I had really high hopes for this book because the author has a Ph. D in neuroscience and psychology and has studied nutrition, diet, and addiction, and it is a book on fertility. All of these are fields I love and have dived into studying over the past seven or so plus years.

While I thought there was some great information, I did not feel like it was enough. I'm not sure if it is because I have studied these fields so much, but I didn't learn anything new. Regardless of having former experience or not, I felt like the chapter on the psychology of eating and dealing with food addictions was way too short. It was only around ten pages, and repetitive at that. There was just not enough information to make any changes for the reader.

On the other hand, Nicole did discuss important nutrients for fertility quite adeptly. She indicated specific foods that are especially helpful for fertility, along with corresponding recipes, and foods that are harmful to fertility. A four week diet plan is also included, which utilizes the recipes that she includes in the book. None of the recipes have pictures or nutrition facts, so that part could use some work, but they do seem pretty simple, with easy to find ingredients. Her diet plan is nutritionally balanced, with an emphasis on whole foods.

I think this book would be informative for someone just learning about fertility and how diet can impact it. If you have already read some books on the topic, it isn't especially helpful. It doesn't really contain new information. It is a good, basic resource, it just lacks the spark I was looking for. I love reading about about these subjects, so I enjoyed the read, but I would have enjoyed learning something new. For me, I would rate it a 3 stars, but I'm going to go with 4, since there are not many books on the topic and some may find it more useful. It is far from perfect, but I appreciate the effort and holistic attitude towards improving fertility and health.

Very informative and well written guide book for healthy eating to increase fertility and overall health of you and your partner if you want to get pregnant!

The timing of reading this was near perfect in that I requested the book and only read part of the book for about a week before I got pregnant. But still I appreciated how informative and helpful the information is, and I’ve used some of the yummy and healthy recipes in my early pregnancy.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC so that I could read and review.

What to Eat When You Want to Get Pregnant by Nicole Avena is a book that provides a lot of information to the reader while also motivating. This piece is for women who have been trying to get pregnant for a long time but have not succeeded so far, and Nicole is trying to help them. But this book can also be useful for women who wants children in the future and are already doing their best for the health of their unborn child.

Nicole Avena simplifies unspeakable and complicated technical terms and explains the importance of nutrients to the fetus, as well as the mother.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC of this books in exchange of an honest review. This book was very interesting as it provides detailed information about what nutrients are essential (some are somewhat less familiar), as well as what foods are the best sources. If you already have a healthy, balanced way of eating, it will be easy to choose the best foods to boost fertility. As a vegetarian, the meal plan is impossible to follow. Also, some of the fertility boosting foods are fish, dairy and chicken. While this book was written for the vast majority of women, a special advice section for vegetarians couldhave been included.

The chapter on the psychology of eating behaviors is somewhat lacking. It only deals with people who eat too much, have poor food choices, or a combination of those two aspects. As a person with a complete other type of eating disorder (orthorexia bordering on anorexia), I felt like undereating and strict dieting should be addressed, as it is rooted in psychology and included in the DSM.

I recommend this book for the first part, while the second part of the book could have included more.

This book was informative and especially for those who haven't read any prior infertility based books. I like how it lays out the good and bad foods for fertility, the 4 week meal plan (because meal planning is not fun!) and that it wasn't too lengthy. My only suggestion is to have all the recipes at the back with the other recipes rather than after each good food item.

This book convinced me to change my diet. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet but they gave me inspiration for things I could make in the future. This is a great book to read cover to cover or as a reference to quickly see what you should and shouldn't be eating.

This is a very informative look at what nutrients your body needs to get pregnant, giving you lists of food to avoid and food to prioritize with reasons why. I enjoyed the recipes scattered throughout, as it helped me think about healthier ways to put meals together. Avena even gives her suggestion of a four week meal plan, and she does a good job of mixing up different types of meals so you're not eating the same thing all the time. This seems to be her strong suit, which makes sense as a nutritionist.

On the flip side of this, her writing didn't ever make me feel comfortable. Instead it felt at time preachy, at times condescending. She generalizes her information in such a way that many people are left out. She only once mentions same sex couples, and barely mentions how disordered eating could affect someone's ability to follow her guidelines.

While at times she does remind readers that too much change too quickly doesn't lead to lasting results, and that it's okay to pick and choose a few things to work on at a time, this is hardly comforting because of how she lays out all the dangers that you may or may not have control over. And as someone who's relatively middle class with a solid financial safety blanket, her assertions about the dangers around every corner made me overwhelmed and stressed out! I can imagine how people with fewer decisions available than I might feel reading that chapter!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So {real talk} my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for over a year now. In the world of infertility that can feel like both a long time and no time at all. I wanted to share this book and why it's helped me on this journey.

Whether you've gone through it, are going through it, or are starting the journey to becoming a parent, I just want you to know you're not alone and that some days are just plain hard.

I like this book for a few reasons:
💖 I love the idea of preparing your body for a baby.
💖 In this journey you often don't get to feel in control, but the things we put into our body to nourish it, IS in our control. I feel like I'm doing something in the wait.
💖 Lots of simple, delicious and healthy recipes with fertility boosting tips!
💖 How to, research based book on how to optimize nutrition, be healthy and have a safe, healthy pregnancy.
💖 This is something achievable we can do during the wait and shares food that helps boost fertility for men and women!

🖤 As I say with all diet books, I believe is best used as a resource, one of many to help keep you healthy and find your best food routine. Of course talk with your doctor first bc diets are not one size fits all IMO.

I think this is great start if you're planning to start a family and can help on your wellness journey.

I pray it will happen for us and for all you mamas-in-wait. God is preparing us and I like the idea that we can prepare our bodies in the meantime.

TY to @netgalley @drnicoleavena @kensingtonbooks for this e-arc!

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Very informative book about what foods to eat before getting pregnant, how much of each vitamin you need and what food you can get them from and there are recipes at the end. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

This was a good book with a lot of information on it, as well as recipes and a suggested meal plan. There is information about which foods to eat and which foods to avoid, which was quite helpful.

A good insight and great information. I guess I’ll tell you how successful it was when I get to put it all into practice!

This book has tons of great info! Nicole Avena has broken down all of the information into easy to read sections including why food matters, the importance of diet and has foods to add to your diet and foods to avoid. Lots of good tips for women and men and tons of yummy recipes!