The Baby Fat Diet by
Monica Bearden and Shara Aaron
Grade: B

I was intrigued by the idea of this book – a diet tailored specifically to the needs of mothers, new and old, who by nature tend to focus on the needs of others first. This book promises that:

“… Small changes can make a big difference. Restrictive dieting and cutting out favorite foods to the extreme isn’t necessary. The book offers simple, easy-to-live-by health and nutrition tips that help women change the behaviors that make losing weight so difficult. The 30 timeless tips throughout are eminently practical and the recipes are delicious. Not only will moms lose weight on The Baby Fat Diet, they’ll feel good about themselves, too.”

Yet, as much as the ideas here are targeted at mothers, they are also fairly practical ideas that your whole family can implement for healthy changes. A lot of the information here I knew – things like portion control, calorie counting, and not eating for two I’ve pretty much already mastered – but I was thrilled to see them mentioned here as I certainly haven’t known and implemented those ideas my whole life. I love the idea that with the help of some good planning and well intentions, anyone can really turn their lives around and improve their health – and if you catch onto it early enough, you might even spare your children the trouble of learning these good habits later in life after weight gain. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be healthy your whole life?

Here are some of my favorite tips from The Baby Fat Diet, some were things I already mostly knew and others were new information for me. Consider it a crash course in the diet – or a Cliffs Notes version, if you will. If these ideas appeal to you, then The Baby Fat Diet may be just the ticket to a new you!

• Aside from eating healthy portions, keeping track of those bites and implementing a bit of willpower – I learned that certain foods can not only prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies, their nutrient-filled goodness can also enhance your health and overall wellness. Foods like cauliflower, garlic, leeks, cantaloupe, tomatoes and egg yolks (and many others) contain antioxidants – something many of you have already heard of. I had heard about how antioxidants help to stabilize the molecules in your body, but I didn’t realize how many foods contained them.
• I also learned that spices can do more than spruce up a bland dish. Spices like Cinnamon which I’ve heard can help curb cravings but didn’t know that it can also help regulate a diabetic’s blood sugar, help with blood flow and decrease inflammation; or Garlic which I love to put in many of my dishes – it may help protect the stomach from cancer; or Oregano which I’ve started adding to my grilled cheese sandwiches and pasta dishes – it contains many different types of phytochemicals and has been used to decrease water retention, ward off colds, and treat fungus.
• The book also has a list of helpful magazines and websites that can help you on your weight loss journey. For general health information, they recommend checking out Prevention, Self, Health, Body and Soul, Cooking Light, Eating Well, AmericanHeart.org and MyPyramid.gov. Mothers specifically should check out kaboose.com, Parents Magazine, Parenting Magazine and American Baby.
• Did you know that soy may decrease your daughter’s risk of breast cancer? Studies show that eating soy right before and during puberty may decrease a girl’s risk of developing breast cancer later in life. It’s also a great source of nutrient-rich lean protein. Try to get your tweens and teens eating two to three servings of soy a day. I’ve started drinking a glass of chocolate soy milk once a day for the extra source of protein – and it tastes pretty good, I have to admit, it’s better than I thought it would be.
• I loved their tips for hosting a healthier birthday party for your kids. Even just slipping in a few of these healthy ideas will improve the quality of your food choices and set a good example for everyone. They recommend serving individual cups of fruit with a mini cup of yogurt dip – or even low-fat vanilla yogurt or a fruit-flavored yogurt as a snack. Another fun tip was having the kids make their own trail mix using dried fruits, whole grain cereal and mini chocolate chips or M&Ms. Or have the kids make healthy food faces using various shapes of cut-up fruits and veggies, raisins or other dried fruits, cheese sticks and slices – have the kids make faces on a paper plate using the foods provided and take pictures of their creations before digging in. Those are just a few of their birthday ideas that I really liked.

These were only a small handful of the great tips in The Baby Fat Diet, which retails for $14.95 although you can get it for less on websites like Amazon.com. Or take your kids for a walk to your local library and see if they have a copy!