Review : Real Food for Mother and Baby

I've been a fan of the eating Real Foods movement for quite awhile now. So I was super excited to be able to review Nina Planck's new book "Real Food for Mother and Baby"! It's a brand new book and a must read for any woman of birthing age!

I've read multiple real foods/whole foods/traditional foods books, but never did any of them completely focus on mom and baby. From beginning to end, this book is chock full of useful information! She talks about how diet effects fertility and ways to increase your chances of conceiving. Then goes into diet and nutrition during pregnancy and nursing, and ends with baby's first foods.

I really can't say enough good things about this book! I truly wished I had read a book like this prior to my first pregnancy. And even for all the reading and research I've done on eating a real foods diet, I learned so much from this book. This truly is the best book I've read on nutrition for mom and baby and I'm lucky to have read it. Especially now that I have a new little baby!

All in all, you have to read this book!!!

And I actually have 2 copies to give away! (Nina's people are generous aren't they?!) But right now I'm deciding how to go about doing the giveaways, cause seriously, this is one of the awesome-est I've done. :-) So I'm thinking about it (have ideas for me - send them my way) and we'll get a giveaway going next Monday for you all.

Is This Your Child?

I've recently read the book "Is This Your Child" by Doris J. Rapp. Although the book was published in 1991, it stills holds valuable information for parents today. In a day where so many children are on medications to help solve their problems, this book offers solutions to these problems by outlining possible food and environmental allergies.

Although this book is over 600 pages, it's actually very easy to read! You don't actually have to read it cover to cover, but read only the chapters that may apply to you and your family. This book does a great job of helping parents find possible hidden allergies that may be effecting their children. She describes different symptoms from red ears and cheeks, aggression and hyper activity, to poor writing and headaches.

This book even describes pre-natal issues like hiccups and constant fetal activity. Personally, had I read this when I was pregnant, I would have been able to figure out my son can't tolerate cows milk! Children exhibit allergies so differently from adults and each child's reaction can vary from that of another child. This book does a great job of offering many ideas for possible allergies.

It also outlines some of the most allergenic foods that we never think to keep our kids away from. We know better than to feed peanut butter or nuts before year one (and to use sparingly until age 2) because we've been told by the medical field that this could cause allergies. But what about dairy? and wheat? and corn products? These three food items are the cause of so many allergies and food sensitivities in kids that often go undiagnosed.

The parts about this book I didn't really care for was the constant talk about formula in the infant section. Although, when you think about it, this book was written in the early 90's when, for some reason, parents were under the impression that it was better for their kids. Or maybe it's the fact that so many formula fed babies do have more issues because of their reactions to the formula. Maybe if we can keep more moms nursing longer, we wouldn't have so many babies with problems! (O.K, I'll get off my high horse now, I know not everyone can nurse, yadda, yadda. But still, everyone now knows breast is best)

Another issue I had with this book was the over use of the word allergy. Seems to me the new language of 'food sensitivity' would be better suited for some of the conditions she showcases.

It's definitely a must read for parents, especially if you have a child who is chronically sick, hard to handle, or if you have a family history of allergies.


*also, this book isn't just for kids. If you're an adult and think you have food sensitivities, it's still a great read!

Crazy Makers

Why have the mental illness and mental disorder rates increased in recent years? Is it the food we eat, or just as important, the food we don't eat?
According to Carol Simontacchi and her book "The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children" it does. This book not only attacks the food industry for putting chemicals and toxins into our food, but shows us as shoppers, wives, moms (and dads!) how we are starving our brains with foods that have no nutrition and chemicals that can have damaging effects.

I like the way this book is set up as it starts at the very beginning of life with a chapter for pre-natal nutrition, moving on to infant nutrition, kids, teens and finally adults. I think this book would be especially beneficial for those parents that have children who are chronically sick or unruly children doctors want to medicate, as she shows different ways that kids can have food sensitivities that doctors don't check for.

Super Natural Cooking

Heidi Swanson is a blogger (101 Cookbooks) that has put all her whole foods information and recipes into one easy to read book. Her nutritional advice seems to border between conventional and totally unconventional. Her book also includes many recipes that make whole and natural foods seem fabulous! She includes some great information on how to put together a natural foods pantry, as well as chapters on different grains, natural sweeteners and how to use them. She also includes her own photography which makes for a gorgeous book.


Well written, an easy read, I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking to start eating healthier!

Nourishing Traditions

If you're looking to make that next step and eat really healthy (my hubby calls it hippie healthy!), this is the book for you! "Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats" by Sally Fallon, is not only a cookbook with easy to make recipes but a powerhouse of information. A year ago, not knowing what I know now, I may not have been ready to read this book. Now, I'm trying out the recipes! I'm even making kefir, and soaking my flour and oatmeal.

Personally I find this book a must read for anyone who is in charge of purchasing and making all the food for a household. Or for someone with a chronic health issue. Sally starts this book saying,

Although heart disease and cancer were rare at the turn of the century, today these two diseases strike with increasing frequency, in spite of billions of dollars in research to combat them, and in spite of tremendous advances in diagnostic and surgical techniques. In America, one person in three dies of cancer, one in three suffers from allergies, one in ten will have ulcers and once in five is mentally ill. Continuing this grim litany, one out of five pregnancies results in miscarriage, and one quarter of a million infants are born with a birth defect each year. Other degenerative diseases - arthritis, multiple sclerosis, digestive disorders, diabetes, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, and chronic fatigue - afflict a significant majority of our citizens, sapping the life blood of our nation. Learning disabilities such as dyslexia and hyper activity afflict seven million young people. These diseases were also extremely rare only a generation or two ago.

This book has in depth information on how to properly prepare whole grains, eating Raw and cultured dairy products as well as information about fats, carbs, proteins, and vitamins and minerals.

I originally got this book on loan from the library, but have since purchased it myself!

What the Bible Says about Healthy Living

After reading the Maker's Diet, I also found the book "What the bible says about Healthy Living". A lot of the chapters have the same information as the Makers Diet, but I really liked how scripturally backed the information was in this book.
I would really recommend reading these together as I feel they compliment each other well. Putting the information of the two together really makes for a solid understanding of why God set aside rules for us to not only live by, but to eat by as well.

The Maker's Diet

I read the Maker's Diet a few months ago and was quite surprised at how much I learned. Jordan Rubin backs a Biblical diet (based on the Leviticus laws given to the Israelites) not only with scripture but with scientific studies as well. He also includes a 40 day cleanse that I started but did not finish. I was going to wait until I had finished the whole 40 days to give my review, but alas, life just got in the way. I guess it was kind of silly of me to try such a restrictive diet all the while running VBS and then having my husband on vacation! I would like to try a go at it again soon, I'll let you know how it works for me if I do.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone! Especially those with any type of health issues. After my months of research and reading, I highly believe that diet has a huge impact on our health. This book is all about eating the food that God gave us. Natural food. Real butter, real milk, no processed man made stuff!