The Bradley Method® encourages pregnant moms to follow the Brewer Pregnancy Diet, for MANY reasons, one of which is avoiding preeclampsia, as we learn in class. When you have to pee in a cup at essentially every appointment, one of the things they are looking for is protein in your urine (a symptom involving malnutrition and/or preeclampsia).
Preeclampsia is a disorder that occurs only during pregnancy and the postpartum period and affects both the mother and the unborn baby. Affecting at least 5-8% of all pregnancies, it is a rapidly progressive condition characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine. It can lead to eclampsia, which can cause convulsions and is potentially fatal (2% of cases).
Although it is not a well-understood disease, it is very serious and incurable, generally needing to induce or deliver the baby to avoid further complications. Amazingly, Dr. Brewer discovered a well-balance and high protein diet essentially eradicated this previously unknown disease from a susceptible population of women, repeated through many years. Unfortunately, possibly because it was not a randomized, double-blind trial which would have included the purposeful malnourishment of pregnant mothers to show the non-placebo effect of the diet, the Brewer Pregnancy Diet has not been as widely taught to OB/GYN and therefore as many pregnant moms as you might think.
Remember that eating well for your baby is the single most important thing you can do while he/she is growing inside of you. You might ask your doctor or midwife about their knowledge/recommendation about the Brewer Pregnancy diet and see what they say... let me know!
Pop quiz: When does learning begin? Answer: Before we are born. Science writer Annie Murphy Paul talks through new research that shows how much we learn in the womb -- from the lilt of our native language to our soon-to-be-favorite foods.
From the Bradley perspective, this video reaffirms The Bradley Method's emphasis on the importance of nutrition, relaxation (dealing with stress in a healthy way), as well as the importance of mom's physical presence immediately upon birth - the baby really does know you already!
Click here if you have about 17 minutes to watch this interesting bit.
Brewers Diet for pregnancy (recommended by The Bradley Method®) includes 80-100g of protein every day to help a plethora of diseases and risk factors! It can be hard to do if you are not used to eating this much protein or if you are vegetarian or vegan. Go to the website for more info (click "Vegetarian" on menu to the left to find vegetarian or vegan modifications) or here are some suggestions below:
- Ezekiel Bread: available at regular grocery stores, it is an organic, flourless, sprouted wheat whole grain bread (buns, cereals, etc.) and comes in a variety of flavors (sesame, cinnamon raisin, etc). While it only has 4g of protein per slice, it is a COMPLETE protein (most breads are not)
- Milk shakes: from non-fat dry milk (reconstituted), ice, fresh/frozen fruit, and/or yogurt
- Roasted soy nuts: buy in local grocery stores or health food stores or make your own. Soak soy beans in water in refrigerator for 2 nights, changing water once (use discarded water for soups or plants). Drain and roast in 300 degree oven on lightly oiled and salted pan until light brown.
- Cheese, cheese, cheese! Add grated cheese to eggs, sandwiches, casseroles, salads, snacks, on whole wheat crackers and celery.
- Cottage cheese: is a cheap and great source of protein! Add to gelatin salad, scrambled eggs, casseroles such as lasagna and other Italian dishes, make vegetable and cracker dips out of blended cottage cheese with onions and spices.
- Non-fat dry milk: add to hamburgers, meatballs, meatloaf, casseroles, and breads.
- Yogurt: blend with gelatin for interesting fruit salad, use in place of sour cream for dips.
- Soy flour: Add to bread (1/4 c.) when baking.
- Eggs: Keep hard boiled eggs and deviled eggs in refrigerator for snacking or make custard for dessert.
- Sunflower seeds: add to sandwich spreads (chicken salad) and sprinkle on salads.
- Wheat germ: buy at grocery or health food store and add to cereal, breads, cookies, baked goods, serve over ice cream.
- Brewers yeast or nutritional yeast (nutritional yeast does not contain the essential mineral Chromium): Brewers yeast is a complete protein and can be used to increase needed B vitamins to help combat fatigue. Good for milk production too!
- Liver: best source for just about everything! Cook and grind to combine with hamburger.
- Granola: make your own from whole grain cereals (oatmeal, 4 grain cereal), wheat germ, coconut, nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, oil, honey, vanilla, cinnamon.
- Combining vegetable proteins to make complete proteins: rice + legumes, corn + legumes, wheat + legumes, wheat + sesame + soy beans, rice + sesame, rice + Brewers yeast, vegetables + mushrooms or nuts or sesame seeds.
- Beans and corn: marinated salad of kidney beans, corn, celery, onion and Italian dressing. Serve chili with cornbread. Mexican food!
- Dietary Iron: good sources are liver, organ meats, whole grains, beans, pean and corn - necessary for blood manufacture, for increased blood volume of mother and baby. Oxygen-carrying component of blood (hemoglobin) dependent on iron. Also, baby stores iron in liver for postpartum life (draws on it for first 9 months!)
Adapted from The Bradley Method Teacher's Manual pg 249
One of the most important things you can do for your baby as well as yourself, also happens to be one of the easiest... make smart choices every day when you eat! Hey, you were already planning on eating something anyway! And you can start this right away in your pregnancy.
When you hear that the Bradley Method® teaches about nutrition to stay low-risk, you may want to groan and roll your eyes. Not an uncommon response, by the way. But really, it is not that hard and you can probably keep eating many of the things you already eat; just take note and make some healthy changes. To get an idea of just how important we are talking, here is a list of things that are more likely to become a problem if your diet is inadequate in any area (from Dr. Brewer's Pregnancy Diet website):
- spontaneous abortions (miscarriages)
- abruption of the placenta (premature separation of the afterbirth from the wall of the uterus)
- intrauterine growth retardation (a slowdown of the baby's growth during pregnancy)
- prolonged and difficult labor
- increased need for Cesarean delivery
- increased need for intravenous fluids and/or blood transfusions due to hemorrhage
- metabolic toxemia of late pregnancy (a shrinkage of the mother's blood supply due to a damaged liver; may end in convulsions or coma for mother; a leading cause of maternal and infant death)
- premature labor
- premature/immature/underweight babies (at highest risk for breathing problems at birth and long-term aftereffects such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, learning disabilities, and poor motor coordination)
- higher rates of severe infections or mother and baby after delivery
- increased difficulties with breastfeeding (cracked, sore nipples, scanty milk supply, milk of compromised nutrtional value, a weak suckling reflex in the baby, breast infections)
- increased rates of admissions to "high risk" hospital units during pregnancy and after birth
One area of the Brewer Pregnancy diet that I will highlight today is protein. You may not be aware of the importance of protein for a non-pregnant person, but it is such a necessary component of a healthy diet. For the prego mama and the baby growing inside of her, it is absolutely imperative. You probably know someone who was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia (which can lead to metabolic toxemia of late pregnancy - see 7th bullet point above) during her pregnancy. This is a condition that can oftentimes be avoided by eating 80-100g of protein per day, as recommended by the Dr. Brewer's Pregnancy diet! What a deal - you get to eat good stuff to help avoid having a serious condition that could affect you, your baby and your choices in pregnancy and birth.
