Customer Reviews

Expect the Best: Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, and After Pregnancy (American Dietetic Association)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not that I'm the spokesperson for all guys, but generally speaking, we are clueless when it comes to knowing what we can do to support our wives during pregnancy. Finally, we can stop "scratching our heads" when it comes to meal preparation - not only does Expect the Best make it abundantly clear what is best nutritionally for mother and child but the easy-to-prepare and delicious recipes are sure to bring pleasure to her palate. Do yourself (and her) a favor guys - GET THIS BOOK!!

When I found out my wife was pregnant, I went a little crazy ordering pregnancy and baby books. Just wanted to make sure we were knowledgeable. This was one of them.

First, don't get me wrong, this is a good book. It's a quick and easy read. There is a lot of great information, and it's well laid out which makes it easy to reference. I have found myself looking stuff up in it a couple times.

However, there is not a lot of new information in it. As the cook in the household, I am always working to create balanced meals with lots of veggies and fruits available. I may have shifted what I'm making a little bit, but to be honest, the outline of this book was given to us by our doctor at our first appointment, and I found it be very repetitive of things I've already heard, but with a LOT more details. If you like the details, then you'll probably enjoy the book more than I. Frankly, I'm not sure what I expected, but I didn't really need to know all the specific things that each vitamin does.

Basically, I suspect if your diet before pregnancy consists mostly of pizza, burritos, McDonalds, a periodic salad, and lots of coffee and soda, then you might get more value out of this book than I did. If you already are honestly trying to eat a balanced diet and have a good doctor who walks you through your caloric needs, then this book is probably more detail than you need.

I've only tried one of the recipes at the back of the book and it was good (not great, but good). I will likely try others, but may do some customizing to make it a little more flavorful.

As a registered dietitian, author, and most importantly a mother of two, I know firsthand how important it is to not only take the best possible care of yourself before, during, and after pregnancy, but to have information that's practical, real-world, and science-based. Liz Ward provides readers with all that and so much more in Expect the Best. New mom's everywhere can rest assured that the information in this book is extremely accessible and understandable, and most importantly accurate and based on the latest science. We mothers (especially new ones!) have enough to worry about without having to worry so much about what we should or shouldn't eat; this book takes all the guesswork out of the equation and helps women nurture themselves during their transition to motherhood. No mother-to-be (or even mother of more than one) should live without this book!

Finally, a book that details (without jargon! without guilt!) precisely what and how moms-to-be and new mom should eat. As an editor at [...], I found this to be the best current compendium of all things pre- and postnatal diet and exercise. Women should pick this up for the super-current nutrition advice, and keep it long after pregnancy for the fabulous recipes.

As a woman who is pregnant with her second child AND a Registered Dietitian, I thought I knew it all about nutrition for pregnancy. But everyone can still learn and Elizabeth Ward surprised me with how much excellent information is packed into this easy to read book. She dispells a lot of myths and I love the "Words of Motherly Wisdom" from other real life moms. Good nutrition is so important at all stages of life but when you are pregnant it is vital to watch what you eat, keep food safe, and keep yourself healthy for that developing child. I highly recommend this book to any woman who is thinking of becoming pregnant or is pregnant, even if it is not your first pregnancy!

Great book. Realistic guidelines and does not come across as condescending or too "preachy". Would be helpful if references to measurements were also on the metric system. Otherwise a great read with some useful information to arm you with what to expect and what to/not to eat.

I think this would be a great book if you are the type of person who wants to know every single detail about every single vitamin or if you have not been educated about a healthy lifestyle in the past. As a user-friendly reference text I rate this item a 5.

I am not a health nut, but I stay up to date on healthy diet/exercise practices, and I found those portions of this book to be very elementary. A lot of the given information is basic common sense. I learned nothing new and was surprised that glycemic index was not a covered topic given the increasing rates of gestational diabetes in America. As a handy guide for the reasonably educated parent (or parent to be) I rate this a 3, and I am really trying to be fair. Having this book is much better than not having anything, but there are much better books out there!

If you are in your 30's like me and looking for some well-rounded, informative and at least mildly engaging books on pregnancy, I would recommend you pass on this one. However, I can see where this book might be helpful to a younger person who needs basic healthy lifestyle education (if they have the patience to read it).

The American Dietetic Association teams up with one of the most respected dietitians around, Elizabeth Ward, and brings women the most credible book on pregnancy nutrition. This book covers it all. What to eat before, during and after pregnancy, motherly wisdom from moms who've been there, how to find a prenatal vitamin, how much caffeine to drink (or not), whether or not artificial sweeteners are safe, how much and types of fish to eat, specific nutrients that are needed, meal plans and more.

This book even helps moms-to-be figure out how much fun food (aka sweets) to include along with specific nutritional needs for each trimester and during breastfeeding. There are chapters dedicated to food safety, infertility and recipes.

All I can say is I wish this book was around when I was trying to get pregnant. As a dietitian, I wholeheartedly believe that raising healthy eaters starts when a couple first thinks about becoming pregnant.

This book should be on the bookshelf of every woman wanting a child or that is already pregnant. I will continue to recommend it to everyone I know.

As a dietitian, friends are constantly asking my opinion on how best to eat when they are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. This book has become my new favorite gift to give to soon-to-be Moms! It is a great resource for all women-even those who aren't planning to have children in the immediate future. Expect The Best is interesting, informative and the perfect gift!

As a registered dietitian and an expectant mother myself, I loved Elizabeth's book! The information is presented in a very clear, concise, and usable way that is perfect for every parent and parent-to-be. As a first time mother, I have purchased a LOT of books, but this is by far my favorite because it really focuses on all aspects of pregnancy - before, during and after! I like all of the lists and tables in the book, and I love all of the recipes! I have truly found this book to be an invaluable resource, and recommend it to all of my friends, family, and clients.