march-august

Your Vegetarian Pregnancy: A Month-by-Month Guide to Health and Nutrition. nonfiction, pregnancy and vegetarianism. Holly Roberts.

This book gave me exactly what I was looking for: the confidence to continue my pescatarian diet into my pregnancy and beyond, and the ammunition to respond to those who would tell me that a pescatarian pregnancy was not wise. On the contrary, this book proves over and over that the vegetarian lifestyle may very well be better for pregnancy nutrition than not. There might be a better book out there on vegetarian pregnancy, but this one has served me well.

I have used this book as my main source for diet and nutrition during pregnancy, as well. What this book does not do is serve as an all-inclusive pregnancy book. It does try to cover many topics about pregnancy and birth, but if it were my only investment in pregnancy literature, I would feel under-educated and wanting for more. But�like I said�if you want to learn more about diet and nutrition during pregnancy (which I would highly recommend if you are pregnant), then this is a great book for you.

Lastly, this book is up-beat. If you have done much reading in the pregnancy/health category, you have to have realized that books can often be divided into one of two categories: up-beat or down-right scary. Since you are likely to have enough of your own worries at this point, I suggest that you want to avoid the second type of book altogether. Up-beat books, on the other hand, are a God-send. Buy them, and forgo the doomsday sayers.

Jacket Synopsis:

"When you're eating for two, you need to eat well.

"There's no question that a vegetarian or vegan diet is just as nutritionally sound during pregnancy as one that includes animal protein. In fact, vegetarian nutrition offers pregnant women valuable health benefits that you simply won't find in a nonvegetarian diet, such as higher levels of folic acid, lower cholesterol, and an abundant variety of essential minerals, vitamins, and nutrients. Whether you are already vegetarian or you simply want to reduce the amount of meat in your diet, making the right dietary choices to support you and your baby is the key to a safe, healthy pregnancy.

�Fulfilling every nutritional guideline recommended by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Your Vegetarian Pregnancy is the first authoritative guide to maintaining a healthy plant-based diet before, during, and after the birth of your child. Combining complete obstetrical information with sound nutritional guidance, this guide will educate you about:
�Basic pregnancy issues, such as fetal development, changes within your body, and preparation for labor and delivery.
�What to expect each month, and how to cope with the unexpected.
�Key nutrients for your baby and you, with suggestions on how to obtain these through diet, vitamins, and supplements.
�The myriad benefits to eating vegetarian during pregnancy, in an entire chapter comparing vegetarian and nonvegetarian nutrition.

�With this unique and accessible handbook, you can be confident that your vegetarian pregnancy will be wonderfully beneficial for both you and your baby."

april-august

Having a Baby, Naturally: The Mothering Magazine Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth. nonfiction, pregnancy. Peggy O�Mara.

This book has really done a few things for me. It has (1) convinced me that I would like to have a birth doula, (2) given me the statistics and facts to want for myself a �natural� pregnancy, birth experience, and post-partum, (3) empowered me to actively help myself have a natural birth experience, if at all possible. Of course, this makes the book well worth it. It is not an all-comprehensive book, but it is a pretty rich resource during pregnancy. I have really appreciated having an �alternative� opinion at arm�s reach, when all other books I owned seemed a little too medical or narrow-minded.

One thing that I loved about this book was that it always seemed to want to tell the truth. For example, while it emphatically points out that c-sections are way over-performed in our country and gives many reasons why you would want to avoid one and opt for a vaginal birth, it also states and states again that c-sections are a life-saving procedure (and a miracle of modern medicine) for both mother and child, when necessary.

But was the book up-beat or down-right scary? Perhaps a little of both. It really tries to be upbeat, and I do feel more excited, relaxed, and ready for a vaginal birth, after reading it. It does a pretty good job at convincing you that you too can have a smooth, positive birth experience. But if I end up on the cutting table and under the hospital lights, I am going to flashback to the statistics and the facts that make this book what it is: an advocate for �natural� birth. However, I wouldn�t trade in the knowledge that I have been given about the medical procedures that happen in birth emergencies, because I want to come as close as possible as I can to controlling the situation should it become emergent. What kind of anesthesia do I want (if I have a choice)? What will go on during an emergency c-section? Now I know.

