Program Your Baby's Health: The Pregnancy Diet for Your Child's Lifelong Well-Being Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book has solid information based on well-established research. I recommend it. I decided to write this review because another reviewer didn't understand the concept of metabolic profiling. The scientific data for malnourished mothers and babies comes only from times of war and famine and other natural disaster times because it is simply not ethical to malnourish a human fetus or pregnant mother to see what results. The concept of metabolic programming is forward thinking, but the concept of giving a baby what it needs from day one is common sense. Under different circumstances and in different environments humans adapt based on what is available- so why not start that thinking in utero??
I think this book treats mothers with respect, instead of over simplifying nutrition concepts. Good Stuff!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Program Your Baby's Health: The Pregnancy Diet for Your Child's Lifelong Well-Being

Click here for more information about Program Your Baby's Health: The Pregnancy Diet for Your Child's Lifelong Well-Being

Read More...

The Pregnancy Cookbook, Revised and Expanded Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)THE PREGNANCY COOKBOOK is a good book, but not a great cookbook. It consists of two main sections, the first on nutrition and the second on recipes, plus appendices that list which recipes are particularly rich in each of four key nutrients (iron, folic acid, fiber and calcium). The Nutrition section contains good, readable information on nutrition. Even if you already have a good command of nutritional basics, as I did, this is good material.
The Recipes section is what I bought THE PREGNANCY COOKBOOK for, and what I give mixed reviews to. On the plus side, there are some very good, very nutritious recipes in here, including a number of dishes my husband gives an enthusiastic thumbs-up to. Issues I have with the recipes:
- Some of these recipes took me 1 1/2 - 2 hours to prepare, at least the first time. The time estimate given was nowhere close to that.
- The author's short time estimates for prep time either assume that you already have everything peeled and chopped/sliced or that you prep foods much faster than I do. Perhaps they are based on your having a food processor?
- Many recipes contain ingredients that I cannot easily find in a mainstream grocery store.
- Uncommon ingredients are not always glossed with an explanation, and no substitution is offered. For example, a recipe using pappardelle looked appealing. I had a vague idea that pappardelle was a type of pasta. Googling it confirmed that for me, and also let me know that fettuccine is a workable substitute. Checking at my grocery store, I found that indeed we do not have pappardelle, and I will be trying that recipe with fettuccine.
- Not all recipes are as well written a set of instructions as they could be. For example, starting the water for pasta was listed as step 7 of 8 on one recipe I tried last week. Fortunately, I preread the recipe and realized that needed to be step 1. Another recipe had me scrambling when it told me to do something with "the vegetables," except that it turned out that "the vegetables" did not include the red peppers, which were being reserved for another step.
- Serving sizes seem to be overly generous. Recipes described as providing "four main course servings" offer more like six at my house. I don't mind this a lot, but I have learned to plan for lots of leftovers when using these recipes.
- Sections could have been more clearly labeled visually. Finding the first trimester recipes was easy enough, but the only way to find the low calorie first trimester recipes is to find the end of the section and then flip forwards to look for the page that states that the low cal recipes start there.
- The introduction says that this revised version contains simpler recipes. For me, many of these still seem fairly complex. I use this for a couple of special dishes a week, rather than a source of everyday help. At my house, the pregnant woman is also the cook, so simpler is more of interest to me!
There are some recipes in here that I think are very, very good. If you get THE PREGNANCY COOKBOOK, I recommend trying: potatoes stuffed with spinach and broccoli (p. 195); spaghetti with turkey sausage, red bell peppers, onions and tomatoes (p. 207; my husband loves this); chilled sesame noodles with vegetables (p. 241, another winner with my husband, though we like a less sweet sauce); rigatoni with wild mushroom ragu (p. 244); chicken, broccoli and mushroom stroganoff (p. 247); turkey sausage with white beans, tomatoes and basil (p. 278; we didn't find lean turkey Italian sausage so we use lean turkey sausage and throw in some Italian spices).
As you may be able to guess from that list of recipes, my other comment would be that THE PREGNANCY COOKBOOK has a definite Italian-American slant. There is nothing wrong with that, but you do want to know!


