to nausea. The quease may also be linked to increases in some hormones (such as estrogen) and your heightened sense of smell, Mother Nature's way of protecting your bambino. "Your body uses odors to assess safety," explains Miriam Erick, M.S., R.D.N., author of Managing Morning Sickness. "Sensing rotten food saves you from eating something bad." But that sensitive nose can make perfectly safe roasted chicken a no-go as well. Here are some tips for combatting morning sickness with food and recipes.

• RELATED: 15 Tips for Dealing With Morning Sickness

Stash a box of crackers in your bedside table and nibble a few as soon as you wake, since eating early in the day can help stave off morning sickness. "An empty stomach ups nausea," Erick explains. And not every cracker is alike—"the saltier, the better," she adds. Saltines will never taste so good — and after pregnancy, you'll wonder why they were so appealing!

To combat nausea, try reaching for cold foods (sorbet, please!)—hot bites are more likely to have an aroma that triggers your gag reflex.

Keep lemons on hand. Sniff them, squeeze them in drinking water or even lick slices—the refreshing smell and taste can calm your stomach when morning sickness hits. Lemon drops can help, too—keep some stashed in your bag if you're feeling off while you're out and about.

• RELATED: When Does Morning Sickness Start and End?

Sciatica refers to the shooting pain that branches from the lower back down your legs. "As your belly grows more prominent, your center of gravity shifts forward, making your spine more susceptible to injury," says Hooman M. Melamed M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon in Beverly Hills. Diet can be part of a holistic treatment. "Some foods have been shown to reduce painful muscle tissue and nerve inflammation," Melamed says. Snack on foods full of omega-3 fatty acids, like walnuts or kale chips; vitamin A, like carrots and spinach; and vitamin B, like sweet potatoes and bananas.

"Excess sugar can exacerbate sciatica—it aggravates nerve endings," Melamed says. "Instead, treat yourself to an ounce of dark chocolate—70 percent cocoa or higher. It's one of the healthiest indulgences."

When morning sickness hits, you might want to consider grabbing one of these items from your refrigerator or cupboard:

• Anything ginger
• Carbonated drinks (without artificial sweeteners)
• Crackers
• Hard candies
• Herbal teas (red raspberry, lemon, spearmint, peppermint, peach, or chamomile)
• Lemon
• Potato chips
• Pretzels
• Protein bars
• Toast
• Yogurt

• RELATED: A Food Guide for Pregnant Women

Want to stave off pregnancy nausea? Click though for five fun recipes, which incorporate the best foods for morning sickness. Learn how to make citrus ginger pops, candy bars, chickpea guacamole, curry noodle soup, and ginger cookies.

(Recipes and photos are reprinted with permission from FULL BELLY © 2014 Tara Mataraza Desmond, Running Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group.)