Nicole Avena

Dr. Nicole Avena, Ph. D.

Associate Professor of Neuroscience

Nicole Avena, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Visiting Professor of Psychology at Princeton University. She is the author of several books, including Why Diets Fail, What to Eat When You’re Pregnant, and What to Feed Your Baby and Toddler. Her new book, What to Eat When You Want to Get Pregnant, is available now.

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A person is pouring a mixture of nuts, including almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, from a small glass jar into their cupped hand. The background is blurred, and the person is wearing a light-colored top and blue pants—perfect postpartum snacks for new moms looking for a nutritious boost.

20 Easy Postpartum Snacks to Stock in Your Pantry
Postpartum Food
A pregnant woman stands in a modern kitchen, holding a slice of watermelon, possibly to eat in early labor. She wears a white tank top and striped pants, her hair tied up. The kitchen counter displays more watermelon slices, with various kitchen utensils hanging on the wall.

Foods To Eat (And Not Eat) in Early Labor
Birth Tips
A variety of breakfast foods are served on colorful plates. Items include waffles with strawberries, avocado toast with boiled egg, yogurt with blueberries, cheese cubes with blueberries, pancakes with strawberries and blueberries, and cereal with milk—perfect healthy breakfast ideas for kids.

20 Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Kids
Food

Co-authored

A person holding a small child stands in a kitchen preparing healthy snacks to bounce back after baby. On the counter are various ingredients, including oranges, lettuce, tomatoes, and a carrot. The kitchen has light wooden countertops and cabinetry, with a bowl of oranges placed to the left.

Easy and Healthy Postpartum Snacks for After Baby
Postpartum Food

Articles

A pregnant person is holding an apple while sitting with a tray of food resting on their lap. The tray includes a bowl of salad with greens and sliced vegetables, alongside a plate with a croissant—a perfect array of foods to eat while pregnant.

The 25 Best Foods To Eat While Pregnant
Pregnancy Food
A baby sits in a high chair, wearing a bib and holding a piece of food. In front of the baby is a plate with small pieces of avocado, promoting healthy eating habits. The baby appears to be eating, with one hand holding food to its mouth. The background features white cabinetry.
The image features a green text saying "avocados LOVE ONE TODAY" with the additional text "heart-healthy • naturally good fats" below in a smaller font. The word "avocados" is in brown, while the rest of the text is in green on a green background, promoting healthy eating habits.

Investing in Healthy Eating Habits for You and Your Family
Parenting Tips
A smiling child in a yellow sweater sits at a wooden table in front of a plate of kid-friendly vegetables. The child is holding a fork with a piece of broccoli on it. There is a pink wall and a green plant in the background.

Tips for Encouraging Kids To Eat Vegetables
Parenting Tips
A wooden surface holds several yogurt cups in yellow paper liners, filled with a creamy mixture and topped with sliced strawberries, blueberries, and granola. Two yogurt cups are stacked in the center. The scene is bright and colorful—perfect inspiration for your next yogurt snacks adventure.
The image shows the Stonyfield Organic logo, featuring the brand name in white with a green leaf inside the letter "O" in "Stonyfield." The text is set in a blue arch for "Stonyfield" and straight for "ORGANIC.

4 Easy Yogurt Snacks for Kids Perfect for After School
Food
A grid of three rows and three columns showing different colorful bento lunchboxes filled with various foods such as fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, wraps, muffins, yogurt, and dips. These open lunchboxes reveal a variety of kids' school lunch ideas sure to delight little ones.

30 School Lunch Ideas That Are Easy and Healthy
School-Aged Kids (5 - 12 years)
A baby wearing a striped sleeveless top sits in a high chair, smiling with one hand in their mouth. A partially eaten meal is on the tray in front of them, perhaps you're wondering when can babies eat eggs. There is also a baby bottle with a pink cap nearby. Light curtains are in the background.

When Can Babies Eat Eggs for the First Time?
Babies (3 - 11 months)
A young child with blonde hair and a white bow is sitting at a wooden table. She is wearing a pink sleeveless top and holding a pink spoon, eating yogurt from a purple bowl. In the background, there is a high chair and white cabinets.
The image features the Stonyfield Organic logo

5 Ways to Add Yogurt Into Your Child’s Diet
Food
A variety of breakfast foods are served on colorful plates. Items include waffles with strawberries, avocado toast with boiled egg, yogurt with blueberries, cheese cubes with blueberries, pancakes with strawberries and blueberries, and cereal with milk—perfect healthy breakfast ideas for kids.

20 Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Kids
Food
A baby wearing a pink bow headband and denim overalls sits in a high chair, holding a spoon and eating from a Stonyfield Baby Yogurt container. Three additional yogurt containers are placed on the high chair tray. The background shows white kitchen cabinets.
The image shows the Stonyfield Organic logo

When Can Babies Have Yogurt?
Babies (3 - 11 months)
A person in a striped shirt is preparing a smoothie in a kitchen. The blender container contains various ingredients, including greens and fruits like spinach, kiwi, avocado, bananas, and oranges—perfect for those curious about how to prevent gestational diabetes through a balanced diet.

