MORNING SICKNESS

I love food, but when I was pregnant I became a picky eater. In the first trimester, I only wanted to eat children's food and felt constantly nauseous. The break through came when my Mum told me that morning sickness is caused by a combination of hormones and low blood-sugar, and that I should eat, in bed, before I did anything. Snacking on carbohydrates like crackers and drinking fluids (not too sugary) really helped.

It's the last thing you want to do, but it really works to eat through the nausea  Try not to fall asleep afterwards, because that will make it worse. Here are some ideas to remedy morning sickness:

Drink...

- Ginger tea

- Ginger cordial with carbonated water

- Fruit juice diluted with water

Eat...

- Brown toast with jam

- Fortified cereal, dry or with milk

- Crackers (salty ones)
- Pepparkakor! (see my recipe here)

CHRISTMAS PEPPARKAKOR

Pepparkakor hearts on my coconut ceramic plate (made by Tine)

These little biscuits are a big thing at christmas time in Scandinavia. They are essentially a more exciting version of gingerbread. The only downside to them is that the dough has to be made a day in advance, but it's so worth it, because they taste delicious and make your whole house smell like christmas! They're also good for morning sickness.

300g butter (room temperature)
5 cups* granulated sugar
1 cup of golden syrup
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp baking soda
2 cups water
15 cups plain flour

Stir together the butter, sugar and syrup until smooth. Add in the spices and baking soda. Then stir in the water followed by the flour. Knead the dough on a floured surface and refrigerate for 24 hrs wrapped in foil. 

The following day, when you're ready to bake, roll the dough out to 5mm, and use a cookie-cutter to cut out pepparkakor biscuits. Place them onto baking paper, and bake at 170°C for 6-10 minutes.

*For those of you who don't have a cup measurer, this one is super cute...

Hedgehog measuring cups. £32 from Anthropologie

ULTIMATE PREGNANCY NUTRITION LIST

There is so much stuff out there saying what you shouldn't eat when you're pregnant that I've decided to focus on what you should (/could) eat. 

I believe that getting the vital nutrients throughout pregnancy is important, but know that it's sometimes difficult given your general aversion to food (especially in the first 3 months). So I took a simple folic acid tablet, and a DHA supplement throughout pregnancy, just to cover my back if I really wasn't up to eating much. 

I thought of posting a few recipes myself based on this list, but I thought, no, I'll make better of it and include links to my favourite recipes from around the web. So if you can face it, here is my ULTIMATE PREGNANCY NUTRITION LIST!: 

Folic Acid

For the healthy development of the baby's spinal cord

• Lentils ~ The Best Lentil Salad Ever
• Spinach ~ Soup aux Epinards
• Potatoes ~ Gratin Dauphinois

Zinc

For the production of DNA

• Low fat roast beef ~ Delia Smith's How to Roast Beef
• Pumpkin seeds ~ Roasted pumpkin seeds
• Dark chocolate and cocoa powder ~ Best Cocoa Brownies

B Vitamins

Contributes to a healthy immune system and helps maintain normal blood formation, which is important for the blood supply during pregnancy

• Salmon ~ Teriyaki Salmon
• Lamb ~ Lamb chops with lemon and tzatziki 
• Eggs ~ Veggie and Egg Tower of Power
• Fortified cereal 

DHA

Helps to support the development and function of the baby's brain and eyes

• Salmon ~ Salmon Rosti Fish Cakes
• Algae is a source of DHA omega 3’s that even vegans find suitable, and can be purchased as a supplement product.

Iron

Encourages energy production, prevents too much bleeding at the birth, helps the growing baby form healthy blood and store iron for the first few months after birth. It is also important in the production of good breast milk

• Dried thyme ~ Chargrilled chicken with thyme
• Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Powder ~ Superfood Haute Chocolat
• Fortified cereals
• Edamame beans ~ Chargrilled courgette, edamame and feta salad

Calcium

A growing baby needs a lot of calcium to make new bones, especially in the last few months of pregnancy

• Plain yoghurt ~ Nigel Slater's Classic Tzatziki
• Milk
• Pecorino Romano cheese ~ Pea and Pecorino Risotto
• Fortified soy milk

Choline

Has long-lasting effects on a baby's ability to learn and remember – and may even provide some resistance to mental illness

• Eggs ~ How to poach an egg, Smitten-Kitchen style
• Spinach ~ Garlicky spinach