Better Food for Pregnancy: Nutrition Guide Plus Over 125 Recipes for Healthy Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Daina Kalnins, MSc., RD, and Joanne Saab, RD are registered dietitians at The Hospital for Sick Children with a combined 25 years of experience in pediatric research and nutrition. Mothers themselves, they are co-authors of Better Baby Food and Better Food for Kids.

Preface

What better time to learn about good nutrition than during the planning and earliest stages of a pregnancy? The nutritional status of a mother prior to conception and throughout pregnancy influences the nutritional status of the newborn baby and the future health of the child. Optimal nutrition provided to an unborn baby during the developing stages may prevent chronic disease in adulthood.

This is not just a question of eating well for two; it means eating smarter. Not only are calorie needs increased during pregnancy, but specific nutrients (such as iron and folic acid) are in higher demand, even before pregnancy! A balanced diet with these required nutrients needs to be supplied to the baby.

In this book, we provide the basics of a better diet for pregnancy that includes optimum intake of macronutrients -- proteins, carbohydrates and fats -- and required micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. We also identify foods that may help with morning sickness and foods that are not safe to eat during pregnancy. While this is not a "diet" book for losing weight, we do present information on appropriate weight gain during pregnancy and getting back into shape after pregnancy with good food selection. The need to eat better goes beyond the stages of pregnancy to breastfeeding your baby and establishing better eating habits for your kids. For each stage in your pregnancy, from conception to breastfeeding, we present not only nutritional advice, but also healthy recipes and meal plans for the two of you.

As co-authors of the best-selling books Better Baby Food and Better Food for Kids, we were inspired to write this book to provide mothers with the information they need to prepare for pregnancy and to provide optimal nutrition for themselves and for their babies. Our careful selection of recipes offers a wide variety of foods to enjoy, making food preparation a pleasure to savor, not a task to suffer. Understanding the principles of good nutrition and knowing how to prepare good food -- that's what you will find in Better Food for Pregnancy.

Preface

Top 20 Frequently Asked Questions about Nutrition and Pregnancy

Part 1: Better Nutrition for Pregnancy

1. Food Nutrition Basics
2. Food Safety
3. Pre-Pregnancy Nutrition
4. Early Pregnancy Nutrition (First Trimester)
5. Mid-Pregnancy Nutrition (Second Trimester)
6. Late Pregnancy Nutrition (Third Trimester)
7. Post-Partum Nutrition and Breastfeeding
8. Good Nutrition for Life

Part 2: Better Recipes for Pregnancy

• Healthy Meal Plans
• Best Recipes for Vital Nutrients

Recipes with Nutritional Analyses

• Breakfasts (16 recipes)
• Appetizers and Snacks (12 recipes)
• Soups (11 recipes)
• Salads (23 recipes)
• Poultry (15 recipes)
• Fish and Seafood (14 recipes)
• Meat (15 recipes)
• Vegetarian (17 recipes)
• Sides (5 recipes)
• Pasta (8 recipes)
• Desserts (14 recipes)

Nutritional Analysis
Contributing Authors
Resources
References
Acknowledgements
Index