Nina Planck is the author of one of the most popular books in the “real food” movement: Real Food: What to Eat and Why
If you’ve read any of her stuff before, you won’t be surprised to find out she wasn’t impressed by what she found. She dove back into research mode, and shares what she found in Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby’s First Foods
Informed, and practical
What I love about Nina’s writing is that she first decides what would be the best thing to do, then tempers it with a healthy dose of practicality. Take her stance on local vegetables, for instance.
Good as local, seasonal, and ecological vegetables are, it’s more important for your family to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Lots of studies show that people who eat more fruit and vegetables are healthier than those who don’t. I’d bet my last carrot that these studies weren’t conducted with local, seasonal, and ecological peas. In deepest winder, when local produce is scarce and expensive here in New York City, I go directly to the supermarket or local greengrocer, head held high, to buy greens. I have no idea what the carbon footprint of this choice is. But I know the price and convenience calculation without thinking.
The wealth of information she presents is impressive. You could easily spend a year following up on all the sources she cites. But it’s always with a view toward, “What can I do with this inf0rmation?” Every bit of science is backed up with practical advice for how to apply it to your life.
Don’t sweat the small stuff … or most of the big stuff
Nina isn’t afraid to get personal here. She talks about her visits with her doctor, her emotional ups-and-downs as she had good days and bad, and the epiphany she had at a meeting about environmental contamination. It’s easy, as a first-time mother-to-be, to obsess about all the ways you could be harming your growing baby: mercury, smog, pesticides, coal plants … and nothing you can do about them.
Her advice: Do your research before you get pregnant. Once you’re carrying, it’s too late to radically change your health. You’re going to have the baby with the body you’ve already got, so there’s no point in adding stress to the mix.
This advice applies after the birth too, when you start breast-feeding.
There is a stupendous quantity of information about breast-feeding in all sorts of places: books, Web sites, videos, pamphlets. Most of it is impressively thorough and professional. It’s science-based. It’s well written. And it’s much, much more than you need to know.
Lots of bad advice out there
When it comes to feeding your child, Nina is not happy with the state of the current “conventional wisdom”. Newborns don’t yet manufacture the enzymes needed to digest cereal, but that’s usually the first food offered. Before baby food was a patented, multi-million dollar business, mothers knew that the best food for infants was meat and dairy.
Small pieces of cheese, olive oil, gently cooked meat, this is what used to be considered baby food. Wait, scratch that. There was no such thing as “baby food”. There was just food … prepared in a way that the baby can eat it. This doesn’t mean start giving your 1-month-old steak and potatoes. What it does mean is don’t buy any food for your baby that you wouldn’t eat yourself.
If you are frustrated by a finicky baby, try eating a jar of prepared baby food. You wouldn’t want to eat it either.
Eat good food, and feed it to your child
That’s the message that keeps coming through over and over again.
- The best diet for pregnancy is the same as the best diet for a healthy woman who isn’t pregnant.
- After decades of corporations and academics trying to create the perfect baby food in a laboratory it turns out breast milk, plus real food — the same kind adults eat — is still the best.
It’s not about additives and restrictions and man-made creations. Do the research, if you’re the kind of person who needs to reassure yourself. Real Food for Mother and Baby will give you all the pointers you need. Then once you’ve done the research, relax and enjoy your pregnancy. As Nina says:
As a nutrition geek, I have a basic understanding of the major nutrients and a few minor ones, but I am still firmly in favor of the tangible material formerly known as food.
Giveaway
If you’d like my review copy, leave a comment below. Thursday, April 22 at 11 p.m. Eastern time I’ll randomly select someone to send it to. Make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. And please let any mothers-to-be who you know to come leave a message, too. I want this to go to someone who still has time to use it.
Want more like this? For more recipes like this, that you can hold right in your hands, and write on, take notes, tear pages out if you want (Gosh, you're tough on books, aren't you?) you might be interested in How To Cook Like Your Grandmother, 2nd edition, Illustrated. Or to learn your way around the kitchen, check out Starting From Scratch: The Owner's Manual for Your Kitchen.
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51 Comments
Well it can’t hurt being first, but that also means I’m less likely to get it. Oh well, it looks like a great book, and I know enough people who can use it.
Wow, this sounds like a fantastic book. As someone who plans to start a family in the next three or four years, this would be hitting me at just the right time! Thanks for the recommendation, even if I don’t win the giveaway!
