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Jul 10, 2011

Christine rated it:

I believe that ultimately, fertility is up to God, but we are also given the tools to help build a healthy baby by feeding our bodies the best way possible in preparation for hosting a human life. Nina is basically the poster mom for raw milk and has quite an in-your-face writing style, so be prepared. But the book has lots of great practical advice, including clear reasoning behind her nutrition advice and explanations of why each nutrient is critically important. I read this before I got p More...

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May 30, 2009

Fiona rated it:

I really liked the nutritional info in this book, my favorite bit was the advice that if a food would not have been known before the industrialization of our food supply, it is not a real, whole, healthful food. It's a broken "food" with parts missing and/or other stuff added, it is not as nature intended, and therefor not what we are supposed to be eating, and it can't give us what we need(I am a steadfast believer that anytime we are not living as nature intended there will be a pric More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Sep 22, 2010

Caitlin rated it:

I read this book at 33 weeks pregnant, so I skipped a lot of the fertility and 1st and second trimester parts because I found myself going "oops" far too many times. Now is not the time to be freaking out over what I did or did not eat during the past 33 weeks! A good sanity check is my happy, healthy two-year old daughter who seems just fine despite all of the crap I ate when I was pregnant with her.

As I said in my review of Real Food, I took this one with a grain of s More...

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Oct 22, 2009

Hayden rated it:

I think the basic premise of this book--that it's better for you and your baby to eat foods that you can spell, rather than processed foods and food-like substances--is a good one. Unfortunately, the author is so freaking annoying and self-righteous that I ended up not really caring what she thought I should eat.

Here, for example, is what she thinks you should do if nursing doesn't work out (though obviously SHE had no trouble with it). Options are listed in order of preference. More...

6 comments like (6 people liked it)

Feb 23, 2009

Robin rated it:

This may seem a strange book for me to be reading since my youngest son is 17 but my oldest son is 23 and married so I may be a grandmother sometime in the next few years but the real reason I got an advance review copy of this book was to pass it onto a pregnant co-worker figuring she would enjoy reading it. But, I had to look it over before I passed it on and I was mighty impressed with the book's empowering stance on reminding parents to feed themselves and their children healthy foods. I wis More...

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May 26, 2009

Tiffany rated it:

Let me start by saying that I am not pregnant. Did you know that you can receive free, pre-release books through Goodreads.com? Just be careful which books you request because you may end up with ones like this.

That being said, I did find some of the information in this book to be useful. Nina Planck writes about the importance of eating what she dubs "real food" as opposed to the new age of industrial, processed goodies. However, what I can definitely do without is her More...

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Feb 24, 2011

Amy rated it:

I love anyone who tells me to eat real butter rather than margarine (i.e., "REAL food"), and who thinks it's great that I eat meat :)

I'll pick this back up after the baby is born to read the "Baby's First Food" section.

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Apr 23, 2010

Liss rated it:

For those not familiar with Planck's previous book Real Food there is a tidy chapter in the beginning of the book explaining the basic philosophy - eat food in it's most natural state and in combinations that traditional societies have been eating for years. Real Food for Mother and Baby then continues to outline the nutrients needed for each stage of new life - to conceive, to grow a healthy baby in utero, and to continue that baby's health in the first two years of life. The few conclusions wh More...

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Aug 02, 2009

Heather rated it:

I loved this book. I took some classes from The Cancer Project that was all about a Vegan diet, due to animal products introducing additional hormones to the person fighting cancer (and so needing to limit the amount of additional hormones in the system). Soy products have loads of plant hormones which have traces back to breast cancer as well, so there's always more to the story.

This book is all about whole, real, traditional food. Vegetables, butter, fruit, meat, and dairy dairy d More...

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Nov 24, 2009

Jessica rated it:

This was interesting to read as I get prepared to start giving Kiran more solid food next month. Planck is compelling in a lot of her claims (noting that heart disease is a problem that correlates more with eating chemically-laden packaged food rather than eggs was particularly compelling to me), but she does get a bit ideological here and there. She also equivocates on what she considers to be real food. Sugar is bad, although people have been eating it for 400 years, but cod liver oil is great More...

