# Dinner for extremely nauseous pregnant friend



## Groundhog (Aug 18, 2002)

We're having some friends over for dinner this weekend and the wife is two months pregnant and having all-day sickness, not just morning sickness. They're vegetarian, and while most of what we eat is meat-free, the veg. meals that I usually make for guests may inspire a visit to the loo! (think curry and peppers)

It's been so long since I was pregnant that I can't quite think what would be tasty but not offensive to the senses.

Any suggestions? (vegetarian, not necessarily vegan)

Thanks!


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## OceanMomma (Nov 28, 2001)

That's a difficult one. I went off everything when I was first pregnant & it seems to vary from pregnancy to pregnancy. Like for the first 8 or 9 weeks of this pg, all I could eat was cornflakes, apples, roast chicken flavour chips & milk. But then also, I s'pose I've never had anyone to cook for me so I've had to make do. Sometimes it was the act of actually trying to cook the food that put me off before I could eat it.

Safe bets to avoid are garlic & most likely anything with soy in as virtually every severely nauseous pg vegetarian I've met has had an instant aversion to these 2. Anything too aromatic or odourous is also bad. Coffee & tea are also usually on the no-no list so avoid having that nice pot of coffee brewing on the stove. Even vegetables that are seemingly innocuous can be total gag material. eg broccolli. Things that don't smell to non-pg ppl reek to pg ppl with severe nausea. So try to avoid making something plain for her & doing something like frying steaks for everyone else.

Some suggestions, cheese & tomato pizza ( no garlic ), baked poatoes with butter. I make a dish with brown rice as the base & a carrot & fennel & yoghurt sauce which is very mild & aroma free. Just boil up some brown rice. Slice the fennel & cook gently in some water. Drain & reserve water. Meanwhile, finely chop onions & dice carrots. Fry until cooked in a bit of oil. Add the fennel & some of the fennel water. Mix in some plain yoghurt. Serve over brown rice. Other ideas sweet corn on the cob with butter. Macaroni cheese. Desert could be plain fruit with vanilla ice cream or rice pudding or apple crumble / pie & custard.

To be truthful, it may be better just to ring her & ask her what she is able to eat right now.


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## emmaline (Dec 16, 2001)

great suggestions OceanMomma

I'd also avoid beans (not green ones, I mean the dried types) and lentils

one thing I surprised myself by enjoying (when mostly at home I was eating mashed potatoes and custard - not together!) despite nausea was dinner at a Japanese restaurant - veg.sushi, pickled ginger, thin soup with a few floating veggies and buckwheat noodles


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## captain optimism (Jan 2, 2003)

I couldn't stand curry when I was pregnant. Tofu was okay. My dh couldn't stop making curry.

I second the idea of Japanese food. Pickled ginger is soothing to the stomach, and the simple flavors weren't nauseating to me. In fact I remember I craved Japanese food.

But you could also ask her what she is finding hard to stomach these days. Some preggos really love to eat spicy food and find bland food disgusting.

I craved blintzes when I was pregnant. Can you believe that? I used to buy the frozen ones (not cheese, but like apple or potatoe blintzes) and fry them in margarine and wolf them down when I couldn't eat ANYTHING else. I can't even imagine why that seemed like a good idea. My baby turned out great, though...


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## cathe (Nov 17, 2002)

I think blander food like rice, noodles, tofu, fish (if they eat it). How about a stir fry - ginger is great for nausea. Miso soup or other light soup. Maybe tabouli if it is hot there.


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## MamaOui (Aug 9, 2002)

I think every pregnant woman has different food aversions, so the best thing to do is ask her what to avoid. Go from there and decide what to make and call her ahead of time and ask her what she thinks. You are very considerate.


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## carminex (May 24, 2002)

BLAND! and starchy is what I can handle.
Pasta, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, garden burgers and ICE CREAM!


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## momto l&a (Jul 31, 2002)

I so agree with MamaOui









Each of my pregnancies gave me a differant aversion to some type of food. First was ANYTHING tomato and vinegar. Second didnt last long as I m/c at 13 weeks but the smell of hamburger cooking. Third was milk for the the first 2 trimesters. All of this to say a person just really never knows what may upset a prggo ladies tummy!

I loved spicey and garlic during my pregancies.


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## beanma (Jan 6, 2002)

no fish! bleah! i love fish, but in my first trimester i had serious fish and meat aversions. that may not have even been on the radar, though, if she's veggie. i agree that asking would be nice, but i found lots of times i didn't know whether i would like something til i put it in my mouth. my appetite does such weird thing when i'm pg.

veggie sushi was a hit most of the time, though. we've been making sushi wraps at home recently. we make sushi rice seasoned with a little rice vinegar and sugar solution, add crunchy veggies of your choice -- carrots, radishes, cucumbers -- add some avocado, spinach or lettuce maybe, nori if you've got it, tofu seasoned with soy & ginger or cooked fish seasoned the same way (i could only handle salmon for awhile if it was heavily seasoned with ginger), wrap it all up in a tortilla and serve with wasabi and soy or tamari sauce. it's easier than nori rolls, especially because we usually do it make your own, so you just prep the veggies and cook the rice and let everybody put what they want in. go crazy with the veggies -- blanch some spring peas, add tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli (although those gave me pause in the first tri), fresh peppers, whatever.

hth!


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## oceanbaby (Nov 19, 2001)

I would ask her. When I was nauseous, anything creamy sent me over the edge. I was the only pregnant woman I know who hated ice cream my entire pregnancy. I seriously craved citrus - lime, grapefruit, orange. I made myself thinly pounded chicken breasts marinated in lime juice, grilled, and loved it. I also loved anything icy - frozen berries, sorbet, etc. I too couldn't stand even the faintest smell of fish. I don't think spicy or exotic would have gone over big with me. Brown rice is always good for me. Same for baked potatoes.

As a side note: I wish someone had asked me what I liked/didn't like when my MIL threw my baby shower. The menu consisted of salmon (which I normally love but made me gag while pregnant), meat lasagne (I don't eat red meat), and salad with feta cheese (I didn't eat soft cheeses while pregnant). I ended up eating french bread for lunch.







:


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## Groundhog (Aug 18, 2002)

You all are wonderful!!

I'm sorry that I didn't respond, but I totally forgot I had posted here!







Our friends cancelled the dinner right after I asked the question, so naturally, I just stopped thinking about it!

I feel for this woman ... she's only been able to work six days in the last month. They actually didn't come to dinner because she was too sick. I hope she starts to feel better soon so she can enjoy the rest of her pregnancy!

Thanks for all the advice ... I'll keep it on file for another time!


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## Aidensmom (May 5, 2003)

I hear fresh ginger helps with morning sicknes...you can sprinkle some grated ginger in an appropriate dish.


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

I am pg and sometimes feeling icky. I have found comfort foods such as mashed potatoes, that green bean and onion casserole, chinese food, bean burritos (not too much spice), etc. to be very appealing right now. Also mac and cheese and spaghetti.

Darshani


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## MamaOui (Aug 9, 2002)

T Hey USAmma, I did not know that you are pregnant. Congratulations!!!!!!!!!


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