If you're like more than half of all pregnant women, you'll experience morning sickness for at least a portion of your pregnancy. This phenomenon, while a classic symptom of pregnancy, is quite uncomfortable, but there are some things you can do to get relief from your morning sickness, including sipping ginger ale.
Morning Sickness
Though it's called "morning sickness," pregnancy related nausea isn't limited to the mornings. It can strike at any time of day, or last all day long. Most women seem to have more severe symptoms when their blood sugar is low or their stomachs are empty. For this reason, bland, dry foods and soothing sodas -- like ginger ale -- can help.
Ginger
The nausea-relieving effects of ginger ale are due to more than simply the bubbles and the sugar. Ginger contains a chemical called zingerone, which affects your nervous system. When you taste ginger, it irritates nerves in the mouth, sending confusing signals to the brain. You can't simultaneously process the nausea and taste the heat of the ginger.
Sugar Caution
While ginger ale can certainly soothe an upset stomach, you may wish to exercise caution in relying too much upon ginger ale during pregnancy. If you're having trouble keeping food down, the calories and sugar in the ginger ale won't hurt you. However, in general, it's best to avoid too many foods with added sugars and fats during pregnancy, since these can contribute to excess weight gain and related conditions like gestational diabetes.
Artificial Sugar Caution
Of even greater concern than ginger ale that contains sugar is ginger ale that doesn't. Artificial sweeteners, including aspartame and sucralose, haven't been shown to be safe during pregnancy. It's therefore probably best to avoid them entirely. Provided you're at a healthy weight, your best bet for morning sickness relief is to look for a ginger ale that contains cane sugar -- as opposed to artificial sweeteners -- and real ginger.
References
- "What to Expect When You're Expecting"; Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel; 2008
- "Napoleon's Buttons"; Penny Le Couteur and Jay Bureson; 2004