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Jun 04, 2009

Marcy rated it:

This was the first time I read a book about food, and I was very impressed. I've always steered away from what Nina Planck called "virtuous" eating. I just don't like the attitudes. I think that is why I loved this book. Planck did a great job of providing a lot of interesting information and data to back up her belief that we should stick to real foods: foods that are old and traditional. She was very personal as she wrote about her own food experiences. I found myself inspired to do More...

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May 27, 2009

Raina rated it:

I found the author to be judgmental, preachy, and not accepting of alternative diets such as vegetarianism. She lost all credibility with me when she started advocating for eating blue cheese and drinking wine and unpasteurized milk. I cannot take advice from anyone who not only strongly advocates for doing what is widely regarded as unacceptable behavior during pregnancy, but seems to look down her nose at those who do not follow in her footsteps. I would not recommend this book to mothers, More...

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Jun 14, 2009

Lianne rated it:

I won this through a Goodreads giveaway.

I had a hard time rating this book, and I think the reason comes down to this: I agree with much of Planck's substance, but disagree with her style. I agree that "real" food (not industrialized) is best for everyone, including pregnant women and babies; that vitamins, calcium, protein, and fat are needed for a healthy pregnancy and baby; and that breastfeeding is best in most cases. Planck is clear and straightforward in laying out More...

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Feb 04, 2009

Stacie rated it:

This book is nothing more than one woman's opinion. I have survived gallbladder disease and have been forced to live on an extremely strict diet. This book proposes that if you don't eat meat, especially red meat, your odds of having a health child are slim. I am living proof this is false. My whole 1st pregancy begain and ended as vegetarian. My child is healthy and happy. The more I read this book,the more I became disgusted with the fact that she was allowed to publish this. I do not reccomme More...

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Feb 22, 2011

Lindsey rated it:

I hesitate putting this in my goodreads because I only read the section on baby's first food (kind of OCD). But, I loved how this book turned everything I'd read about feeding babies on its head. How about raw ground beef for a 6 month old? Most of her suggestions aren't that weird, but basically the message is to chill out about the whole thing, avoid cereals (as are usually the recommendation) and feed the baby real foods (meaning, not processed). In fact, after finishing it, I gave Claire More...

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Jun 02, 2010

Sarah rated it:

A lot of this book made sense to me. Eat real foods.

However, I was turned off by how nonchalant the author was when addresses drinking during pregnancy. It is only 9 months! It is not that big of a deal to simply stop drinking for nine months. Sure research is inconclusive on the impact of small amounts of alcohol on the infant but why risk it. We know alcohol can have devastating long term impacts on brain development. I won't be the parent who makes life harder for my child More...

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May 17, 2011

Rebecca rated it:

First, I recommend this book to anyone who 1. is thinking of having kids but hasn't done any research yet or 2. people who don't have strong opinions about food or parenting (so, non-parents). When my little sisters or cousins decide to have a baby, I will send this to them.

Planck expresses, in 230 pages or less, her philosophy on food, pregnancy, childbirth, baby-feeding and baby care. And I am-- mostly-- in lockstep with her. Planck sketches in broad strokes why I eat grass-fed be More...

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Jul 13, 2010

Lisa rated it:

A lot of it is the same stuff you will read in her first book, but with more specifics on what to actually be eating. Actually, I think there were several paragraphs completely lifted from the first book.

It was really interesting reading her story of homebirth turned c-section, at least for me. Definitely gives a new and different perspective.

She definitely throws a lot of attachment parenting stuff in there, but as much as I agree with her on most points I'm not sure it More...

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Jan 20, 2010

Em rated it:

This book is divided into several sections for moms/moms-to-be. After an intro which gives some general background on the Real Food concept - basically to eat food as natural and close to the source as possible - Planck moves quickly into discussion fertility implications and benefits of a Real Food diet.

Biggest takehomes beyond the obvious "eat lots of fruits and veggies" - avoid skim milk and soy.

The next section is devoted to the 40 weeks of pregnancy and emp More...

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Oct 14, 2009

Nikki rated it:

This book has changed my eating habits. Really and truly it has. I read labels like never before, I'm conscious of the combinations of food I eat, and I don't think I've ever felt better about what's going in my mouth. Planck's easy-to-read guide allows you to both understand what you're reading and apply it when you go to the farmer's market.

The only downside is that I feel she relies to heavily on secondary sources. (I was a history major so bear with me here.) Planck's advi More...

