Anyone who suffers from chronic nausea has learned to recognize their triggers. Whether your nausea is due to motion sickness, irritable bowel syndrome or even pregnancy-related morning sickness, one of the most common triggers is likely fatty foods.
Fatty foods tend to react with the digestive system in a negative way. Your body has to go through extra steps to process them, and much of it becomes waste. Accordingly, it’s no wonder fatty foods can make you nauseous.
Here are some tips for avoiding fatty foods in order to reduce your nausea:
- Dairy and eggs. If you’re a milk drinker, one of the best ways to get on a low fat diet is to cut back on your intake of milk fat. Go from whole milk down to 2% down to 1% then finally to skim. It will take some adjustments, of course, but skim milk is much better than suffering from nausea. You can also choose non-fat foods like sour cream, yogurt and more. Consider having mustard instead of egg-based mayonnaise with a sandwich.
- Protein. In the United States, we rely on meat for most of our protein. Most meats, including red meats, fish and poultry all contain saturated fats that can contribute to your nausea. You can consume meats in smaller amounts, but you’ll need to be sure to supplement your intake of protein through foods like dried beans and grains.
- Snack time. Snack time is the most dangerous time when it comes to fat intake. Potato chips, for example, are one of the worst offenders. Buttered popcorn is another. There are baked potato chips with a reduced fat content, and there are varieties of popcorn that have less fat, too. You can also switch out to things like crackers, rice cakes and other snacks.
- Baked goods. Baked goods are often full of fat. If you’re cooking them yourself, you can often find substitutes. For example you may be able to substitute applesauce in certain recipes in place of butter. You might consider a low-fat egg substitute when cooking, but know that it might affect the consistency of the end product.
Getting a handle on your fat intake will not only help your nausea, it will help your overall health, as well.