The Benefits of the Brewer Diet During Pregnancy
Dr Brewer noticed that when he gave mothers nutritional counseling pre-eclampsia seemed to disappear. His diet recommendations for pregnant mother’s are simple, affordable and effective.
The Brewer “diet” recommends whole foods, plenty of water and snacks midmorning, between lunch and dinner and before bed in order to ensure adequate blood volume expansion. This prevents rising BPs, HELLP syndrome and IUGR.
It’s Simple
Unlike other popular diets, the Brewer Diet doesn’t promote restricting certain foods or eating to bulk up. It simply provides a nutritional guide that pregnant women can follow in order to get the nutrients they need during pregnancy. The goal of the Brewer Diet is to make sure that women are getting enough calories and protein, but not so much that it can lead to excess weight gain.
The reason why the Brewer Diet is so popular is that it’s simple and effective. Most birth attendants are familiar with it, and homebirth practices often have a Brewer Pregnancy Nutrition Guide available for their clients to use. The guidelines are not very specific, but they do emphasize a high protein, unrestricted salt intake and water, and 80-120 grams of protein per day.
It is important to note that the Brewer Diet is not evidence based, so it’s not clinically proven to prevent pre-eclampsia. It is a dietary regimen that Dr Brewer developed in his clinic when he realized that when pregnant women were given proper nutrition, they did not experience many of the “unpreventable horrors” of pregnancy (like toxemia, gestational diabetes, preterm labor, etc).
The diet includes five servings of yellow or orange-coloured vegetables every day, liver once a week if you enjoy it, a whole baked potato three times a week and “all the salt you need to avoid thirst”. It also recommends drinking water with each meal, avoiding sugary beverages and eating a snack midmorning, midafternoon, before dinner, and before bed.
Although it is not a strict low-salt diet, some people choose to lower their sodium intake to try to prevent high blood pressure. This can have a negative effect on the health of both mom and baby, so it is important to speak with your healthcare provider before changing any of your dietary habits.
Another issue with the Brewer Diet is that some women who follow it still have pre-eclampsia. Claiming that it prevents this condition equates to patient-blaming, and makes some pregnant women feel like their pre-eclampsia is their own fault. It would be better to focus on the sound nutritional principles of the diet, and encourage women to eat frequently throughout the day and not to skip meals.
It’s Effective
When it comes to nutrition during pregnancy, the Brewers Diet is a highly effective solution to many common health problems associated with pregnancy and childbirth. Pre-eclampsia is one such condition that can be easily prevented by following this diet during pregnancy. Other health benefits of the Brewers diet include a shorter labor and delivery, a healthier baby, less postpartum depression, and a quicker recovery after childbirth.
The reason that the Brewers Diet is so effective at preventing complications with pregnancy and childbirth is because it addresses a common cause of these issues: lack of adequate blood volume. By following the guidelines of the Brewers Diet, pregnant women can increase their protein intake and therefore increase their blood volume. This prevents the condition of pre-eclampsia, as well as other health conditions that can be caused by low blood volume such as rising BPs, pathological edema, gestational hypertension, HELLP syndrome, IUGR, premature labor, and underweight babies.
The most important thing to remember about the Brewers Diet is that it is not a “diet” in the sense of restricting certain foods or eating more than others to lose weight or bulk up. It is a set of guidelines that allows for a variety of foods and provides sufficient amounts of all nutrients. Many of these foods are also very affordable and readily available in most grocery stores.
While some birth attendants discourage the use of this nutrition therapy by predicting that the mother will be overweight after the baby is born, they overlook the fact that it is much easier to gain a few pounds back after the birth than to deal with the consequences of a severe pregnancy or childbirth related problem. The Brewers diet is a simple, safe, and cost-effective way to prevent these conditions.
As with any nutritional program, it is recommended that pregnant women follow the Brewers Diet in conjunction with other nutritional and exercise programs. In addition, it is recommended that pregnant women eat small, frequent meals and snacks throughout the day to ensure that they are always getting enough nutrition.
It’s Affordable
The Brewer Diet is a very affordable way to make sure that your baby is receiving the nutrition it needs for a good birth weight. Many women are under the impression that this diet requires a large amount of expensive protein drinks or supplements, but this is not the case. This is a very healthy diet that focuses on whole foods such as vegetables and fruits, and plenty of lean meat and fish. In addition to a balanced diet, the Brewers also recommend that pregnant women drink enough fluids so that they are not thirsty and that they eat often, in order to avoid low blood sugar levels and to allow the baby time to metabolize the food she is eating.
Unlike many other diets that restrict salt, fat, or calories, the Brewers diet advises pregnant women to eat to their appetites and add as much salt as they like. This is an important piece of the puzzle, because a recent study confirmed that pregnant women who don’t consume enough salt and calories can suffer from low blood volume which can result in high BPs, pathological edema, pre-eclampsia, IUGR, premature labor, underweight babies, etc.
When comparing the Brewers Diet with other popular diets such as the Paleo or high protein fad diets, the Brewers diet is clearly the most nutritious and provides the best chance for a healthy pregnancy. The dietary guidelines are straightforward and easy to follow, and it is possible for almost any woman to follow them without becoming too hungry or having trouble with cravings. This is because the emphasis is on consuming a well-rounded diet that includes everything from whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables to fatty fish and lean meats, as well as sufficient dairy products. The recommended minimum intake of protein is 80 to 120 grams a day, which is significantly higher than the minimum requirement set by most other nutritional guides.
It’s Easy to Follow
The Brewer Pregnancy Diet is a simple, effective diet that many midwives and practitioners recommend to their clients. It is based on common sense, and it is also backed by scientific research. It is very easy to follow and provides the best nutritional support for a healthy pregnancy. The main guidelines for the Brewer Pregnancy Diet are at least 2600 calories per day, 80-120 grams of protein, and salt to taste. In addition, pregnant women should be drinking at least 64 to 100 ounces of water each day. Dehydration is a major cause of complications during pregnancy, so it is important for women to drink plenty of water.
The diet also emphasizes a high level of Vitamin C from vegetables and fruits. In addition, it is important to get enough fiber from whole grains and lean proteins. Many people find it helpful to keep a food diary while following the Brewer Pregnancy Diet. This will help them to track their food and nutrient intake, which is necessary in order to ensure that they are meeting the recommended guidelines for each week of pregnancy.
While the Brewer Diet does not specify how much protein a woman should consume, most doctors and midwives agree that it is best to eat between 75 and 125 grams of protein each day. This is the amount of protein that is required for healthy pregnancy and it helps to prevent conditions such as pre-eclampsia.
Another reason why the Brewers Diet is so popular is that it has been proven to be very effective in preventing preterm births. Dr. Thomas Brewer was an obstetrician who discovered that many of the problems that can occur during pregnancy have the same common denominator: food deficiency. He created a set of nutritional guidelines for the mothers in his practice, and preterm births dropped from 12% to only 2%.
The same principles apply to other populations as well. In fact, a study that was published this year seems to confirm what many Brewers and their supporters have been saying for years: pregnant women who lose a lot of salt and burn a lot of calories through exercise NEED to compensate by eating more protein. Otherwise, they risk developing low blood volume, which can lead to rising BPs, pathological edema, pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, IUGR, premature labor and underweight babies.