Real Food for Pregnancy: The Science and Wisdom of Optimal Prenatal Nutrition

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Lily shows us how many other countries and cultures, a woman will rest for a good month or so, while her mom and others cook, clean, etc! Her second book is encyclopedic; it’s amazingly well-referenced and more in-depth than many textbooks. Instead of refined starchy (white) food, choose wholegrain or higher-fibre options such as wholewheat pasta, brown rice or simply leaving the skins on potatoes.

Pregnancy diet: Focus on these essential nutrients - Mayo Clinic Pregnancy diet: Focus on these essential nutrients - Mayo Clinic

All in all, I’m glad I read it and I found it useful for own purposes, but not sure I could recommend it to the average reader. Her chapters on nutrition, healthy foods, the fourth trimester, and meal plans supported me in making incremental changes in support of my baby’s development.

You do not need to go on a special diet, but it's important to eat a variety of different foods every day to get the right balance of nutrients that you and your baby need. She managed to cover everything I’d personally want to see in an effective prenatal text from genetics, to nutrient bioavailability, to misconceptions, and much more. To find out which cheeses you should not eat when you're pregnant on our page about foods to avoid in pregnancy. No sign of the ‘Pregnancy Police’ here, as Lily brings together a straight-talking combination of ‘sauce and science. I love your real food approach and the topics you addressed that are often times not discussed in those prenatal appointments (or even school for that matter).

a healthy diet in pregnancy - NHS Have a healthy diet in pregnancy - NHS

Her bias is more apparent on social media, though, where she follows many accounts in the conspiracy-theory- and pseudoscience-laden echo chamber of alternative/antivax/“holistic”/“natural” health disinformation. I might hesitate to recommend it to vegetarians and vegans because there's a pretty strong position taken that optimal prenatal nutrition is extremely difficult without eating animal products. There are some types of fish you should avoid when you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, including shark, swordfish and marlin. This book is a fantastic resource for pregnant and postpartum moms, healthcare providers, doulas, and really anyone who cares about moms. It explains the science behind nutrition and digestion in a palatable way, and also covers non-food topics like supplements, artificial ingredients, and exercise.

Tens of thousands of women have used this book as their “gestational diabetes bible” and countless healthcare practitioners recommend it in their practices. I think she could have said that more, as many women I think would give up because they don't have access to or can't afford to eat completely clean.

Real Food for Pregnancy - Lily Nichols RDN Real Food for Pregnancy - Lily Nichols RDN

Lily Nichols’ first book, Real Food for Gestational Diabetes, is a staple in my teaching here at West Virginia University and has shifted how many in our department view nutrition.I have an upcoming interview to share on the topic (actually hyperemesis-focused more than morning sickness, but the recs are similar).