BlueRibbonBaby.org

Typical Prenatal Diets

admin — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 01:42:57 +0000

Prenatal diets typically found in pregnancy books are generally difficult or complicated to follow, and almost always inadequate. Not only are they usually insufficient for your growing baby and you, they also ignore many important aspects of prenatal nutrition.

They may tell you to avoid salty foods. You should avoid potato chips, because they are terrible for you — but you don’t need to avoid salted nuts, which are high in protein!
They may tell you to watch your calorie intake, to avoid unwanted weight gain. The Brewer Diet contains ENOUGH calories to grow a healthy uterus, placenta and baby. How much (or how little) weight you gain is up to your body and your baby. Don’t watch the scale or count calories: it’s not about how much weight you gain, it’s about what kinds of food you gain weight on!
They may rely heavily on supplements. Prenatal vitamins are your “insurance policy” against days when you might not eat enough due to illness or an unusual schedule. They should never be considered the staples of your healthy prenatal diet.
They may tell you to double-count certain foods in more than one category. Not only is this confusing, it can lead to insufficient nutrient and calorie intake.
They usually don’t emphasize getting sufficient protein. Scientific research has proven that when women eat 80-100 grams of protein per day in pregnancy, life-threatening complications are reduced to zero. As intake of protein goes down, complications and infant mortality increase proportionately. Any diet that suggests any less than 80-100 grams of protein is not going to meet your pregnancy nutrition needs, and may lead to complications.

Gestational Diabetes

admin — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 00:28:37 +0000

Gestational diabetes is one of the most common pregnancy complications today. So it stands to reason that one of the questions we are most often asked about prenatal nutrition is whether or not it can have an impact on gestational diabetes. Women want to know if they can avoid gestational diabetes by proper prenatal nutrition. The short answer is “yes”…the long answer is interesting, complicated, and controversial.

The root of the problem is in the definition of gestational diabetes, and whether or not it truly exists as a disease entity.

A blood glucose level of 140-150 milligrams per milliliters of plasma after fasting for twelve hours is considered normal in the non-pregnant woman, and was once considered normal for pregnant women too. But in the 1970s, research was conducted on thousands of pregnant women, and it was determined that a much lower 105 milligrams per milliliter was average — and therefore “safe” — for pregnant women. Unfortunately, these women who were studied were never evaluated for their nutritional status, neither before testing, nor for complications as pregnancy progressed, so nutrition was not even a factor in coming up with this number.

According to The Brewer Pregnancy Hotline, “Well-nourished women who consume adequate protein, calories, vitamins, and minerals keep their blood glucose levels at the same levels as normal non-pregnant women and even maintain an energy supply reserve (glycogen) stored in their livers.” If you are well nourished in pregnancy, you have a reserve that will keep you going for about 12 hours if you are unable to eat! This is not true of the poorly nourished woman: her blood sugar levels will spike and drop based on her eating routine, without any reserves to help her along.

“It seems certain that 105 milligrams per milliliter is an artificially low level for pregnancy blood glucose, a determination that was heavily weighted with results from women whose pregnancy diets simply were not adequate for the nutritional demands pregnancy imposes.” (The Brewer Pregnancy Hotline) Now perhaps you can understand why “gestational” diabetes is a questionable diagnosis, at best.

Management of this “condition” is also questionable and can lead to further complications. Calls to the Brewer Hotline over the years show that most doctors do not correctly manage so-called “gestational” diabetes correctly: they simply hand out a low- or no-carb diet, and disregard the nutritional needs of a pregnant woman.

