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Real Food for Mother and Baby: review & a giveaway!

152 Comments

***Comments have been closed and the winners have been notified. Thank you all so much for participating!***

When Nina Planck and her publisher offered to send me an advanced copy of her new book Real Food for Mother & Baby I was thrilled. Her book Real Food: what to eat and why was one of the first books that I read on my journey towards nourishing food. She helped to revolutionize the way I think about food and nutrition.

I watched my mail box daily waiting for this book to arrive. I have a seven month old baby, you see. He has now been eating big people foods for a few weeks so this book couldn’t have come at a better time. When it finally arrived I dug in as fast as I could and at every available moment picked it up again.

I love the way Nina writes. She is persuasive, yet laid back. She shares the latest scientific research and is still down to earth. She gives you general dietary guidelines for a fertility diet, a pregnancy diet and baby’s first foods.

She is a mom. She knows what it’s like to be given a list of foods to eat and laugh because morning sickness just will not allow it. She understands a pregnant woman’s needs as well as a baby’s. She knows what it’s like to tip-toe into the scary waters of baby’s first foods.

I found it so refreshing to hear that rice cereal is not the ideal first food. With our first son I knew that he wasn’t digesting his it well and wondered why everyone would tell us to feed him this expensive, boxed food. I questioned why I would not serve my husband and myself something out of a box and yet the first “solid” food to cross my baby’s lips came from one. Why?

With our oldest son I was so paranoid from all of the warnings and rules given out. I wanted to try to make my own soaked rice cereal, but the Dr. said no – he needed the iron fortification. Funny how a little liver and grass-fed bison would have solved that problem.

What is so refreshing about this book is that over and over again she tells us to relax. You don’t need to understand rocket science to feed your baby – just listen to them and use some common sense.

I love that she is a huge advocate for breastfeeding and homebirthing. Breastfeeding is one area that I believe the Weston A. Price foundation has failed to put due emphasis. Breast milk is the perfect food and the majority of breast milk is comprised of saturated fat and cholesterol. It only makes sense to feed your baby these things.

I am so relieved to see our baby eating real food and loving it.

So far our baby has eaten:

  • egg yolk mashed with healthy fats
  • plain whole yogurt
  • avocado
  • sweet potato with butter
  • carrots with butter
  • ground pastured chicken with the fat

I have been putting some foods on a tray in front of him so that he can discover them. His main method for getting the food into his mouth is via my index finger. Spoons just seem to be causing frustration for both of us, and I don’t mind. He tells me what he likes and does not like. Last night he took a few nibbles of the carrots and then pushed away my hand. When I offered him the yogurt he couldn’t get my yogurt-covered finger into his mouth fast enough. He probably ate 2 tablespoons and then pushed my finger away again. He was done.

I believe anyone planning to have a baby should read this book. But don’t go out and buy it just yet. Nina generously sent me several copies to give away to my readers.

Enter the Real Food for Mother and Baby Giveaway!

I am giving away 3 copies of Real Food for Mother and Baby. Here are the guidelines:

  • U.S. or Canadian residents only, please.
  • First entry: simply leave a comment on this post.
  • Second entry: blog about this giveaway. I will receive a link back so there is no need to let me know.
  • Third entry: subscribe to nourishing days and leave a second, separate comment. If you are already a subscriber leave a second, separate comment letting me know.

The giveaway will run through the morning of Monday, April 6th. I will close comments and randomly choose three winners who will be notified by email.

I can’t wait to give you one of these books!

If you can’t wait for the giveaway or do not win you can purchase Real Food for Mother and Baby through Amazon.

This is a contribution to Real Food Wednesdays.

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152 Comments

  2. Hi, this book sounds so interesting. I would love to have a copy. Thanks for the chance to win!!
    Tonja

  5. OH WOW, how have i missed this blog!? Thanks for the giveaway, now lemme go subscribe to this blog lol.

  9. I would love to win this book! Thanks for the chance but even if I don’t win it I’m still going to get it. It sounds like what I’ve been looking for.

    Anita

  13. We’ve been trying to get pregnant for a while, so I’d definitely be interested about the fertility diet part. Plus as a physician, I’m always interested in learning more about encouraging healthy eating in my patients – another reason I should go buy it, I guess. Unless I win it here first!

    Aubrey’s last blog post..Not your doctor.

  22. My daughter is just starting to eat solids and I would love to have this resource! Thanks.

  23. I think this sounds very interesting, although I would have to temper it with the fact that I have to worry about food allergies… I don’t know if she addresses that (both during pregnancy and for young children), although eggs are one of our allergens and obviously that’s a suggestion that’s made. I would love to see what she says and take what I can from it though!

  24. I just discovered your blog, which is awesome! I just subscribed to your blog and to the RSS feed. I hope I win the book, I love Nina Planck!

  27. I read Nina’s “Real Food” right when it came out and have shared it with quite a few others…this book would be a wonderful resource as well. Thanks for the opportunity !

  29. It’s nice to have somebody share her knowledge and experience to guide you through this. There are a lot of infos out there, including wrong/dangerous ones.
    I haven’t been through the joys of motherhood yet but I plan on reading this book thoroughly before, during and after my pregnancy.
    I’m a big believer in natural ways & alternatives: I’ve been healing myself with herbs for the past 15 years. My journey through real, nourishing & healing foods is still young (I have been gluten free for the past 2 years or so).
    Thank you for your blog, for posting this and for the offer!
    I’d love a copy of this book (I’m already a subscriber).

    Alchemille’s last blog post..Puffed Grains and Breakfast Cereals, should we eat them?

  30. We are about to start trying to preg. with #2 and would love to do this one the “right” way from the beginning.

  32. I received on loan an advanced reading copy from our local WAPF chapter. I am expecting my 4th child anytime now and I devoured this book and loved it. I would love to win a copy!

  42. Oh, this sounds like a book I want! Although I am not currently expecting a child, I am both a doula and a nutritional therapist, so I will be able to use this treasure of information with my clients!

    Katie’s last blog post..Fuzzy little puffballs

  46. I loved reading Real Food: What to Eat and Why- it truly changed my outlook on food. I’m truly looking forward to reading her most recent book!

  47. Seems like an excellent read. I should have known about this 8 months ago, well maybe it’ll help me in the last stage of my pregnancy and especially for feeding my baby in the future. This is something that I need to know more about for sure.

  49. Nina’s book sounds very informative. Please enter me in the giveaway; we have a toddler and (we hope) another baby on the way now or soon and coincidentally the book giveaway ends on my birthday!

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