Oh! I was just telling my husband I needed to find a book that would address both pregnancy and baby diets. This is perfect.
I’m having my first baby in a few weeks. While I know some of the content of her book…I would love to have it to help with eating for two while breastfeeding…
This would be perfect… and incredibly timely!
I loved your review. It was so straight forward and a true examination of what was presented. As someone who recently found out that I am expecting my first child, I love that she presents items bluntly and to the point, rather than the tenuous reading that most articles relating to baby and health.
I’d love to read through this!
Can never hurt to enter!
This looks like a wonderful book. My husband and I have been talking about starting a family now and this looks like a wonderful source of information!
I am so glad to learn about this book. It WILL be making its way to my daughter’s home in Toronto. Thanks so much!
I love Nina Planck. If I won this, I would give it to my sister, who had 2 babies in 12 months. She’s trying to stay healthy and feed her babies well while her body recovers from the joyous stress!
This book looks great! My husband and I are planning to try for our third this coming fall, so this could not come at a better time for us! I hope I win it, but if I do not, I will definitely buy it!
I would love to be the winner of this book. My husband and I are in the process of trying to start a family. We both have been making small changes to our diets to live a healthier fuller lifestyle. It is amazing how better you feel after making the slightest changes to your diet and eating real whole foods. This book comes at a perfect time for us.
My boys are 7 & 5, and we want to have another! Add into the equation that I am now an “older” mom – at least, so considered by the medical community. Too much information is easy to hear and come by (and be frightened by), enabled by the world wide web! Thus, I am intrigued by Nina’s dose of practicality; it appears to be applicable – well worth it!
Very interesting article, thanks for the pointers and for the chance to win!
I’m living in new york and currently half way through my first pregnancy! i definitely can relate to all of these frustrations of trying to eat healthy while living here!! this book looks amazing! i would LOVE to win
I would love this book for my daughter, who is a “mother-to-be-to-be”
She’s getting married in June, and can’t wait to be a mom. I know she wants to do right by her children, and I’d love for her to have the information that I didn’t have when feeding my babies.
BTW, Nina is awesome! I get her e-newsletters.
This looks like a great book…If I don’t win i’ll probably end up buying it. We’re looking to start a family in teh next few years and i like the idea of doing the research before hand.
Stasigh at gmail.com
I would love to have this book to read before I get pregnant. It looks like an invaluable resource.
Hmm sounds interesting. She sounds like she’s pretty level headed. Thanks for the review.
kfaulkner2004 at yahoo . com
I read this review and think this would be a great book for myself.
Sounds like exactly the book I’m looking for to help me get ready for pregnancy this year (fingers crossed for healthcare!!!). You can take me out of the giveaway, since I’ll buy this anyway, but just wanted to say thanks for bringing it to my attention. As always, you’re awesome!
This just makes sense
I’m sure our ancestors did just fine without Gerber. I sure hope I am selected, but if not I will be buying it anyway. My husband & I are working on having our first child.
Oh this sound like a great book. It’s kind of funny that no one has compine both into a book before now. The two go hand in hand cant wait to get mt hands on it.
Great information and I would love to learn more (as we are in the pre-conception stage right now!!) Please sign me up for the random drawing for what appears to be a great book!! Thanks! Kris
Talk about a timely post, Drew! I’m just starting to add “solid” food to my little one’s otherwise exclusively breast milk diet, and teasing out the good from the bad, the sensible from the marketing, is daunting. Hope I win, will get the book anyway if I don’t.
I’d love to have this book in my collection. The whole idea of baby food freaks me out. And the denatured cereals they offer babies – I don’t understand the concept of pablum. Why would you feed less healthy foods to an infant?
This looks like such a great book! I would love a copy for myself and my sisters–this would make excellent presents!
Thanks for the review!
I’d love to have this book. Sounds very interesting.
I’m 6 months along with my first child (a little girl!!) and and I just found that I may have to deliver early ~35 – 37 weeks as a result of a complication called vasa previa. I couldn’t be more pleased to have seen this post pop into my email! I am definitely interested in the book. If I don’t make the give away cut, I will make sure to pick it up as soon as I can!
