The Brewer prenatal, or pregnancy, diet was created by Dr. Thomas Brewer and was designed to help women have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. If you choose to follow the plan, you must do so exactly to attain the right balance of salt, protein and calories that support the growth of your baby. Talk with your obstetrician to determine if the Brewer diet is right for you.
How It Works
The Brewer prenatal diet was designed to help women get through pregnancy without developing preeclampsia, which is high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine during pregnancy. The diet is also supposed to prevent other health problems during your pregnancy. The diet is divided into 14 food groups and you must eat a certain amount from each one every day until you deliver your baby. The program includes 2,600 calories per day, 80 to 120g of protein per day, salt to taste and doesn't place restrictions on how much weight you should gain.
Food Groups
If you are following the Brewer diet, it is important to eat exactly the recommended amount of foods from each of the 14 food groups. According to Dr. Brewer, this will ensure that you are getting the right ratio of protein, calories and salt. The food groups include milk and milk products, calcium replacements for women who don't drink cow's milk, eggs, protein combinations, dark green vegetables, whole grains, vitamin C foods, fats and oils, vitamin A foods, liver, salt or other sources of sodium and water. There are several options in each group and you can mix and match the options each day as long as you make the right number of selections from each.
Benefits
By following the Brewer prenatal diet, you are getting a good amount of the nutrients you need to support a healthy pregnancy. This includes calcium, zinc, iron, protein, B vitamins and folic acid. These nutrients help your baby grow and prevent some types of birth defects. While Brewer's diet program is a healthy way to eat during your pregnancy, MayoClinic.com recommends receiving good prenatal care to help monitor for signs of preeclampsia.
Special Diets
If you are a vegan, vegetarian or are having multiples, the Brewer prenatal diet outlines alternative ways of maintaining the right protein, salt and calorie levels in your pregnancy diet. The vegetarian and vegan options include meat substitutions that will help you reach the recommended protein intake each day. The multiples diet plan increases the amount of food from each of the groups and requires that you take in an additional 30g of protein and 500 calories per baby.
Considerations
While Brewer's diet plan is healthy, it was created in the 1950s and some of the advice may be outdated in 2011. Always follow your doctor's advice regarding what foods are safe to eat during pregnancy. The Brewer prenatal diet doesn't restrict weight gain, which may not be healthy for some women. Your doctor will tell you how much weight to gain for your pregnancy. The plan may be too high in protein and salt for women with certain health complications, such as hypertension.
