The Best Candy for Pregnancy Nausea: Cravings, Safety + More

Anyone who has ever been pregnant can tell you that nausea and cravings are just part of the package. However, just because something is “normal” doesn’t mean you simply have to lie back and deal with it! Why sit around and be miserable when you could easily buy something to help with those problems? 

There are some excellent candy choices available that will help you deal with both your cravings and your morning sickness (or all-day sickness, if that happens to be the case). Whether you’re looking for Preggie Pop Drops, Morning Sickness Sweets, or something else, you can find it online.

In this article, I’ll be reviewing my five top picks for the best candy options for pregnancy cravings and problems. I’ll also answer some common questions concerning pregnancy and candy, so keep reading to find out more. 

1. A Little Ginger Can Calm Your Morning Sickness Right Down

Pink Stork Morning Sickness Sweets: Ginger Raspberry Morning Sickness Candy

Pink Stork Morning Sickness Sweets: Ginger Raspberry Morning Sickness Candy for Pregnancy, Nausea, Digestion, 100% Organic + Vitamin B6, Women-Owned, 30 Hard Lozenges

These 100% organic raspberry ginger candies give you a bright burst of flavor while also helping to calm down your stomach on those mornings when you wake up and can’t seem to get your nauseous tummy under control. 

The main ingredients in this candy, vitamin B6 and ginger, have both been proven to help with both morning sickness and non-pregnancy-related nausea, and these tasty candies have 15 grams of each (sources: University of Michigan Health & Integrative Medicine Insights). 

If you aren’t a fan of the pungent, robust taste of ginger, these candies are a good choice. The raspberry is lightly sweet and just a bit tart, and it helps tone down the most overwhelming aspects of the ginger flavor. 

They’re also long-lasting, which is good news since they’re a bit pricey. Most women, myself included, get by sucking on only one or two a day, allowing a single bag to last two weeks to a month. 

2. For Those Sour Cravings That Just Won’t Go Away

Three Lollies Preggie Pop Drops

Preggie Pop Drops | 21 Drops | Morning Sickness & Nausea Relief during pregnancy | Safe for pregnant Mom & Baby | Gluten Free | Four Flavors: Lemon, Raspberry, Green Apple, Tangerine

If you’re craving something a bit sourer, Three Lollies makes a whole line of Preggie Pop Drops. This particular product caters to those when a craving for tart candies and contains four different flavors: 

  • Sour tangerine
  • Sour lemon
  • Sour raspberry
  • Sour green apple

The great thing about Preggie Pop Drops is that you don’t have to worry about what you’re putting in your body because they’re 100% organic and USDA-certified. Because they’re made with essential oils, you’ll also know you’re getting the best, most soothing, and natural flavors possible. 

The closest comparison I can make with these is that they taste a little like Jolly Ranchers, but they are definitely sour, so know that before buying them. Additionally, the colors may not look how you’re expecting them to look.

Because Three Lollies uses all-natural ingredients and colorants, the colors aren’t as bright as candy with artificial ingredients.

If you need a sour candy option to satisfy your cravings and help with nausea, you can’t go wrong with these.

3. Another Excellent Ginger Option for Upset Stomachs

Natural Ginger Tummydrops

Natural Ginger Tummydrops (Resealable Bag of 33 Individually Wrapped Drops) Certified Oregon Tilth USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project, GFCO Gluten-Free, and Kof-K Kosher

You have to really be in the mood for ginger to enjoy these candies because that’s precisely what they taste like – pure hot and spicy ginger. That said, they are one of my number one go-to products for nausea and digestive health, even when I’m not pregnant.

My cabinet always has a package of these and a package of Gin Gins Chews (see below) in it. 

Invented by board-certified gastroenterologist Dr. Dustin James, these candies have everything they need to be the best candy for nausea, morning sickness, upset stomachs, motion sickness, and more. For example, they are: 

  • USDA-certified organic 
  • 100% natural
  • Non-drowsy and drug-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Non-GMO

So what does all of that mean for you? It means you’re getting a simple, natural product made with only four ingredients that are pretty much guaranteed to work well for anything you have going on related to digestive issues.

Tummydrops has other flavors that aren’t quite so intense (and a few that are much more intense), but I’ve found these to be the most consistently helpful when dealing with tummy problems. 

4. For Those Who Need a Vegan-Friendly Option

The Ginger People Gin Gins Chews

The Ginger People Gins Chews, Original, 3 Ounce, (Pack of 12)

Of all the options on the list, Gin Gins are the only ones that don’t specifically market to pregnant women, but that doesn’t mean they don’t help with the same pregnancy-related (or non-pregnancy-related) stomach problems. These things are phenomenal. 

