Rating: 
Summary: Condescending and Discouraging
Review: For years I've been a vegetarian who follows a very healthy diet. However, I do continue to eat ice cream sometimes, and according to this book, I should go to maternity prison! This book plays upon the all-too-common self-doubting tendency that many women have, and I think it's ridiculous. Even though I do agree that whole wheat is better than white bread, there is no sense depriving your body of a smoothie that includes frozen yogurt as an ingredient--more than once a month if you want! Good grief. Think of what previous generations of moms ate, smoked, drank, etc. ....
Rating: 
Summary: Good advice but a little out of date on some nutrition info
Review: I'm not pregnant but I wanted to get a head start on nutrition for when I am. My biggest disapointment is that since I am dairy intollerant (all dairy, not just lactose) nearly all of their recipies and "quick fixes" for getting calcium have dairy in them, and so are useless to me. The diet in this book is a relaxed version (yes, really it is) of what you'll find in Dr. Weil's "Eating for Optimum Health" and Dr. Ivker's "Sinus Survival" both of which focus on whole-body heath through careful eating. It was written in 1986 and so is missing over 15 years of changes in nutrition -- tuna more than once a month and polyunsatureated fats are both now in the "not that good for you" list. However, it does have references to find out current info on nutrition if you care to look them up (CSPI). I'm planning to try and move to the "not pregnant or nursing" version of the diet (with modifications for new info) now to insure everything is ready for when I do get pregnant, and because I think it will help my overall health. Those of you that don't like the tone of the book, try just reading the nutrition part and skip the nagging. Re-write the diet info onto paper without the commentary for later use. They are right about one thing though -- every bite of everything you eat shows up in your baby and you should think about every bite you put in. The nagging does get a bit annoying. Maybe they thought if you feel bad about 1 fast-food meal a month, you'll just have 1 and not 10 like you might if you thought they were no big deal. I think they're just being honest about how most people will react to finding things around the house they're not supposed to eat, which is to eat one thinking it's not a big deal. If you do it only 1 time a week, they say it's not a big deal, but if you do 3 or 4 times a week it is. That logic makes sense to me.
Rating: 
Summary: Too many expectations
Review: I bought this book for my second pregnancy because I found the original book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" to be so valuable during my first pregnancy. After reading "What to Eat When You're Expecting" I felt very discouraged. This book has too many expectations for anyone let alone someone who is pregnant. Who wants to feel horrible because they ate one cookie or a bagel in a single month? I was looking for sensible not radical advice on ways to gain weight gracefully through my pregnancy while staying healthy and physically fit. Unless you thrive on strict guidelines and control, I would recommend skipping this book and instead discuss eating/weight goals with your doctor or midwife.
Rating:
Summary: Patronizing and Insulting
Review: I, too, was happy to discard this book quickly after reading it. The tone is a cross between intolerant and imperious, and the authors clearly suppose that the average woman is completely ignorant of matters regarding health and nutrition. A person who advocates the rigid lifestyle championed in this book is sure to become the type of parent who will make her children absolutely miserable once they are born. Furthermore, the book's haughty condemnation of women who gain more weight "than they should" embodies the exact mindset that has led to the prevalence of eating disorders and self-loathing among women in our society. As the cover illustration suggests, this book is dated and completely impractical for modern, well-rounded women. In short, the only commendable thing about this book is the delicious irony that the authors, who suppose themselves to be masters of balancing diet and lifestyle, are really ridiculous extremists!
