What lifestyle and dietary modifications can I suggest to patients experiencing nausea and vomiting?

Lifestyle and dietary modifications recommended for patients experiencing nausea and vomiting include:

• Eat smaller, more frequent meals approximately every 3 hours to prevent gastric overdistension and hypoglycaemia.
• Avoid eating late at night or less than 3 hours before bedtime to reduce symptoms.
• Choose healthy, protein-rich meals as they may improve symptoms.
• Avoid known dietary irritants such as alcohol, caffeine, fruit juices, carbonated drinks, chocolate, fatty and spicy foods.
• Keep a food diary to identify and avoid personal trigger foods.
• Maintain regular physical activity and avoid excessive weight gain.
• Try raising the head of the bed by 10–15 cm and sleep on the left side rather than the right side or supine to reduce reflux-related nausea.
• Rest and avoid sensory stimuli that may exacerbate nausea.
• Consider ginger as a mild-to-moderate symptom relief option, but be cautious as it may worsen symptoms in some cases.
• Offer reassurance and support, especially in pregnancy, as mild-to-moderate nausea and vomiting often resolve by the second trimester.

These modifications aim to reduce factors that lower oesophageal sphincter tone or delay gastric emptying, thereby alleviating nausea and vomiting symptoms.

Patients should be advised to return if symptoms worsen or do not improve with lifestyle changes.

References: ¹,²,³,⁴,⁶