Lastly, I was not thrilled with the break-up of this book into trimesters, and not months. This is a preference thing, since I liked to keep up with the books I was reading by tackling the next chapter at the beginning of each month.

Jacket Synopsis:

"For more than twenty-five years, Mothering magazine has captured an audience of educated women who appreciate its "we'll inform, you choose" approach to parenting. Having a Baby, Naturally reflects this spirit with straightforward, uncensored information about pregnancy and childbirth, addressing common concerns and questions in a compassionate, nonjudgmental style.

�Written by Peggy O'Mara, the longtime publisher, editor, and owner of Mothering magazine, it synthesizes the best theories and safest practices used in natural childbirth, including recommendations from the World Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Throughout, O'Mara reinforces her belief that each woman's pregnancy and birth experience is a one-of-a-kind event. She covers such topics as:
-Nutrition, diet, and exercise
-Emotional self-awareness during and after pregnancy
-A trimester-by-trimester guide to what is happening in your body and your child's
-Birth choices--offering suggestions, not �rules�
-Pain medication alternatives
-Birth locations, from hospitals to home birth
-Relieving morning sickness with natural remedies
-Prenatal testing
-Breastfeeding
-Prematurity and multiple births
-Balancing work and family
-The father's role during pregnancy and beyond
-Difficult subjects, such as birth defects, miscarriages, and postpartum depression, are also treated with sensitivity and candor.

�Finally, a book for the thinking woman who believes in her own inherent capacity to make smart, informed decisions about her pregnancy and birth, just as she makes in other areas of her life. Having a Baby, Naturally is a celebration of childbirth and an accurate and objective guide to helping women fortify their spirits, develop trust in their bodies, and make the best possible choices to protect their new baby's health."

april-august

What To Expect When You're Expecting. nonfiction, pregnancy. Heidi Murkoff, etc.

This is the it book of pregnancy, making it�s way into every bookstore, every pregnancy display, even prominently into the movie Nine Months. It is the book you will probably be getting should someone decide to get you one when they find out you are pregnant. That�s how I got my copy.

But I like it, at least to an extent. I mostly like two things about it. First, it is comprehensive. Second, it has a ton of trouble-shooting qualities. It breaks down month-by-month, which we already know that I like, and answers questions about every symptom or concern that you could experience or think of during pregnancy. I thought of and experienced many.

There are those who would complain that this book is down-right scary. I actually didn�t think it was that scary, although I could see how someone could easily suddenly be stricken with whatever strange symptom or condition she was reading about on any given page. Myself, I just skipped the sections that did not pertain to me. If I had a certain symptom, I looked it up in the index and found it that way, rather than reading about every little, scary thing that could happen, ahead of time. For example, if you are not having twins or do not have gestational diabetes, don�t worry about reading all about the complications of twin pregnancies and gestational diabetes.

Overall, I liked the book enough to keep it on the shelf for my next pregnancy. The only thing I really hated about it was the question-answer format; not my cup-of-tea. However, I do suspect that there is a better comprehensive pregnancy book out there. This may not be true, but I might keep looking if I were you. If all else fails, come back to this one. It�s a classic.

Jacket Synopsis:

"Incorporating everything that�s new in pregnancy, childbirth, and the lifestyles of parents-to-be, complete with a preconception plan, information on choosing a practitioner, birthing alternatives, second pregnancies, twins, making love while pregnant, and coping with common an not-so-common pregnancy symptoms.

�Plus: a new section for working mothers, an expanded chapter for fathers-to-be, an update Pregnancy Diet, monthly illustrations of your baby�s progress, and step-by-step guides through labor and delivery, the postpartum period, and breastfeeding."

august-october

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide. nonfiction, pregnancy. Penny Simkin.

I�m not yet half-way through this book, since I had to purchase it and read if for my child-birth class. I�ll let you know what I think, later.

Jacket Synopsis:

"If you only buy one childbirth book, this is the one...

�The most complete. It covers all aspects of childbearing from conception through early infancy. It includes information on what to expect during pregnancy and birth and how you can work with your caregivers to make childbirth a happy and healthy experience.

�The easiest to use. It is well organized for easy reading and quick reference. There are more than 45 charts and 150 photographs and illustrations to clarify the information -- more graphic aids than any other childbirth book.

