Nina Planck’s first book, Real Food, went against the grain by promoting old-fashioned foods like butter, cream, and red meat that had inherited taboos from scientists and nutritionists and set a precedent for the discussion around industrial versus whole foods. Her second book, Real Food for Mother and Baby, is every bit as unconventional and enlightening.
A self-confessed ‘nutrition nerd,’ Nina has all the science to back up why conceiving mothers need to eat crustaceans and liver or why babies need raw milk, but the more you read, the more her reasoning smacks of simple common sense. Drawing on studies of aboriginal cultures, current food science, and her personal experience as a farm-raised girl now mother, you cannot deny Planck has done her homework before tackling such sticky topics as drinking wine and coffee, eating seafood, or taking supplements while pregnant. And while buttressed by fact, her blend of passionate and pragmatic writing style, makes Real Food for Mother and Baby both a fascinating and pleasant read.
Her consistent appeal to just eat ‘real food’ (which she defines simply as traditional, not industrial) returns fruits, vegetables, eggs, fats, meat, and milk to a place of honour. And her practical approach to sourcing local, organic, or raw ingredients is refreshing, not stringent. In short, Nina is exactly the kind of source you want at your side when choosing what to eat and now, has crafted an invaluable text for parents-to-be. Whether you are planning for a baby, already have little ones at home, or just want to prepared should the time someday come, this book is a stellar source for educating yourself on the best whole foods for robust health for parent and child.
Available at fine bookstores around BC.