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Nov 16, 2010

Jdbaron rated it:

This book was given to us as a gift from a friend. We share similar food values: we're locavores, subscribe to a CSA, primarily choose organic foods, very rarely purchase processed foods (cereals and crackers!) and make everything from scratch, so the philosophies ascribed to by the author should have been right up our alley. However, this author has absolutely no qualifications in terms of nutrition, and her choices are frequently against the writings and recommendations of those with appropria More...

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Jun 23, 2009

Angela rated it:

Nina Planck is an advocate for what she calls 'real food.' These are the staples of our ancestors, prepared in traditional ways. Fruits, vegetables, eggs, meats, cheese, and milk minimally processed if processed at all. Planck provides compelling arguments for eating this way based on nutritional comparisons.

While some of the ideas she presents for general eating and eating during pregnancy fall quite far from mainstream thinking, she does provide science to back up her claims. The s More...

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Apr 20, 2010

Mamafence rated it:

I enjoyed Planck's first book "Real Food" better than this version. Maybe if I wasn't already a mother of 4, I would have enjoyed this more. Full of information on what she finds to be great food for mothers prior to conception, during pregnancy, throughout nursing, and as a baby's first foods, I found the last chapter--about first foods--most interesting *right now*. I think her ideas are pretty much in line with what child-led weaning is all about: extended nursing, and offering f More...

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May 25, 2009

Molly rated it:

After hearing Nina Planck give a talk a couple weeks back, and finding her to be sensible and passionate about food, I picked up this book. It's her second; her first, 'Real Food,' probably lays more of the groundwork. Regardless, I didn't feel adrift. I like Planck's argument for cutting through so much of the hysteria about what we feed our children when. I don't know that I'm going to do everything she says, but she's certainly influenced me, and I'm glad for it.

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Dec 20, 2011

Michelle rated it:

I didn't read it all, I skipped the fertility and pregnancy chapters and focused on the nursing and feeding the baby. The general message is good: whole foods are good for everyone, including the little ones. I also like the guideline for "when is my baby ready for solids?" answer: when he can sit on his own. That said, I found her tone judgemental and slightly annoying. I could have done without some of that, but it's clear others have treated her the same way, so it's her way of figh More...

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May 28, 2009

Roxanne / RoMoSquare rated it:

I am not pregnant and probably won't ever be, but I sped-read this one before giving to my pregnant friend. I was not amused at some of the recommendations from the author (un-pasteurized milk? Seriously?), but I do think some women can benefit from this book by reading the ins and outs of why organic and/or free range food is so much better for all of us, especially babies & children, so I gave it 2 stars. I just think some of the author's views are just too extreme for me, and I'm pretty pr More...

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Feb 02, 2012

Erin rated it:

So I know that this book wasn't looked well on by the Weston Price Group (something that she really cared about) but I really liked it. It'd read so many 'food' books that I was freaking out about what to feed Nellie, especially because she was on formula. This book helped me to relax and just enjoy food again; keeping some basic principles in mind. It also gave a lot of information about how food can affect fertility.

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Apr 08, 2010

Natalie rated it:

Nina is so spot-on. Love this and Real Food... nice synopsis for regular folks on Weston Price's seminal work in the 30s. Bring on the fresh veggies, fish, beef, milk and real butter, baby!!!
Celia is eating egg yolks voraciously and little chicken livers... bananas, squash, apples. Lots of self-led solids (not doing a ton of mashing). This relates to this book and the Baby-led solids book.

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Aug 08, 2009

Carlie rated it:

Excellent book. I felt like buying it for all my friends when I was done. And in fact, I did buy it for two people I needed to gift. Nina is a great writer, heart-warmingly honest and full of fabulous information about what you really need to eat and feed your child when life is just beginning. I wish midwives and doctors handed this out at the first prenatal appt.

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Mar 20, 2011

Amy rated it:

I really liked this book and gleaned a lot of useful information from it. The author's own passion and bias is fairly apparent, so it's hardly a "what to eat when pregnant or trying to become so" bible, but anyone with common sense can easily wade through that and find some real gems of information often lacking in the reports seen in popular media.

I did make some diet changes as a result of this book, including eating organic, free range and/or hormone free as much as my b More...

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