Rating:
Summary: Guilt and Outdated Information
Review: I am not pregnant, but wanted to read up on nutritional information for when I DO get pregnant. Despite some good recommendations for what to eat and what to avoid, I feel that the overall tone is judgemental and overbearing. As parents often find out with their children, good advice often gets lost when it is wrapped up in a guilt-package. I think the book is worth reading for alternative sources of proteins, grains, etc, plus any attractive looking recipes at the back. However, be forewarned that some of the information is already out of date. On page 33, the authors write, "There's nothing wrong with a tuna sandwich first thing in the morning...." New FDA warnings about high levels of mercury in fish include tuna fish, which should not be eaten by pregnant mothers more than once a month. Also, take a look at Jennifer Reese's scathing essay about the "Best-Odds Diet" (in *What to Expect When You're Expecting*) entitled "Expecting the Worst" in *Mothers Who Think: Tales of Real Life Parenthood*, edited by Camile Perl and Kate Moses of Salon.) A year later... I am pregnant and I still hate this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: Don't let this book discourage you. Read the book and use it as guideline to help you understand what foods are necessary and what they can do for the child. I did not follow everything, but tried to follow as much as I could. I couldn't believe how GREAT I felt when I ate "better." I felt so very healthy. I recommend this book to anyone. Lots of information and good tips. I stayed away from chemicals and preservatives like the book recommended. I woke up feeling great everyday....felt more alert...focused....never experienced nausea.....slept better. Every woman should eat their best when pregnant. I gained only 23 pounds because I ate "smart". I don't know if my diet had anything to do with it, but my baby scored 9.9 on the Apgar scale!! Go ahead, read the book and get as much as you can out of it!
Rating:
Summary: The most unrealistic pregnancy book I've ever read
Review: This is a book full of unrealistic expectations and several factual errors. Concerning the former: it is virtually impossible for any woman to eat as much as the book recommends. Only women who do not have to work or who have a maid would have the time to prepare and eat all the food in the quantities they recommend. As for the latter, the book erroneously states that whole wheat bread and pasta cost the same as white. This is absolutely not true. I live in one of the largest cities in the US, where there are many stores with a large variety of foods, and in every one wheat bread costs twice as much as white, wheat pasta four or more times as much as while. The book should be called "What the leisure class eats when expecting." I got so worried about all the recommendations that I showed the book to my doctor and he said any woman eating that much would gain too much weight. Do NOT buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Very Informative - Good Advice
Review: I'm on my second pregnancy, and following the Best-Odds Diet (to the best of my ability) is the only thing that keeps that pesky nausea away. It's simply good nutrition to eat whole wheat bread instead of white. Avoiding sugar and eating lots of fruits and vegetables is advice you would get from any nutritionist. This book is good because it also lets us know where we have increased demands for nutrients because of pregnancy, e.g. protein and calcium needs are greater than normal. I'm a little disheartened to see that so many women feel guilty after reading this book. The nutritional information is invaluable; it really makes me think twice before eating junk food. The diet they ask us to follow is very sound. But like any book, if there's information that you just don't agree with, then just skim over it and don't give it another thought. However, I wonder if many of these women remember that everything we eat goes to our babies. Would you give your baby chocolate? I mean, come on. Doctors tell you that the only pain reliever you should take is Tylenol. What does that tell you? When we're pregnant, we should weigh carefully every bite we eat. The dietary suggestions are sometimes a little too strict, but overall this is a very good book to have. It expands upon the Best-Odds Diet in "What to Expect When You're Expecting" with some additional good recipes. I mean, the desserts are definitely not what you think of when you hear "dessert," but they are very good considering they do not contain any refined sugar. I love them! I just wish I had the discipline to follow this diet (without the extra calcium and protein requirements) all the time!
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Book for Healthy Eating
Review: When looking over all of the hateful reviews, I can't believe what I'm reading! The guidelines of this pregnancy diet, (no white breads etc, no sugar) are excellent and realistic. I have already been doing this before I got pregnant by following Suzanne Somers diet, and certainly plan on continuing it to have the healthiest baby that I can. I still eat sugar sometimes, but not often, and don't feel guilty about it when I do, because I am doing very well on this diet. Don't believe all these terrible reviews! If you want to give your baby the best start possible, read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Great Healthy Diet
Review: Despite what other people say, I think this is a great pregnancy diet. It discourages sugar and white products (flour, pasta, etc). There is nothing wrong with these ideas, as these ingredients do not benefit you and your baby at all. I have been doing Suzanne Somers program which is similar, and know that I can continue it as I follow the "What to eat when you're expecting" principles. This is healthy eating that can continue for a lifetime. Of course it's hard to give up sugar, but it's very healthy to do so.
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