The Brewers Diet | How To Eat Healthy When Pregnant

What is the Brewers Diet?

The Brewers Pregnancy Diet was created by Dr Tom Brewer who was a obstetrician and studied nutrition for over 50 years. He helped his patients achieve low risk, healthy pregnancies, uncomplicated natural labors through a focus on diet.

The diet is not supper strict diet when it comes to what you cannot eat but more about getting the right amount of nutrition into your diet. Most diets fads we see are about cutting out foods. Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Fat Free, Low Carb, Vegetarian, Vegan… those are all about cutting foods out of our diet. The brewers diet for pregnant women is different in that it tell you how much of each food group you should eat to get the right nutrition each day for you and your unborn baby.

This diet provides what you need for the unique needs for a pregnant woman. The brewers diet guides you through 12 different food groups containing the mother’s nutritional needs as well as the needs for your unborn baby. As you eat throughout your day there is a list you can check off if your meal hit any of the foods groups that is recommended. At the end of the day you can see what food groups your where missing and adjust the next day paying special attention to eat more of the foods you are missing. You can adjust your diet slowly as you find new habits of eating that check off everything on your list.

Brewers Food Groups

There are 12 different food groups that the brewers diet pulls from with each one having a specific serving size. The amount of servings are not your limit but your minimum for a healthy pregnancy.

To see the different food options and serving sizes for each food group you can go to drbrewerpregnancydiet.com or download my FREE PDF Page as well as a weekly check list.

Based off of the Brewers diet basic plan its not always easy to determine how much nutrition each size serving really needs. I’ve done my best to try and write out how much of nutrition I believe Dr Brewer was aiming for. The protein food group was the easiest to determine. Each serving size Dr Brewer suggests is about 7 grams of protein. The calcium and vitamins were unclear how many grams are needed but there I was able to find a range I could work with. Vitamin A needs about 450mcg per serving,Vitamin C was 100 mg, Calcium around 50-100 mg each serving. The hard food groups for me have been the wheat and the dairy.

The way wheat and dairy is processed these days is a bit different then it was in the 70’s when this particular study and research was done. I advice caution and discernment with these two categorizes. Be wise as to the quality of your foods. If the suggested amount of wheat or dairy is effecting you negatively with bloating, gas, fatigue or just feeling gross afterwards, try eating less but of the best quality you can get your hands on. Sometimes this means making bread and yogurt at home with organic, high quality ingredients. Avoid processed, pre-made items in these two categories.

Adapting the Brewers Diet to Fit Your Needs

Dr Brewer knew very well that each women and pregnancy has their own unique needs. The brewers diet plan serves as a basic guide line but is able to be adapted based off of your needs. On the Brewers Diet page there is options for vegan and vegetarian diets. The goal is to get a balanced diet of the right foods for you. 

Pregnant women need extra nutritious calories and in order to get your daily needs you will need to eat a variety of foods. You get to choose the food you eat but if you follow Dr Brewers dietary guidelines you have the building blocks for a healthy and low-risk pregnancy. The brewers pregnancy diet is designed to be adaptable in the type of foods you eat while still getting the key nutrients you need. For example one of the categories is ‘dairy’. A lot of people now days have stomach problems with dairy due to its high processes and modified nature. If you are avoiding dairy you can substitute more calcium and soy options. Look at the vegan and vegetarian version of the brewers pregnancy diet for more ideas.

Nutrition value for each food group in the brewer diet

Understanding what nutrition is needed from each food group helps me adapt the diet to fit my needs. This however is I think where the Brewer diet lacks information. It is not always clear how much nutritional value each food group and serving size should be. I do believe this is because different foods have different combinations of nutrition making the absorption rate of the needed nutrition differ from one food to the next.

For example, sodium (salt) is unlimited according to the brewers diet. Did you know that sodium is not properly absorbed by your body unless you are eating enough potassium and magnesium? So if you are eating lots of greens (potassium) you may not need as much salt. If you lack in greens you may be wanting more salt due to the poor absorption rate. So if you are craving salty foods, eat them, along with some dark greens.

