Your Vegetarian Pregnancy: a Month-by-Month Guide to Health and Nutrition.

By Holly Roberts, DO, FACOG 

Your Vegetarian Pregnancy is described as "the first authoritative guide to maintaining a healthy, plant-based diet before, during, and after the birth of your child." It is written by an obstetrician and features a question-and-answer format that is very easy to read. At times, I could picture myself asking my obstetrician the same questions. The book contains good general pregnancy information (fetal development, preparation for labor and delivery, what to expect each month). Dr. Roberts addresses needs of both lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans.

While much of the nutrition information is accurate, there is enough inaccurate information that it is impossible to unequivocally recommend this book. Questionable information includes identifying tempeh as a source of vitamin [B.sub.12], outdated information about the calcium-protein connection, and incorrect figures for the iron RDA. I would have liked to see more on food safety issues in pregnancy as well as the management of gestational diabetes in vegetarians.

Your Vegetarian Pregnancy can be a helpful guide to what to expect during pregnancy. However, other books should be consulted for additional information on vegetarian nutrition in pregnancy.

Your Vegetarian Pregnancy (ISBN 0-7432-2452-3) is published by Simon & Schuster. It is 378 pages and retails for 515.00. Look for it in your local bookstore. Reviewed by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD.