Lily’s books
Real Food for Pregnancy
Dietitians: Real Food for Pregnancy is approved by CDR for 35 CEUs. Redeem your credits here.
Prenatal nutrition can be confusing. A lot of the advice you have been given about what to eat (or what not to eat) is well-meaning, but frankly, outdated or not evidenced-based.
In Real Food for Pregnancy, you will get clear answers on what to eat and why, with research to back up every recommendation. Author and specialist in prenatal nutrition, Lily Nichols, RDN, CDE, has taken a long and hard look at the science and discovered a wide gap between current prenatal nutrition recommendations and what foods are required for optimal health in pregnancy and for your baby’s development.
There has never been a more comprehensive and well-referenced resource on prenatal nutrition. With Real Food for Pregnancy as your guide, you can be confident that your food and lifestyle choices support a smooth, healthy pregnancy.
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Read the first chapter of Real Food for Pregnancy for FREE.
Real Food for Gestational Diabetes
Getting diagnosed with gestational diabetes is scary, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Imagine easily managing your blood sugar, effortlessly gaining the right amount of weight during your pregnancy, and giving birth to a beautiful, healthy baby.
This can be you! Real Food for Gestational Diabetes offers an alternative to the conventional nutrition approach that embraces nutrient-dense and delicious foods that nourish you and baby without causing high blood sugar.
Real Food for Gestational Diabetes outlines the evidence behind a lower carb, low glycemic diet focused on real food (a far cry from current standards that push a minimum of 175g of carbohydrates per day). This book is intentionally written in an easy-to-read style, however it also includes fully referenced sections on nutrient-dense foods, the safety of low carb & controversies surrounding ketosis in pregnancy, blood sugar-lowering medication, and exercise in pregnancy.
With this book, you have the tools to turn this diagnosis into a blessing in disguise. Tens of thousands of women have used this book as their “gestational diabetes bible” and countless healthcare practitioners recommend it in their practices. It was also the catalyst for the Czech Republic to reform their official guidelines on nutritional management of gestational diabetes. See for yourself why it’s the #1 bestselling book on gestational diabetes.
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Which book should I choose?
That’s a good question. These books are not interchangeable; they are stand alone resources that compliment each other. The questions that were always top of mind while writing (both books) were:
- Why are current recommendations what they are?
- Does the research support them?
- Does this make sense in the context of pregnancy physiology, nutrient requirements, and the practices of traditional cultures?
Real Food for Pregnancy is for you if:
- You’re pregnant, planning to conceive, or recently had a baby (or are a healthcare practitioner working with mamas-to-be)
- You consider yourself well-read in nutrition—or strive to get a deeper understanding of nutrition—and you’re ok with a slightly higher reading level (there are 934 research citations in this book, though I aim to make it easy to understand even for the non-scientist)
- You want to be proactive about your health before, during, and after pregnancy, including understanding how nutrition, exercise, lifestyle, avoidance of toxins, stress management (and more) can help you and your baby thrive
- You don’t like being given watered-down information. You want to see the science for yourself and decide whether or not typical pregnancy rules are valid (such as avoiding fish due to mercury or avoiding eggs with runny yolks for food safety). This book covers all the controversial nutrition-related topics
- You want to hear the full story about how conventional pregnancy nutrition advice misses the mark (on everything from macronutrients, B12, choline, salt, foods to avoid lists, vegetarian diets, and so much more)
Real Food for Gestational Diabetes is for you if:
- You’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes; you want direction and reassurance in simple language (or you’re a healthcare provider seeing clients with gestational diabetes)
- You’re having trouble finding reliable information about managing your blood sugar, naturally
- You want to do everything within your control to minimize your chances of requiring insulin or medication
- You want to understand the science behind eating a lower carb, low glycemic diet (below the standard 175g carbs/day recommendations) during pregnancy
- You’ve heard mixed information about ketosis/ketones in pregnancy and want to know what’s safe and what’s not