The protein food group was the easiest to determine and adapt. Each serving size Dr Brewer suggests is about 7 grams of protein. The calcium and vitamins were unclear how many grams are needed but there I was able to find a range I could work with. Vitamin A needs about 450mcg per serving,Vitamin C was 100 mg, Calcium around 50-100 mg each serving. The hard food groups for me have been the wheat and the dairy.

The way wheat and dairy is processed these days is a bit different then it was in the 70’s when this research was done. I advice caution and discernment with these two categorizes. Be wise as to the quality of your foods. If the suggested amount of wheat or dairy is effecting you negatively with bloating, gas, fatigue or just feeling gross afterwards, try eating less but of the best quality you can get your hands on. Sometimes this means making bread and yogurt at home with organic, high quality ingredients.

What foods to avoid when pregnant?

“What foods should I avoid when pregnant?” This is a question I think everyone asks when they find out they are pregnant with their first. Its a good questions that has a deeper answer then just a list of foods to avoid.

The common list of foods to avoid when pregnant is this:

• Raw fish
• Fish that is high in mercury (swordfish, shark and more)
• Hot dogs
• Deli meat
• Soft cheese
• Unpasteurized diary
• Unwashed fruits and vegetables
• Drugs
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• and some people even say herbal tea… (please drink your herbal teas)

Why should we not eat these foods when pregnant?

This is the question we should be asking. We want to understand what it is that is actually harmful. The answer is bacteria. We should not be eating food that have a higher chance of harmful bacteria. So when avoiding foods we don’t stick to a list but consider the quality and cleanliness of our food.

How long was this food sitting out? Do I trust the kitchen that this food came from? Is my body healthy enough to eat this much sugar? Knowing sugar breaks down our immunity making it harder for us to battle harmful bacteria. What foods typically have a higher chance of harmful bacteria? These are questions that can help us determine if we should be eating certain foods.

Not all bacteria is bad.

We also consider our body’s ability to handle certain foods. I know of plenty of people who always drink raw milk for its good gut helping bacteria and continue to do so while they are pregnant and have no complications due to the raw milk. It’s probably not a good idea to start drinking raw milk for the first time while pregnant because you don’t know how your body will respond.

There is good bacteria, bad bacteria and worse bacteria. Remember our bodies are amazing and will fight the bad. Eat the right nutrition in order to keep your body fighting the bad bacteria when unexpectedly exposed.

Why is this bacteria more harmful when pregnant?

Food poisoning is never fun but when you are pregnant food poisoning can effect the development the baby greatly. The baby relies on your immune system to protect them. When your immune system is down, so is the baby’s. Your baby is a lot more fragile than you are. You may be able to bounce back after a day or two but your baby may suffer long term.

Don’t live in fear

Its tempting to take all this information in and be afraid that everything you eat might make you sick. This is not how you should live. Two reasons. One, God is healer and can sustain you and your baby. If he chooses not to He has a reason and you can trust that His goodness will be shown through a tough situation. Two, getting food poisoning is a possibility not a guarantee. That food poisoning leading to complications in pregnancy is also a possibility but not a guarantee. Eat wisely and leave chance to the Lord.

Why a healthy diet is so important during pregnancy?

Eating a healthy diet can help you avoid a high-risk pregnancy and complications at birth. Many of the more common complications are due to malnutrition. High blood pressure, gestational diabetes, anemia, underweight, overweight, just to name a few, can be avoided with the right diet.

It has been proven that the healthier you eat while pregnant it lowers the risk of some major complications as well. The risk of pre-eclampsia, placenta abruption, choleostasis, HELLP syndrome, premature labor, and so much more can be lowered by key nutrients throughout your pregnancy.

The healthier you are the better help to your baby you will be. As you nourish yourself you nourish your unborn baby. If a unforeseen complication does arise how much more dangerous if you and baby are also malnourished? Be better prepared for the unseen complications by giving you and baby the best care that you can through a healthy pregnancy diet.

How to avoid complications…

If you want to know more about how to prepare and avoid complications in pregnancy and birth check out my other post on this subject.

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