Pregnancy Nausea?
Try my Oaty Ginger snaps 

Many of my early pregnancy clients are nauseous when they first come to see me and here's what I tell them:

Pregnancy nausea can become a vicious circle.

You feel sick, so you don’t eat.
Then your blood sugar drops, and you feel even more sick.

One of the simplest ways to support yourself in early pregnancy is to eat in a way that helps your blood sugars stay more stable through the day.

And don't worry, you don't have to eat like a Saint! Keeping blood sugars stable just means small, regular meals or snacks that include slow-release carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fibre.

Oats can be really helpful here because they are a slow-release carbohydrate and a good source of fibre. Fibre supports digestion, helps you feel fuller for longer, and is also associated with better blood sugar regulation, which is relevant when we think about reducing the risk of gestational diabetes.

In this recipe, I’ve used oats, a little coconut sugar, and molasses for flavour. Molasses also contains small amounts of minerals including iron and calcium, although I wouldn’t rely on it as a main source.

If you are feeling way to sick to even contemplate baking, you can always use good quality shop-bought cookies. I like NAIRNS. They are handy to carry with you to nibble on in small bites and have at your bedside table to eat BEFORE you get up for the first time in the morning.

But my recipe is so easy that you don't have to feel bad about asking someone to make it for you:

Ingredients:

100 g butter, margarine or refined coconut oil (the type that hardens at room temperature)

100g coconut sugar (if you can’t get this, use 1/2 cup brown sugar is fine) 

1 egg (or, if you'd like to substitute, 3 tbsp water, 1.5 tbsp of ground flax seed)

60 ml unsulphured molasses

½ tsp vanilla extract

150g rolled oats

100g all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp ground cloves

30-45 ml milk of your choice

50 g sugar with 3 tbsp chia seeds for rolling

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180℃ and line your baking tray with baking paper.
• Cream your vegan butter with the sugar. Add the molasses and vanilla extract. Add the egg (or flax egg substitute) to your mix.
• Mix all your dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
• Mix your dry ingredients into the wet. I like to do this by hand. You will get a crumbly dough.
• Add your milk. Start with 30 ml and add more if the dough is still crumbly. You want a thick cookie dough.
• Break off bits of dough and roll it in your hands (aim for 20 - 25 cookies)
• Roll the balls in the sugar and chia seeds and  place onto your lined tray. 
• Flatten with a fork.
• Bake your cookies for 10 (soft and chewie), 12 (snappie and crisp) or 15 (super crunchie) minutes.
• The cookies will be soft when they first come out. Allow them to cool and store in an airtight container. They keep in your airtight container for up to a week and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  
  

If you’re interested in the fibre and gestational diabetes connection, I’ve linked a study below and if you make a batch of my Oaty Ginger Snaps, I'd love to know how they turned out. Send me an email to [email protected] and let me know.

If you don’t know me, I’m Nicole Schlögel, pregnancy massage and fascia release therapist and former midwife of 18 years. I’m based in Northern Ireland and support pregnant women with pain, positioning, birth preparation, and feeling more at home in their bodies.

You can explore what I offer here. 

Fibre study:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9465204/