Click Here to see more reviews about: The Pregnancy Cookbook, Revised and Expanded Edition

Get 21% OFF

Click here for more information about The Pregnancy Cookbook, Revised and Expanded Edition

Read More...

Every Woman's Guide to Eating During Pregnancy Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After checking this book out from the local library, I had to buy a copy of my own. It has been difficult to find food that I am craving during my pregnancy that is nutritious as well. All 15 of the recipes that I've tried so far taste GREAT and are easy to make. Unlike other pregnancy recipe books I had read, the recipes are low in fat and have the nutritional content displayed. They have recipes for different diets as well (low-carb/Atkins, vegetarian, etc.)
During pregnancy it's hard to get all of the nutrition and vitamins that are recommended daily...the authors do a great job of creating delicious and easy recipes that are packed with nutrition. Even foods that I absolutely abhorred before pregnancy such as yogurt or cilantro, I now am able to eat because the dishes taste great. Many recipes I'll be making well past pregnancy (ie., Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Sweet Red Peppers). Also, my husband really likes the meals that we've had so far and often requests that we have them again.
One good thing is that if you buy the basic ingredients (olive oil, yogurt, etc.) you will be able to make a majority of the meals in the book.
The only downside to the book is that there aren't any pictures of meals after they're prepared.
**Update July 2010**
7 years later and we're still making recipes from this cookbook. We now have a 6-year old and a 3-year old. They're particular about what they eat since I've worked in a French bakery and we're all spoiled by the great cuisine we have in the San Francisco Bay area. Amazingly, they've always liked what I've made from this cookbook. The recipes aren't just for pregnancy, but also for busy parents who want to serve healthy food to their finicky kids.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Every Woman's Guide to Eating During Pregnancy

Get 22% OFF

Click here for more information about Every Woman's Guide to Eating During Pregnancy

Read More...

The Healthy Pregnancy Cookbook: Eating Twice as Well for a Healthy Baby Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this book when I was pregnant hoping that it would help me eat right. While the recipes might be healthy, the actual recipes itself aren't too tasty. Also, the pictures don't do it justice. I think I found about three recipes that I actually liked in this book. And these three recipes weren't super great. The times I did make them, I made them mostly since they were healthy and not so much for taste. For me, this wasn't the best book of recipes for pregnant women and if I had done it again, I probably wouldn't have purchased this book. My advice for anyone looking to buy this book is that you should go to a bookstore and look through it. That way you can see for yourself whether you would really like the recipes in this book and if this is something you would really want.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Healthy Pregnancy Cookbook: Eating Twice as Well for a Healthy Baby

Eating nutritiously is especially important during pregnancy, but exactly what is healthy, safe and nourishing is often confusing for expectant mothers. This cookbook gives clear, reassuring and up-to-the-minute advice to expectant and new mothers on choosing the best foods for themselves and for their developing baby. Every recipe is accompanied by detailed nutritional information and explanations of the benefits of specific ingredients. What's more, the delicious, gourmet recipes celebrate the joys of eating during pregnancy, and will still be enjoyable long after baby is born.
The Healthy Pregnancy Cookbook includes:
Nearly 100 recipes created for maximum pleasure and vitality
Nutrients that are most important for a healthy pregnancy
Best foods to eat during pregnancy and while nursing
Advice on relieving morning sickness and other common pregnancy ailments
From quick and easy snack ideas to soothing breakfast foods, from lighter dinners to elegant dishes perfect for guests, you'll enjoy delicious recipes such as:
Vanilla Apple Compote with Honeyed Greek Yogurt
Avocado, Tomato and Cilantro on Sourdough Bread
Couscous Salad with Chargrilled Chicken
Roast Cod with Lentils and Bell Peppers
Baked Peaches on Brioche

A cookbook filled with delicious recipes and up-to-the-minute nutrition advice for mothers-to-be

Get 33% OFF

Click here for more information about The Healthy Pregnancy Cookbook: Eating Twice as Well for a Healthy Baby

Read More...

