In an ideal world, all babies would be breastfed for the first 12 months of their lives. Mother’s milk provides a developing baby with vital nutrients, incomparable immune benefits, and a crucial bonding experience. Breastfeeding lowers risk of obesity, infections, skin conditions like eczema, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, allergies, and improves cognitive development. Committing to breastfeed for as long as possible is a noble and important decision every mother must make. But for those mothers that are either unwilling or unable to breastfeed for a variety of reasons, it’s important to select the healthiest alternative… which may not be what you think.
Research shows that the second best option after mother’s milk is raw, unpasteurized cow’s milk, which provides many similar benefits. The worst possible options are commercial infant formula, which can contain high fructose corn syrup, toxic chemicals, and soy, which can actually hinder the development of your baby, and pasteurized cow’s milk, which is lacking in nearly all of the vital nutrients baby needs.
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| Mercola.com |
For the health of your baby, try to stay away from these commercial formulas, in favor of making your own, homemade formula with raw milk, which provides your baby with essential nutrients second only to mother’s milk. This recipe comes from The Weston A. Price Foundation:
RAW MILK-BASED BABY FORMULA
2 cups whole, raw milk from pasture-fed cows
1/4 cup homemade liquid whey
4 tablespoons lactose
1/4 teaspoon bifidobacterium infantis powder
2 or more tablespoons good quality raw cream, more if you are using milk from Holstein cows
1 teaspoon cod liver oil
1 teaspoon expeller-expressed sunflower oil
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons coconut oil (heat to 76° to liquify)
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast flakes
2 teaspoons gelatin
1 7/8 cups filtered water
1/4 teaspoon acerola powder
Add gelatin to water and warm until granules dissolve. Put this and all the other ingredients into a blender and mix well. Transfer to a clean glass or stainless steel container for storage.
To Serve:
Pour 6-8 ounces into a clean glass bottle, attach nipple and heat gently in a pan of simmering water. Don’t over do it, just enough so it’s warm to the touch, then shake well and feed.
Sources:
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Natasha Uspensky, CHHC
Holistic Health & Nutrition Counselor
