Nina Planck - Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Babys First Foods

Persuasive and invigorating.

Michael Pollan

Compellingly smart.

Mark Bittman

The antidote to the faddists, alarmists, and kooks who all too often dominate American food discourse.

David Kamp, author of The United States of Arugula

A cross between Alice Waters and Martha Stewart.

Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post

Who understands real food better than farmers themselves? Growing up on her parents Virginia farm, Nina has lived the healthy benefits. How lucky thenten years laterthat Real Food continues to gain momentum.

Forrest Pritchard, organic farmer and New York Times bestselling author of Gaining Ground

Nina Planck knows from real food.

CleanPlates.com

[Real Food] poses a convincing alternative to the prevailing dietary guidelines, even those treated as gospel... [Plancks] capacity for humor and self-deprecation makes for good company, and her intelligence and skepticism inspire confidence.

Holly Brubach, The New York Times

The Frances Moore Lapp of her generation.

The Milkweed

Eating is our most fundamental and sensual act. It never did make sense to me that eating whats good for you should mean depriving yourself of foods you desire. Now Nina Planck explains exactly why we are drawn to foods that delight our senses and keep us healthy.

Bill Niman, founder of Niman Ranch

Nina looks good in her overalls and tiara. As foodie royalty, she dispenses the practical and pragmatic with equal grace. I am a happier and healthier fellow thanks to her.

Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping

Long before #hashtags were a thing, Nina was educating us on the value of #realfood. She was way ahead of the curve.

Marco Canora, author of A Good Food Day and Brodo: A Bone Broth Cookbook

Nina Plancks journeyfrom rebellious farm girl to suave intellectual vegetarian to protective meat-eating momaffirms everything that is sacred and right about food. If I were in a quandary about what kind of food to buy, I would read Real Food and quit wondering.

Joel Salatin, author of Folks, This Aint Normal

We met Nina a little over ten years ago, when she was heading up the Greenmarket Farmers Markets in New York City... Her knowledge about the many facets of food is vast and we have learned so much from her in the intervening years.

HandpickedNation.com

Real Food: What to Eat and Why

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The Real Food Cookbook

The Numbers You Know: A Natural Counting Book

Bloomsbury USA

An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

www.bloomsbury.com

BLOOMSBURY and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

First published 2009

This revised edition published 2016

Nina Planck 2009, 2016

All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.

No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or the author.

ISBN: PB: 978-1-63286-459-8

ebook: 978-1-63286-571-7

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Planck, Nina, 1971

Real food for mother and baby : the fertility diet, eating for two, and

babys first foods / Nina Planck.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN: 978-1-63286-459-8 (PB) 978-1-63286-571-7 (ebook)

1. PregnancyNutritional aspectsPopular works. 2. Fertility,

HumanNutritional aspectsPopular works. 3. InfantsNutrition

Popular works. I. Title.

RG559.P53 2009

618.242dc22

2008038866

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Were they called upon to name the most important factor in contributing to the healthy development of the human conceptus, most authorities would unhesitatingly declare for the good nutrition status of the mother.

Ashley Montagu, Prenatal Influences, 1962

Contents

AUTHOR S NOTE

This book is not intended to provide specific nutritional or medical advice for any individual. Before making significant changes in diet, consult a qualified professional.

I picked up Real Food for Mother and Baby when my son Lorenzo, my first, was eight months old. I come from an old-school Italian family. Everybody was telling me to put cereal in Lorenzos bottle so that he would sleep better and gain more weight. Babies try to tell you what they need, and my understanding of what he was telling me was that he needed protein and fat: he loved my milk; he loved egg yolks, avocado, and rich meat. Nina confirmed what I thought and what I felt.

Now Im the executive director of Choices in Childbirth, which works to demystify pregnancy and birth, and make sure women have access to safe, healthy, and respectful maternity care. We hear from many women who think and feel one way, yet are being told something different. Like Nina, we validate maternal instincts with clear information, so women can make good decisions for themselves and their babies.

I love that Nina devotes a full chapter to breastmilk, which is as real as real food gets. Too many mothers choose breast-feeding, but dont get the support they need. Hospital nurses still shame women by asking them to cover up. New mothers are prevented from holding their babies for hours following a cesarean section, which works against easy breast-feeding. Mothers who must return to work tell us they couldnt afford a pump or were never taught how to use one. Furthermore, its nigh impossible to go back to work six weeks after birth if you want to continue to breast-feed. We need more people like Nina to make the case for feeding our babies the best food we have.

Pregnancy and new motherhood are sensitive times. People dispense a million pieces of advice: eat this, not that; graze, have a big dinner; eat fruit, or dont. Never mind the chatter. Nina tell us something else: relax, and be a normal human. Eat well, but enjoy yourself. Have a glass of wine, have a piece of chocolate, give your kid ketchup.

Real Food for Mother and Baby gives women a refreshing perspective on how to feed our bodies, ourselves, our babies, and our families. She also gives a bracing lesson on what not to worry about. Just get back to basics: meat, dairy, fish, greens, and whole grains. Never preachy, Nina liberates us to do the best we can, without anxiety or guilt.