How To Prevent Gestational Diabetes With Diet
Pregnancy Health
A blue divided plate holds cinnamon breadsticks on the right and two sections of yogurt on the left. The top yogurt section contains three blueberries, and the bottom section contains three raspberries. Perfect for baby-led weaning recipes, the plate rests on a white marble surface.

Baby-Led Weaning Foods: Recipes and Helpful Tips
Babies (3 - 11 months)
A pregnant woman stands in a kitchen, covering her mouth with her hand, appearing to experience food aversions during pregnancy. The kitchen counter in front of her has various ingredients, including a salad and a glass of juice. The background includes kitchen cabinets and utensils.

Understanding Food Aversions in Pregnancy and What You Can Do
Pregnancy Health
A woman in a blue blouse and white pants is shopping in a grocery store aisle with a child seated in a red shopping cart. She reaches for a box of baby formula on a shelf stocked with various baby products, including Stonyfield baby yogurt. The child gazes curiously at the products.
Stonyfield Organic logo

Baby Yogurt: What To Look for When Shopping
Babies (3 - 11 months)
A person is holding a white bowl containing a healthy salad, perfect for maintaining a vegan diet during pregnancy. The salad includes kale, sliced avocado, sweet potato wedges, red onion, buckwheat, and a dollop of red sauce. A fork and a patterned napkin are partially visible in the background.

Is a Vegan Diet Okay During Pregnancy?
Pregnancy Health
A pregnant woman with her hair in a bun is standing in a kitchen, eating for two from a plate of waffles topped with fruit and whipped cream. She is wearing a grey striped top and jeans. The kitchen has a red refrigerator, white sink, and various kitchen items.

The Eating For Two Myth
Pregnancy Health
A baby, held by a person in a white shirt, looks intently at a slice of pizza with toppings, which is being held close to it by another hand. The baby appears curious and reaches out toward the pizza, showing an early interest in first foods. The background is blurred.

30 Worst First Foods for Baby: Which Foods Are Unsafe and Should Be Avoided
Babies (3 - 11 months)
A pregnant woman is standing in a kitchen with her hands forming a heart shape over her belly. The kitchen counter in the background, laden with various vegetables and fruits like a bell pepper, an apple, and an orange, subtly suggests healthy snacks to pack for labor and delivery. The woman is wearing a beige cardigan and a grey top.

Snacks to Pack for Labor and Delivery
Birth Tips
Close-up image of a newborn baby with eyes closed, wearing a cream-colored outfit. The baby has their hand near their mouth, displaying common newborn hunger cues as they appear to be sucking on fingers. The background is softly blurred, highlighting the baby's face and hand.

Newborn Hunger Cues: What You Need to Know
Newborns (0 - 2 months)
A young child sits in a high chair, smiling while holding a piece of food. The child is wearing a bib and being fed with a spoon by an adult. The high chair has a divided plate with various foods on it, suggesting recipes to make baby meals fun and nutritious. The background shows a kitchen setting.

Simple Recipes to Make Your Baby in the First Year
Babies (3 - 11 months)
A pregnant woman stands in a modern kitchen, holding a slice of watermelon, possibly to eat in early labor. She wears a white tank top and striped pants, her hair tied up. The kitchen counter displays more watermelon slices, with various kitchen utensils hanging on the wall.

Foods To Eat (And Not Eat) in Early Labor
Birth Tips
A pregnant woman with red hair in a striped shirt and green cardigan is mixing a salad in a bowl in her kitchen, focusing on foods to eat in the third trimester. The counter is filled with various vegetables like bananas, carrots, and celery. In the background, jars and kitchen appliances are visible.

Foods To Eat in the Third Trimester
Third Trimester
A pregnant woman wearing a yellow shirt sits on a gray couch, enjoying a bowl of salad perfect for her second trimester. She smiles, fork in hand, in the bright, cozy living area.

Foods To Eat in the Second Trimester
Second Trimester
A person is pouring a mixture of nuts, including almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, from a small glass jar into their cupped hand. The background is blurred, and the person is wearing a light-colored top and blue pants—perfect postpartum snacks for new moms looking for a nutritious boost.

20 Easy Postpartum Snacks to Stock in Your Pantry
Postpartum Food
A woman is leaning on a kitchen counter, holding a dark-colored fruit in her right hand and bringing it to her mouth. The counter has sliced foods to help with morning sickness, including fruit, vegetables, and leafy greens on a cutting board. The kitchen has a modern design with white tiles and wooden cabinets.

Foods to Help With Morning Sickness
First Trimester
A pregnant person stands sideways with hands on hips, pondering what pregnancy cravings mean. They are wearing a black tank top, a cream-colored skirt, and multiple bracelets on their wrist. The background is a white wooden wall.

Decoding Pregnancy Cravings and What They Mean
Pregnancy Health
Six rectangular waffles arranged in two rows with three in each row. Five of the waffles are topped with blueberries, while one in the center is plain. Scattered blueberries are also visible on the white surface surrounding the waffles, making for delightful breakfast ideas.

Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Moms On-The-Go
Food