When I was pregnant with my second son, I decided to go on the Brewer pregnancy diet. The diet appealed to my cautious side because it was about consuming a nutrient-dense diet that would be good for my baby. It appealed to my “throw caution to the wind” side because I didn’t have to count calories or worry about weight gain.
My midwife recommended I try the Brewer diet to prevent preeclampsia.
The pregnancy diet was created by Dr. Tom Brewer in the 1950s. He believed the reason pregnant women developed preeclampsia was due to abnormal blood volume, which was due to malnutrition. This diet is supposed to help women have healthier babies.
Increasing protein intake
The Brewer diet is a diet that is high in protein. Unfortunately, I went a little overboard and was downing two egg-and-cheese sandwiches just to get my protein in for the day. I ate between 80 and 120 grams of protein a day, which is what the diet recommends.
Dealing with morning sickness
For the most part the diet alleviated my morning sickness. However, I could not stomach the recommendation to consume liver once a week.
Drinking plenty of water
I drank a lot of water on the diet. I found I was not retaining water as much as I had during my first pregnancy.
Feeling more energetic
I felt extremely energetic while on the diet during my pregnancy as long as I was careful to eliminate the white breads, pastas and sweets. I think the sugary foods I ate during my first pregnancy wore me down. My blood sugar seemed stabilized by eating a diet high in nuts, beans, whole fruits and lean proteins.
Consuming more calories
My midwife recommended I eat about 2,600 calories on the Brewer diet, but I think I may have consumed even more calories. Most people gain 35 to 45 pounds, although I gained more on the diet. I don’t blame the Brewer diet as much as I blame myself for taking the “unrestricted weight gain” idea too far.
Overall, I felt like the diet gave me the stamina I needed to endure three days of labor. However, my son was 10 pounds. I did endure an emergency c-section. If I could get a do-over, I’d do a modified version of the Brewer diet, definitely putting a healthier cap on my weight gain during pregnancy.
More from this contributor:
Five Ways to Beat Pregnancy Fatigue
Organizing Baby’s Records
Pregnancy To-Do List
Source: Dr. Brewer Pregnancy Diet