�The most up-to-date. It includes the latest information on clinical tests and procedures in pregnancy, childbirth, and early infancy. It also covers concerns regarding the emotional aspects of childbearing, the partner's role, comfort measures, high-risk pregnancies, medications, vaginal birth after cesarean, breastfeeding, and understanding infant behavior."

ongoing

Prescription for Nutritional Healing: A Practical A-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs, and Food Supplements. nonfiction, health and nutrition. Phyllis Balch, etc.

I can�t tell you how much I love this book. As weird as this is, I sometimes read it for fun, just curled up in bed with a cup of hot tea and no real ailments bothering me to even read about. I just love the whole nutrition and diet section at the beginning; very entertaining for reference material. And I am just enamored with the idea that you can do things for ailments besides pop a pill or run directly to the doctor�s.

Even if you are not itching to curl up with it every now and then, I would HIGHLY recommend a copy for your home-reference collection.

Jacket Synopsis:

"For more than ten years, people interested in alternative healing and preventive therapies have relied upon this invaluable reference as a guide to improve health through nutrition and supplementation. Now, completely updated and over one-third revised, this third edition of Prescription for Nutritional Healing incorporates the latest information on nutritional supplements, herbal remedies, and their health-promoting effects on hundreds of disorders and diseases.

�This book's unique format and accessible style are instantly recognizable. Part One lists and explains the various types of nutrients, natural food supplements, and herbs found in health-food and drugstores; Part Two describes more than 250 common disorders, from acne to yeast infection, arranged conveniently in alphabetical order, and names the supplements that can be used to combat the conditions; Part Three is a guide to alternative remedies and therapies that can be used in conjunction with a nutritional program. In addition, self-diagnostic tests throughout the book offer in-depth coverage of a wide variety of topics.

�Updates to this third edition include:
�Discussions of newer supplements, including SAMe, MSM, pregnenolone, red yeast rice, inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), colostrum, and emu oil.
�Latest research on lesser-known herbal remedies such as cat's claw, saw palmetto, black cohosh, hyssop, boneset, eyebright, squawvine, and Chinese and Ayurvedic herbs.
�New information and theories on cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis, irritable bowel syndrome, and a host of other chronic diseases currently receiving increased attention from doctors and researchers.

�Whether readers are looking for relief from a particular ailment or simply wish to maintain optimum health, this book quickly and easily provides an abundance of information to design a complete nutritional program. The one book that instantly creates a complete health section, Prescription for Nutritional Healing is the standard to which all other books in the category are held."

ongoing

Desperation Dinners. nonfiction, recipes. Beverly Mills, etc.

I never would have thought I would reference this book as much as I do. But�contrary to my expectations at the beginning of marriage�life does get busy enough to need quick and easy recipes on hand, even for the most gourmet-y of us.

There may be cooler books out there for quick and easy recipes, but what I just rave about this book is that all the recipes really do take twenty minutes or less to prepare, especially once you have made them once or twice. AND, a lot of the recipes actually taste good. Of course, there�s a sad lack of vegetarian recipes, but I do my fair share of substitutions and voila!, vegetarian desperation dinner on the table in 19 flat!

My one real complaint about this book (besides class, which we all have to forfeit in the hurried stages of life) is the inclusion of many rather sketchy ingredients. Often, I will tack on an extra five minutes to include fresh veggies, hand-pressed garlic, or home-made b�chamel in place of canned, condensed, cream-of soup, for example. Healthier, tastier recipes are the result.

Jacket Synopsis:

Developed from �Desperation Dinners,� their nationally syndicated food column, Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross have created a book the features over 250 recipes with tips, time-saving techniques, stocking the kitchen, and more. Even better: they make an unbeatable promise: all the recipes in the book can be done in 20 minutes flat. By taking brilliant advantage of convenience foods-frozen chicken breasts, washed and cut vegetables, pre-baked pizza crusts, salsas, and more-and using easy-to- master techniques (doing different tasks at the same time, "pushing" flavors with bold seasoning), the authors deliver: Barbecued Shrimp on Spicy Rice, Lazy Lo Mein, Pork au Poivre, Lime-Garlic Chicken Saute, Minute Minestrone, Garlic-Roasted Salmon, Mom's Mini Meat Loaves, Individual Lemon Ginger Trifles, Heavenly Cream Cake. Now with over a million copies in print. Illustrations throughout.�

Some of Our Favorite Recipes:
Speedy Black Bean Soup
Cabbage and Potatoes
African �Chicken� Stew
Tortilla Soup
Thai Salad with Red-Hot Dressing
Frenzied Fried Rice
Lazy Lo Mein

ongoing

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. nonfiction, recipes. Deborah Madison.