So now you have a potentially false diagnosis, the management of which is likely to lead to further complications… so that the diagnosis becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Brewer Pregnancy Hotline cites several reasons why this might happen to you:

you have a family history of diabetes that alerts your physician to the possibility that you, too, may be developing the disease even though there is no glucose spilling in your urine;
you have given birth previously to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds (as happens commonly when your diet is excellent);
you are gaining more weight on a good diet than your doctor or midwife has been trained to think is acceptable (you may have twins, you may have been thin and underweight, you may be just perfect, but their weight limit is still back at 20 pounds, which was taught thirty years ago as the maximum acceptable weight gain limit);
you have a sonogram for some other reason and it’s determined that your baby is bigger than the charts say it should be for the length of your pregnancy (no account is taken of the fact that those charts are also heavily weighted with babies whose mothers were not optimally nourished!);
you have a normal (by the old standard) blood glucose level (140-150 mg. per ml.) when you take a test for it at some point in pregnancy (to satisfy your doctor’s insistence);
you spill some glucose in your urine, but upon further evaluation show no other sign of diabetes (pregnancy makes some women’s kidneys ultra-sensitive to glucose, so they allow some to escape — a condition called low renal threshold that is in no way related to diabetes and which is harmless).

As you can see, so-called “gestational” diabetes is a conundrum which, if you get caught in it, can make your pregnancy a frustrating experience, with perhaps no true risk. If you are a true insulin-dependent diabetic, you need special nutritional management during pregnancy. But if you just happen to “fail” a GTT and get labeled “gestational” diabetic, you might find that your care is being unnecessarily managed.

Why is this all such a concern? Why do doctors fear “gestational” diabetes? Truly diabetic women can have serious pregnancy complications. But most “gestational” diabetics can have completely normal pregnancies if they are well-nourished — hence, the short, affirmative answer to the question, “Can the Brewer Diet help me if I’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes?” YES!

Petite Women: Same Nutrient and Calorie Needs for Pregnancy

admin — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 22:56:35 +0000

I was asked today whether the Brewer Diet was appropriate for petite women, or whether a small woman should eat less than recommended. Great question, since most concerns are directed to being overweight. A short or petite woman may be told she can’t gain as much weight, or is too tiny to deliver a big baby — which SURELY will be CAUSED by eating this much food!! Removing my tongue from my cheek, I will give petite women the facts they need….

The Brewer Diet is the minimum requirement for any woman to grow a healthy baby — regardless of height, weight, or any other factors. There are certain factors (such as activity level, stress, nursing, etc.) which might cause you to need MORE nutrients and calories, but not fewer. In the early part of pregnancy, your calorie needs are less, but your nutrient needs are still high as the placenta grows and hormones are produced.

In early pregnancy there is some leeway in terms of calories. During that time, most people find that the best place to cut calories, without cutting too many nutrients, is in the whole grains area. You can generally skimp on whole grains, yet still get enough similar nutrients in other foods and standard prenatal supplements, yet with fewer calories. Increasing fruits and vegetables is a good way to make up for some of the fiber and vitamins you would get from whole grains. On the contrary, it’s very hard to replace the nutrients in milk, eggs, lean meats, fruits and vegetables with anything else. So if you’re feeling like it’s “too much food” in early pregnancy then cut back on the whole grains — but listen to your body, and be sure you are getting enough nutrients. Make every bite count, and when you cheat, cheat on something with protein in it — a candy bar with nuts, for example. (That was Dr. Brewer’s recommendation!)

Having said all that, I have to tell you that Dr. Brewer did NOT recommend eating less food than his diet recommends at ANY point in pregnancy. In his view, this was the bare minimum for any woman, any baby, any size, any race, any anything. Any alterations he made based on individual circumstances involved MORE not less. He did say that while nursing, you could ease up a bit on the protein….but otherwise, this was his minimum standard for all women.

And remember also not to watch the scale — in and of itself, weight gain (or lack thereof) means nothing. It’s about what kinds of foods you are gaining weight on, not the total number of pounds. If you eat the Brewer Diet, and make adjustments for nutritional stresses as outlined on the website (carrying multiples, job stress, athletic lifestyle, smoker), your body will gain the right amount of weight for YOU and for the specific baby you are growing in THIS pregnancy.

