By now, we all know mother’s milk is best for baby. Hands down; no comparison. The benefits breastfeeding has for both mom and baby are innumerable and we are still finding reasons why breast milk is the best nutrition for babies. What happens though when a mother truly cannot breastfeed? Whether due to adoption, hormonal or medical complications, or low supply for other unknown easons, babies still need to eat and we should give them the best nutrition available.
Commercial formula is usually ultra-pasteurized and homogenized. One reason whey breastmilk is so beneficial is due to all of the good bacteria and ease of absorption of fats. Pasteurization and homogenization kills all of the beneficial bacteria which kill the harmful bacteria that are in the milk and also helps baby’s digestive system break down the proteins, sugars, and fats in the milk. Babies need that help given their GI tracts are so new and delicate. There is also evidence that adults benefit from unpasteurized or ‘raw’ food products, too! In babies, problems with pasteurization usually present as ‘colicky’ symptoms, frequent spitting up, gas, constipation, fussiness, inability to be soothed, vomiting, increased mucus (which commonly leads to ear infections), and the list goes on. Bottom line, your baby (and you!) need that good bacterium that pasteurization kills.
Another reason commercial baby formula is not the most ideal option is that it is loaded with harmful ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, carrageenan, MSG, aspartic acid, BPA, aluminum (toxic amounts in soy formulas), artificial iron, imbalanced omega 3, 6, and 9, and, again, the list goes on. Occasionally, ingredients find a way into the formula that are not supposed to, like beetle larva in 2010. Baby formula is a processed food, and can avoid giving it to our babies.
For more information on homemade baby formula, you can call our expert here, or you can read more about it on the Weston A Price website and Dr. Mercola’s website.