Thank you for continuing to blog about interesting and relevant issues – as well as all the fabulous recipes!
renasummers@gmail.com
What a great find! I am 20 weeks pregnant with my first child. Nutrition has always been a passion of mine, and while my husband and I both eat well (most of the time), I have no clue how to feed a baby! I have always been interested in making my own baby food and this would be a big help! I imagine this will find its way into my house, even if I dont win it (hint hint mom!).
This book looks so great! I’ve had my eye on her “Real Food” for ages and never picked it up, but now would prefer this one actually. Here’s hoping for good luck!
I’ve always said if you wouldn’t eat that jarrd baby food yourself, why would you feed it to your baby. gah…..it’s so disgusting…..
(I don’t need the book, ’cause I don’t know anybody who needs it, but I had to put my two cents worth in, anyway…)
I would love to have the book. You review has made me want it. As I am planning to conceive, this book will sure be very helpful. in any case, i loved coming to know about it.
We don’t have a baby yet, but we’re trying. I love the idea of making my baby’s food myself. I just don’t get the jarred stuff… I’d love to read this book. Even if I don’t win, I need to order this!
I’ll throw my name in the hat (so to speak).
We’re hoping to get started with kids in the next month or two.
This looks like an excellent book! Thank you for the opportunity!
Thanks Drew, I loved Nina’s Real food, and now this! I’m sure it’ll be another impressive, inspiring read : )
Even if I don’t get the book, I did want to comment that it looks amazing. I am pregnant with my first baby, so I will be definitely looking this book up to find out more about it. Thanks for highlighting it!!
Interesting- will definitely have to check this out!
This sounds like a really informative book. I have 4 friends who have had or having babies this spring. I know they’d love this.
Goodness, this is timely — I am 9 weeks pregnant. Please do enter me in the drawing, and thank you for having one.
I have been dealing with infertility for 15 months now and despite lots of tests, no cause has been found. While friends have gone on crazy diets in an effort to “cleanse” their bodies so they can get pregnant, I can’t understand how someone who eats well, exercises and eats REAL food can be “out of balance”. I like that it even mentions the diet of the man…my husband has been just as frustrated as I have. Even if I don’t win the drawing, I will probably go out and the buy the book. Thanks for sharing this! I didn’t know a book like this existed.
I just learned that I’m pregnant so this book would be perfect! (hoping I can carry to full-term)
I heard of the book before but never read it and don’t know of anyone who has. I do believe in eating whole foods and delaying food for infants until their body shows it’s ready.
Wow, perfect timing! My daughter just told me I’m going to be a grandma (!?!?) yesterday morning! If we don’t get your giveaway, I’m going to order one anyway!
Thanks for the info, Drew!
Wow! This book seems fantastic. My sister is newly pregnant & this seems like the perfect book for her! Plus, if I won, in a couple years I can borrow it. Hehe! *crosses fingers*
This looks like a great book – I was seriously irritated at all the crap dietary advice given to pregnant women, and as the little guy just started solids, I’ve been having to deal with everyone asking me why I’m not giving him cereal, and why I’m not buying jars of baby food. Talk about frustrating!
I’m 17 weeks along with my second, and I am going to do so much differently this time around! When you’re young and new at being a mom, you just do what people tell you. You buy baby food, and tons of excessive products that are “must haves.”
This time, the Ninja and I are going to tackle food for baby!
I am expecting #7 and would LOVE a copy of this book!!! Thank you!!
My daughter is about to turn 1 and I’m not ashamed to say I did use prepared food sometimes (made sure the ingredients list contained real things though). I did often make additions to them, such as home pureed veggies and the like to stretch them. Now she’s eating what I eat and I try to eat well. She does love cheese and ham….and is more than willing to nab a bite of my sandwich.
I understand the problem with some jarred baby foods, but some of them do just contain well….real ingredients and no preservatives. Unfortunately they don’t contain much to give it any additional flavor. Baby food is bland and seems to be designed that way from what I have read, which seems a shame. So many flavors and herbs and spices and we make baby food taste like paste.
So despite the fact that I straddle the position between convenience/preprepared stuff and local/foodie/organic positions I’d love to check this book out.
Note to self: Don’t forget Joyce via email.
I am preparing myself to become mother in the very near future and want to do the best I can for my body as well as for my baby. IThis book sounds like something I would enjoy in my pre-baby times.
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[...] told Nina that I had posted the review of Real Food for Mother and Baby and she volunteered to send another copy, so we’ve got two [...]