The Well-Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook: Give Your Baby a Healthy Start with 100 Recipes That Adapt to Fit How You Feel Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Highly recommended. My wife got this book few weeks ago and we both love it. She for the tips and the other mothers stories and myself for being able to cook meals that suites her fluctuating moods. Its sure does make life easy to know that you there is a solution for every mood. Also like the guidelines on how to stock up so that we never run out of food, this is key. Great book :o)


Click Here to see more reviews about: The Well-Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook: Give Your Baby a Healthy Start with 100 Recipes That Adapt to Fit How You Feel

Get 33% OFF

Click here for more information about The Well-Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook: Give Your Baby a Healthy Start with 100 Recipes That Adapt to Fit How You Feel

Read More...

Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today's Mothers-to-Be Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)When you have a baby you end up buying a million books and reading everything you can. When you have your second, as I just did, you only have time to read the most practical books. This book gave me all the understandable nutritional information that I needed for a healthy pregnancy, plus 100+ great-tasting recipes that even I can cook and my family enjoys. This is one "pregancy book" that has a shelf life longer then 9 months.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today's Mothers-to-Be

Get 35% OFF

Click here for more information about Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today's Mothers-to-Be

Read More...

What to Expect: Eating Well When You're Expecting Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Wow -- what a great book!!! I'm newly pregnant and I really want to make sure I'm eating good food for my baby, especailly since I'm so nauseous all the time. I saw this book in the bookstore and bought it... and am I glad I did. It's packed with info about nutrition during pregnancy. It's funny and it's a really easy to read book -- plus it doesn't make you feel bad if you miss a few days of eating healthy or if you eat some unhealthy food every once in a while.

The first chapter tells you why it's important to eat nutritious food. The second chapter is so great because it goes through all the pregnancy symptoms and gives advice on exactly what to do for them in terms of food. Too nauseaous to eat (my problem) -- here are some tips. What to do about the food cravings (especially when you're craving something totally unhealthy). But the best thing is that it doesn't make you feel guilty if you do crave ice cream or cake or whatever. It recognizes that sometimes the only thing I can eat is potato chips, and it doesn't make me feel like I'm hurting my baby! But it still gives you the ideal of what you should eat (there's a really funny section later on called "ideal...get real" that totally gets this point across. Plus it makes you realize you probably are eating healthy for the most aprt anyway). I love that.

The next chapter goes through weight gain and the pregnancy diet telling you what you should be eating each day. The best thing is that the book has tons of lists of different foods -- and the serving amounts -- so figuring out how much to eat is no big deal. Then there's a great chapter on being an expectant gourmet. It goes through all the different types of food that you can eat while you're pregnant. I learned so much from that chapter. Who knew there were so many different types of lettuces!

There's also stuff on what foods to avoid when you're pregnant, and how to keep your food safe. Also sections on eating while you're working with great tips on eating when you're sick, when you're traveling, and what you can eat when you're in a restuarant.

Then the best part is the recipes -- it's half the book! Totally yummy. I already made the ginger and carrot muffins (they say ginger is good for morning sickness) and the Chicken Burgers with Mango relish. The recipes are all healthy -- but so good and they totally don't taste like health food stuff-- even my husband (mr. very picky eater) thought the muffins were great. And what's great is that I was able to eat them too even with my nausea! There are so many good looking recipes, I don't know which ones to try first (I think I'm going to try the Pork Medallions with arugula and Tomatoes next).

Totally get this book if you're pregnant and want to eat healthy and eat good food. I highly recommend it and am telling all my friends to get it too! Even the non pregnant ones!

Click Here to see more reviews about: What to Expect: Eating Well When You're Expecting

Get 39% OFF

Click here for more information about What to Expect: Eating Well When You're Expecting

Read More...