Amy, one of our local doulas here in Korea has started a blog called Doula Momma. In today's post she is talking about pregnancy nutrition. So often, the focus is on weight gain instead of nutrition, but different bodies will gain different amounts. I, myself gained 45lbs with each pregnancy. Though my diet wasn't perfect, I wasn't pigging out all the time, either, it was just what I needed, though.
Amy has links to the Brewer Diet check list, and explains the philosophy behind the protein-focused diet developed by Dr. Tom Brewer. There are also other versions for lacto-ovo vegetarians, vegans and moms-to-be of multiples. Check out Amy's post and the links to the Brewer Diet for more information.
16 comments:
Thanks Karen!
Hi MamaSeoul!
Thank you for the book names.
This is a very informative post. They do say we should not worry about weight and eat nutritious food. But what about people like me? I am overweight by 6-7 kgs. And I am already worried so much when I think how much I may increase as my preg progresses. I am 5w2d now.
I just feel whether I eat in moderation or not, I m going to end up with much more than the recommended weight gain. :-(
San, you just need to remember that the quality of the food you eat is much more important than the quantity of weight you gain. You may end up gaining more than the recs but if you provided your baby and your body with the appropriate nutrients then you did the very best you could for the both of you.
I understand. I am eating a better healthy food now than before i was pregnant. But what should I do when I lose my apetite? Should I force feed myself? This week I almost dont feel hungry at all, though my mind craves for some tasty food.
I would like to know some info about Prenatal vitamins. Is it okay if I buy it over the counter if y doctor does not prescribe it to me?
It's hard in the early days. You just do the best you can and pack the most punch when you do eat, meaning quality over quantity. Focus on protein as much as possible and do treat yourself to the occassional craving, we aren't talking complete deprivation here:) Generic prenatals are typically similar to what the doc would prescribe. You can ask the pharmacist to compare them for you.
Yeah I will do that. I will see if my doc is iving me or not on 15th
Congratulations on your pregnancy, San!
I agree with Amy, that if you eat healthy foods and do moderate exercise whatever weight you gain is the weight you needed to gain.
The Brewer Diet has great examples of protein sources. The first trimester is rough because of the nausea phase, but for most people it ends. Do your best during this phase and your prenatal vitamins will definitely help!
Thank you Mama Seoul! I am ( for the first time in my life) tryin to eat proper healthy food!
Sometimes I find it difficult coz, our staple food is rice, meaning usually we have rice for lunch and sometimes even dinner. So I feel like I have not even eaten if I dont eat rice during lunch and replace it with something else! But I need to avoid in order to have a low carb high protein meal!
Rice is still good to eat, maybe just reduce the amount a bit and add an egg or something high protein with it.
In my opinion it is very important to think of the Brewer Diet as something much more than a high protein, low carb diet, and also much more than just a high protein diet. In order for the Brewer Diet to work properly, it needs to be thought of as a TRIAD -- protein PLUS calories PLUS salt. Without any one of the three legs of that triad, the Brewer Diet will not work properly. So in addition to 80-120 grams of protein a day, it also calls for a minimum of 2600 calories each day, and salt to taste. However, this diet is something you can work up to as the pregnancy progresses. The primary goal of the diet is to help your body to expand its blood volume by 60% by the end of your 24th week, and then to maintain that expanded blood volume from the 24th week to the 40th week. And the primary purpose of this blood volume expansion is so that your blood can adequately and correctly service the growing placenta. In the first trimester the placenta is very small, so you can probably afford to work up to the full minimum levels of the Brewer Diet in the first 12 weeks. But it is my opinion that by the 13th week a mother should be at the full Brewer Diet minimum. One of my reasons for saying this is that some mothers experience early-onset pre-eclampsia at around 20 weeks. Another of my reasons for saying this is that the placenta is going through its greatest development during the 12th-24th weeks. So by eating according to the full Brewer principles by the 12th week, you can be protecting yourself against the early-onset pre-eclampsia, and you can also be protecting your placenta and umbilical cord against malformations which might cause Intrauterine Growth Retardation, where the baby can't get enough nourishment to grow at the proper rate. You can see my website for more information about all of what I have said. I also have a page on that website which talks about suggestions for morning sickness, and another one (titled "Water") which talks about making everything that you put into your mouth count for something good. There's also a page titled "Topics" which talks about the kinds of things to look for in a prenatal vitamin.
Best wishes,
Joy
Well said Joy
What is your website Joy?
Here is Joy's website:
http://home.mindspring.com/~djsnjones/
Thank you Amy and Mama Seoul!
Joy
This is to let you know that the address of my website, which is mentioned earlier--"The Dr. Brewer Pregnancy Diet"--is changing. The new address is...
http://www.drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/
Joy
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