Suppression of the Truth

admin — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 00:39:52 +0000

People continue to doubt that the medical community prefers to suppress natural means to good health, rather than educating the public with the TRUTH. This is one of the most common complaints about the Brewer Diet: certainly the good doctors and scientists would not cover up the truth about nutrition! Well there is plenty of evidence out there that they do EXACTLY that, on just about every medical condition under the sun, toxemia of pregnancy included. Dr. Brewer experienced it firsthand in dealing with the drug companies in the 1960s. Medicine is big business. It’s all about the Bottom Line. And if you get better, they lose a customer.
Here is an interesting article that points the finger at the American Cancer Society, for suppressing the truth about natural approaches to curing and preventing cancer. It sure made me think, because I forget that this problem is so pervasive, and isn’t limited to the realm of pregnancy and childbirth. I hope it makes you think, too.
New research shows vitamin D slashes risk of cancers by 77 percent; cancer industry refuses to support cancer prevention

Morning Sickness

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 03:18:21 +0000

Morning sickness is probably the #1 complaint of pregnancy! Although, statistically, they say that only about 50% of women actually experience morning sickness, it sure doesn’t seem that way when you talk to REAL women!! (Who are “they” anyway??)

If you’ve had morning sickness in even one pregnancy, you know the misery. It can completely disrupt your life, and you wonder if you will ever feel normal again. Not to mention that it hardly ever happens just in the morning! It’s more like “all day sickness” for most of us….but for purposes of this article, I’ll just use the term morning sickness, since we all know what that means. (more…)

Dealing With Guilt

admin — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:18:18 +0000

Unfortunately, one of the most common concerns I hear about Dr. Brewer’s website and the information presented on the nutrition factor in toxemia , is that it makes women feel guilty. Some women find out that their nutrition was insufficient to support their pregnancy, and they feel guilty. While I understand that feeling as a natural response, I also want to be sure that no one thinks Dr. Brewer EVER had that intent.

If you find that the truth about diet and drugs in pregnancy makes you feel guilty, or if you think it’s intended to make women feel guilty, then you are sadly misunderstanding the point. Women are the victims here…not the perpetrators.

How would you know what a proper diet for pregnancy is, unless someone told you? If this is the first time you have heard this information, feel angry at those who failed to inform you, not guilty about something you had no control over. Dr. Brewer’s information should EMPOWER you to make changes, not make you feel guilty.

Doctors won’t tell you how to eat. So if you didn’t know, and didn’t eat very well, you are not to blame. This information has been hidden under a bucket for ages, so it is not surprising that you didn’t know. But all that has changed now, so instead of being angry at Dr. Brewer for pointing out the truth, or blaming yourself for something you didn’t know, commit yourself to learning all there is to know about proper prenatal nutrition and health and be one of the CHANGERS who helps other women to learn the truth and not become victims.

I have been in the unenviable position of trying to explain the HOPE contained in Dr. Brewer’s diet to a woman who had a child with cerebral palsy, following premature delivery due to severe toxemia. She was expecting her second baby, and they were telling her it was likely she’d have the same problem again. I wrestled for months, trying to figure out how to tell her. When I finally did, she was glad I had told her! She read Dr. Brewer’s book, and made changes in her diet. She felt better, and she felt empowered to make changes. And she carried her second baby to term. I wish I had told her sooner…I waited until her blood pressure went up, and the fears started to come true. She did get her blood pressure back down with Dr. Brewer’s diet, and everything ended well….but it would have been nice for her to have avoided the scare, and just enjoyed her pregnancy.

But I mention that story because I decided not to wait anymore. I can risk that someone will feel guilty, if I can explain that they are NOT AT FAULT. And that is what I want you to hear. It’s what Dr. Brewer wanted you to hear. Women aren’t doing anything wrong, they just aren’t being told the TRUTH by those who should know.

That leaves it up to us. You, me, and every woman who reads this. We have to tell our sisters the truth. We have to help them learn how to eat right for two. The doctors are still denying that there is any help in good nutrition, but some of us moms know better.

Thank you, Dr. Brewer!

admin — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:01:50 +0000

Over the years, many mothers have written to Dr. Brewer telling him how much they appreciate his personal assistance, and how they have experienced their healthiest pregnancies ever while using his diet. We have published a few of those letters here. If you would like to add your story, we would love to include it on the website. Just scroll to the end and leave a comment.