The new mom's most trusted resource - now revised and updated to include the latest in nutrition and dietary concerns.

This hands-on guide provides mothers with expert advice on losing weight and eating well, so you can feel good about your decision to nurse. Registered dietitian, professional nutritionist, and mother of two Eileen Behan shows you how to shed pounds safely and naturally while nourishing a happy, healthy baby. Learn what and how much to eat, what foods to avoid, the best exercises, plus ways to keep the pounds off after you stop breastfeeding. Get the latest on:

• vitamin and mineral recommendations from the frontlines of nutrition research

• the Glycemic Index - what it is and what it means to breastfeeding women

• fish safety - what you need to know about toxin levels to protect you and your baby

• low-carb diets - good or bad for breastfeeding moms?

• calcium - does it speed up weight loss?

• whole grains - the best ways to integrate this ultimate energy food into your diet

• nuts - high-protein food or fattening snack?

• childhood obesity - how to prevent harmful eating habits, from breastfeeding through toddler years

• sugar substitutes - which ones are best?

PLUS - All new crock-pot recipes, more Web-based resources, and a breakthrough eating plan that allows mothers to eat well, lose weight naturally, and have a happy nursing experience.

Chapter 1

Spring 2007

A lot has changed in the world since the first edition of Eat Well, lose Weight, While Breastfeeding was published in 1992. The main principle - that breastfeeding is the undisputed best way to feed babies - has, however, remained a constant. Research continues to confirm the tremendous health benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child.

Though eating well remains a fundamental principle to a satisfying nursing experience, there are no absolute "food rules." Women from around the world eat a variety of foods and breastfeed successfully. When it comes to weight loss, the slow and steady approach is advised. Eat Well, Lose Weight, While Breastfeeding survived the no-fat diets of the 1990s and the no-carb craze popular in the early years of the twenty-first century. Neither extreme led to permanent weight loss. In fact, the opposite occurred. After thirty years as a nutrition educator. I have learned that those who are successful with permanent weight control are the women who adopt a healthy lifestyle.

This edition updates the content of the earlier book and includes information on new trends and concerns. The fundamental message, however, remains the same: eat well and you will lose weight and be healthy. Give your body the food it needs, allow time to care for and nurse your baby, and both of you will have a satisfying breastfeeding experience.

There is a new issue added to this revised edition. The rise in obesity among children as well as adults required the inclusion of chapter 12. In 1992, 25 percent of adult women were considered overweight. Now it is 50 percent of women. In this section you will read what to do after you stop nursing and your baby is on solid foods. Many family health specialists now describe our food environment as "toxic" because it promotes processed foods, highly advertised snacks, and harried meals that make it almost impossible to eat well and control weight. Planning family meals that are structured and predictable and contain wholesome food is the antidote to our less than perfect food environment. This edition provides me with an opportunity to offer some guidance in the area of introducing foods and establishing routines that I believe will lay the foundation for your family's meal and eating routines for years to come.

Introduction

First Edition

You should know better! Those were my doctor's words as I sat in her office, nine months pregnant and weighing 187 pounds. She hadn't expected me to gain 52 pounds during my pregnancy. I am a registered dietitian, and food, nutrition, and diets are my business. But like many first-time moms I regarded pregnancy as a time to relax my eating standards. Almost every night I ate a bowl of delicious rich ice cream. I also snacked much more and found that it I didn't eat often I didn't have quite enough energy. In the beginning, food also helped fight nausea.

I really wasn't worried about my weight. I had always been able to maintain my weight between 130 and 135 pounds, which is fine for my five-foot, eight-inch frame. I figured after the baby was born, I would just get back to exercising and eating right and those excess pounds would melt away.

© 2007 by Eileen Behan

Tags: Breastfeeding

About the Author

Eileen Behan is a memeber of the American Dietetic Association, a registered dietitian, and the mother of two. She has worked for the Harvard School of Public Health and the Veterans Administration, and for five yuears her show, Food for Talk, has aired on Boston Public Radio. She currently works as a nutrition consultant. She lives with her family in New Hampshire. This is her sixth book on nutrition.