in a world of misinformation, i found it very comforting to read a book with extensive references that just makes sense to me. Lily Nichols does such a good job of being clear and concise and also non-biased in her information sharing. I felt empowered by this book to make the best choices during pregnancy that can support my baby's life for the better, far beyond the womb. i will be buying this for every pregnant person i know in the future.

Alright y’all… I’ll start by saying these are just my opinions. Overall, this is a thorough book going through foods and nutrients important to a pregnancy. The author organizes the information in an easy to read format and provides sources in the back. I appreciate the protein forward approach. My critique is the author fails to acknowledge that many of these recommendations are not accessible or affordable to everyone. It assumes everyone has access to local, organic farmers markets and can afford pasture raised meat. And has the time to prepare food from scratch. While I agree with her logic and recommendations it feels elitist for the author to state all this information without acknowledging and providing alternatives for the audience. I noticed her website includes budget friendly options so not sure why she couldn’t point to that in the book (maybe I missed this somewhere)? Yet she has time to include her opinion on vaccines. I also get a bit of fear mongering and fatfobic sentiments throughout. While I agree pregnancy doesn’t = eating for two, I tracked my macros for my first pregnancy and was low carb and still gained 50lbs (lost it within a month of birth). Some people just hold on to more when they are pregnant. Anyways, took off a star because she could’ve made the recommendations more accessible. TL:DR- The information is very helpful if you are starting your nutrition journey. Some of the recommendations may not be economical or practical for your life.

I found this book extremely refreshing compared to traditional advice you'll receive from others in the medical world. I also like that it goes beyond just food and nutritional advice, but also talks about other factors to consider as you're going through pregnancy (ie. how to choose an OB, exercise, lab test results etc). If you are super crunchy (as I am), I will say that I didn't really learn anything new. But it was nice to feel validated in my current values and opinion on how to approach nutrition through pregnancy - prioritizing a high fat, high protein diet with minimal carbs and eliminating the use of seed oils and plastics in our every day lives. I also liked how Lily Nichols also explains the implications of following said diet (or not following) and how that may impact the quality of your pregnancy and ultimately the birth of your child.

This book is phenomenal - it’s easy to understand despite being incredibly complex and well researched (and sourced!). I found this book a few weeks after receiving a significant medical diagnosis during my first pregnancy and it felt like a guiding light for how to structure the rest of my pregnancy post fetal surgery and my postpartum nutrition that helped aid my daughter in the NICU. It also equipped me with knowledge and information going in to my second pregnancy that helped (in my opinion) significantly decrease the likelihood of a repeat birth defect. She’s since authored another book on fertility which I have read and use, along with her website and IG. Cannot recommend this book and all her work enough.

Highly recommend for everyone ! Extremely informative and simple, easy and applicable knowledge for everyone. There are even yummy recipes to help get you started on creating nutrient dense meals. Thank you so much for writing this book!! Looking forward to reading the next one.

As someone who is huge into meal prep and healthy eating, I knew I wanted some good advice on how to naturally prepare my body for pregnancy. The advice given sounds simple and seems like common sense (although I found out it’s not so common after reading about what conventional doctors recommend you eat). She includes thorough explanations and research as to why the suggestions are given. I am now 19 weeks pregnant and have had a very smooth pregnancy so far. I often get shocked faces when I share with other Mama’s that I didn’t have morning sickness and am still playing volleyball because of how good I feel. I know part of it is genetics but more so, having a strong body before pregnancy prepped me for a strong body during pregnancy. I know that my body and my baby’s body are being nourished and that I’m doing the best thing I possibly can for the future of our baby; being a strong Mama and giving them a strong foundation for a lifetime of health! Thank you for an amazing book that I have read three times over and have learned so much from!

I wanted to wait until I read the whole book but I just couldn’t! I’m halfway through in just a couple of days and have found “Real food for pregnancy” so easy to read and brimming with useful, practical information. I love how Lily gives cited sources in her recommendations and compares it to what’s “generally accepted advice” and how the general guidelines for pregnant women are typically not well founded. I also love that it not only covers nutrition from food, but has a lot of well researched information on prenatal vitamins, supplements, exercise, the list goes on! Although I genuinely try to eat “healthy” I’m not going to wait until I’m pregnant to make some changes as suggested in this book. For example, I use Sweet N Low in my morning coffee. Did I know fake sugar provides no useful nutrition, yes. Did I know it can have a negative effect on the bacteria in my gut and “may impact a child’s propensity for obesity later in life” ?! Sadly, I didn’t. So many small changes can be made given the education found in this book. You will not regret buying this book. Do not wait until you are pregnant. Educate yourself now.