I am very glad that we purchased this book with a gift certificate from our wedding, three years ago. It was an investment in our health, pleasure, and education that we hardly knew we were making. I would recommend it for any household, including the non-vegetarian, but I think that it would be more appreciated by people that are both interested in the cooking process and those that like fine cooking.

My favorite things about this book are (1) it is vegetarian, therefore I can make everything in it, (2) it is extremely informative about all things in the kitchen and I use it largely as a reference book for any questions I might have, (3) it includes kitchen basics that I often refer to, such as how to cook dry beans or bake a potato, (4) generally speaking�and once you sort of understand what is going on in the gourmet kitchen�most recipes in this book come out fabulously. You just have to know what you are doing and what you like and don�t like.

Despite the fact that I really like this book, it is not really for everyone. I can not imagine a single person who thinks frozen pizza is a food group ever tackling one of these recipes. They are just a tad on the complicated and invested side, although I have seen much worse. Other complaints: I think her treatment of ethnic foods is a little sad in some instances and I wish that she had more of some things (soy recipes and casseroles). Once you have mastered the basics, most recipes go together with very good results.

Jacket Synopsis:

�What Julia Child is to French cooking and Marcella Hazan is to Italian cooking, Deborah Madison is to contemporary vegetarian cooking. At Greens restaurant in San Francisco, where she was the founding chef, and in her two acclaimed vegetarian cookbooks, Madison elevated vegetarian cooking to new heights of sophistication, introducing many people to the joy of cooking without meat, whether occasionally or for a lifetime. But after her many years as a teacher and writer, she realized that there was no comprehensive primer for vegetarian cooking, no single book that taught vegetarians basic cooking techniques, how to combine ingredients, and how to present vegetarian dishes with style. Now, in a landmark cookbook that has been six years in the making, Madison teaches readers how to build flavor into vegetable dishes, how to develop vegetable stocks, and how to choose, care for, and cook the many vegetables available to cooks today.

"Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is the most comprehensive vegetarian cookbook ever published. The 1,400 recipes, which range from appetizers to desserts, are colorful and imaginative as well as familiar and comforting. Madison introduces readers to innovative main course salads; warm and cold soups; vegetable braises and cobblers; golden-crusted gratins; Italian favorites like pasta, polenta, pizza, and risotto; savory tarts and galettes; grilled sandwiches and quesadillas; and creative dishes using grains and heirloom beans. At the heart of the book is the A-to-Z vegetable chapter, which describes the unique personalities of readily available vegetables, the sauces and seasonings that best complement them, and the simplest ways to prepare them. "Becoming a Cook" teaches cooking basics, from holding a knife to planning a menu, and "Foundations of Flavor" discusses how to use sauces, herbs, spices, oils, and vinegars to add flavor and character to meatless dishes. In each chapter, the recipes range from those suitable for everyday dining to dishes for special occasions. And through it all, Madison presents a philosophy of cooking that is both practical and inspiring.

�Despite its focus on meatless cooking, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is not just for vegetarians: It's for everyone interested in learning how to cook vegetables creatively, healthfully, and passionately. The recipes are remarkably straightforward, using easy-to-find ingredients in inspiring combinations. Some are simple, others more complex, but all are written with an eye toward the seasonality of produce. And Madison's joyful and free-spirited approach to cooking will send you into the kitchen with confidence and enthusiasm. Whether you are a kitchen novice or an experienced cook, this wonderful cookbook has something for everyone.�

Some of Our Favorite Recipes:

Winter Vegetable Stew/Pot Pie
Red Pepper and Tomato Tart
Avacado Club Sandwiches
Broccoli with Mustard and Capers
Nasi Goreng
Leblebi
Basil-Walnut Dressing
Breakfast Burritos
Mozzarella and Corn in Red Peppers
Asparagus Soup
And the list goes on and on