In addition to being natural, GMO-free, and gluten-free, Gin Gins are also vegan friendly, which is more difficult to find in candy than you might realize! You’ll love their spicy taste and exceptionally chewy texture, and they’re sized just right to last at least 15 minutes or longer for most people.

These are also an excellent choice for people on a budget, and they’re easier to find than some of the other candies. You can pick them up in most grocery stores or mass merchandise retailers that sell groceries. 

5. Everyone Loves a Sucker

Three Lollies Queasy Pops

Queasy Pops Nausea Relief Lollipops - Anti Nausea Queasy Pops for Motion Sickness Relief & Chemo. Soothing Drops for Tummy Ache. Also Pregnancy Nausea & Morning Sickness Relief. Assorted - 28 Count

Queasy Pops are another Three Lollies specialty, and despite their somewhat high price, they’re one of the most trusted sources for nausea and morning sickness. These work so well that I recently bought a pack for my dad, who has cancer. 

Because each sucker is individually wrapped, you can simply slip a few into your purse, bag, or the console of your car so that you have them when you need them without having to carry around the whole case. 

There’s also a wide variety of flavors to suit practically anyone’s tastes, including: 

  • Ginger
  • Green tea with lemon
  • Sour raspberry
  • Cinnamon
  • Sour lemon

Whether you’re in the mood for sweet, sour, or spicy, you’ll find something in the pack that should satisfy that craving. 

They’re certified kosher, gluten-free, and, best of all, they’re doctor-approved. That’s pretty hard to beat. 

*Note: Like the Preggie Pop Drops, these lollipops are made with all-natural flavors and colors, so don’t be surprised if they aren’t as bright, shiny, and colorful as the other lollipops you’ll find on the candy aisle. 

What Does it Mean if I’m Craving Sour Candy When Pregnant?

If you were alive 1000 to 1500 years ago, physicians might have told you that your craving for sour candies was a result of your bodily humors being off-balance. 

One famed physician of the time, Maimonides, claimed that women had “bad liquids” built up in their tummies because they didn’t menstruate while pregnant. These liquids caused them to crave sour and spoiled foods (source: The Boston University Undergraduate Science Magazine). 

Fortunately, doctors today know that’s not the case. However, they still don’t know precisely why women crave sour things – or any other flavor of things – when they’re pregnant. 

The most likely reason you crave sour foods when pregnant is that they’re foods that make your body happy and don’t trigger nausea, vomiting, or other common issues. It may also be your body’s way of replenishing missing vitamins and minerals, but that’s not as likely (source: First Year Planner).  

Scientists, doctors, and researchers have been studying pregnancy cravings for decades, and surprisingly, the answers they’ve come up with still aren’t all that impressive. Most now agree with the theory that the body knows what the body wants. 

Just as sick people will crave chicken noodle soup or people with sore throats will crave honey or something spicy to ease the pain, pregnant women’s bodies also crave foods that will sit easily on their stomachs and not make them sick. 

Other theories that have been posited over the years to varying levels of criticism include: 

  • The body is trying to replenish nutrients that are low or that it’s lost through vomiting and morning sickness.
  • The cravings are a result of natural taste changes that occur in pregnant women.
  • The body is reacting to a food shortage or “resource scarcity” and causing women to crave things they can’t get.
  • The hormones released during pregnancy directly influence the cravings a woman has.
  • The cravings directly correlate to the gender of the developing child (i.e., sweet cravings mean you’ll have a girl; sour cravings mean you’ll have a boy).
  • Women’s cravings are triggered by what’s in their environment (i.e., ads for the McRib make you crave a McRib; if your friend is eating Skittles, you’ll crave Skittles).
  • Women are craving foods that will actively hurt the developing fetus as a way to deal with the stress of being pregnant (sources: Royal Society Open Science, The Journal of Health Research, Frontiers in Psychology, Northern Illinois University, & The Boston University Undergraduate Science Magazine). 

Some of those sound like old wives’ tales or – in the case of the last one – wholly made up, but they aren’t. People have had some weird theories through the years.

pregnant woman holding candies

Is Candy Safe During Pregnancy?

It’s safe to eat candy while you’re pregnant, but you should do so in moderation, as most candy is high in sugar. The only candy doctors recommend you avoid while pregnant is licorice, as it can lead to premature labor (source: American Journal of Epidemiology). 

All other candy is fair game, but be sure you limit yourself. Most of your calories while pregnant should come from non-starchy veggies, followed by protein and whole grains/starchy veggies in equal measure, then fruits (source: Oregon Health and Science University). 

Final Thoughts

No matter what pregnancy issues you’re dealing with – morning sickness, all-day nausea, or a desperate need for something sour – hopefully, you’ll find something to help on this list. Just remember, like everything, you should consume pregnancy candy in moderation. If you have gestational diabetes, check with your medical provider, too.