Book Review

My friend Cara gave me Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby's First Foods to read. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the book I searched for when I was pregnant with Naomi. I so wanted to know about nutrietion during pregnancy- I thought there had to be something! But the best book I could find was LET'S HAVE HEALTHY CHILDREN by Adelle Davis, REVISED AND UPDATED "America's most famous food expert gives the vital nutritional do's and don'ts for expectant mothers, babies, and growing children.", which was good, but hard to "get into" and I didn't agree with everything she had to say. But I was happy to see that Nina Planck referred to Adelle Davis' book several times.
I really want to share this book with everyone I can, I have ordered one for myself and will borrow this one out too because I know ladies that are thinking of starting a family and this will help so much! Nina Planck talks about when foods you should eat before you conceive, what "foods" to avoid because they hinder conception, what to eat during each trimester of pregnancy (and why), what to eat when breastfeeding, and how to start your little one on solid foods. It was fascinating to find out how different foods can help fertility and how processed foods can hinder it. She even hit on what foods to avoid to help conceive when you have polycystic ovary syndrome.
I got so much out of this book I ordered her other book: Real Food: What to Eat and Why. I'm really hoping to pass it on to my mother in law, after I read it. I think she thinks I'm a little crazy with what I feed our family and how I rarely let them eat candy.
If you are thinking of starting a family, pregnant with your first or tenth, are a midwife or doula, or just one of those people that everyone asks questions of- you need this book on your shelf. It's focus is pre-pregnancy through breastfeeding, but really, anyone can benefit from reading it and she gives solid reasons why we should all eat real food.