I agree with Heather. I think the biggest difference between the 
substitute we were raised on (evaporated milk and karo syrup) and 
commercial AIM is money--money for research (utterly and completely 
biased, of course) and even more money for marketing.



As to the Weston Price recipe, before anyone jumps on the Sally Fallon 
bandwagon, I suggest they read her writing about breastfeeding. She 
thinks very little of LCs--thinks we deceive mothers in just about 
every way possible, and is very disparaging of LLL (although I think 
she is right that LLL downplays the dangers of environmental toxins and 
the SAD). She believes that anyone who eats a diet that she does not 
approve of should not breastfeed. She believes breastfeeding is 
important for a few months only and that after the first few months, 
all women should be taught to make her formula.  She believes her 
recipe is actually better than human milk when women have what she 
considers to be deficient diets. She believes that insufficient supply 
is very common and she tells women who have fears about having enough 
milk to get a Lact-aid and feed her formula--never does she suggest 
that the mother might actually have or be able to make enough milk. She 
says that women should not feel guilty if their milk "dries up" b/c 
their babies will grown strong, healthy and smart on her formula. She 
thinks it is "unrealistic" for women to bf exclusively and implies that 
her formula is the panacea for all of these mothers.. She states that 
all babies, breastfed or not, should receive egg yolk beginning at 4 
months. She states that the goal should be healthy children, not 
"breaatfeeding for the sake of breastfeeding".



What is difficult for me is that while I think her opinions are very 
dangerous, I also agree with her that Western women have generally very 
poor diets and that maternal nutrition matters very much in the 
quaility of a mother's milk. I also agree with her that insufficient 
supply is commonly linked to poor maternal nutrition.



As to Janice's friend's response: I am surprised that a nutritionist 
would not know that nutriutional yeast is an excellent source of folic 
acid, so this formula is not in any way deficient in it or B vitmains 
at all. It also would have sufficient EFA's, vitamins A and D and amino 
acids, so long as the milk is from grass-fed cows (so the theory 
goes--and I would bet that compared to commercial AIF, this would be 
true).  I am also surprised that she would worry about coconut oil, 
since it is such a healthy saturated fat and is an ingredient in 
commercial AIM. I'd be a lot more concerned about the soy oil in the 
commercial product.



I guess I would argue that the kids being raised on commercial stuff 
don't seem to be faring any better than those of us raised on the 
home-made stuff. So, I can only wonder if those who advocate that 
commercial is safer than an organic home-made product aren't just as 
influenced by the AIM manufacturers' marketing as are all the docs who 
we complain are influenced by the drug-companies to promote their brand 
of any given drug? I doubt I know a single holistic care provider who 
would advocate the commercial stuff over a home-made formula. If I were 
in a position where I needed milk, I would use donor human milk, but I 
can see why moms who prefer not to give their babies synthetic food 
would rather make their own.



Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA

Intuitive Parenting Network LLC







From:    Janice Reynolds <[log in to unmask]>

Subject: Re: homemade formula



<snip>a Public Health Nutritionist and Chair of

the Breastfeeding Committee for Canada's Nutrition Committee - Johanna

Bergerman.



The 3 concerns about homemade formula she has, are:



1. the protein content.  The cow's milk protein has to be modified, 
through

heat treatment, for the baby to digest it more easily.  It is a very

difficult process to heat treat milk to modify the protein.  She would 
have

serious concerns with a homemade formula that is not heat treated.  If

homemade formula HAD to be given (no other options), a recipe that used

evaporated whole milk would be much better than raw milk.



2.  essential nutients are missing, especially Folic Acid.



3. Iron - must be in an absorbable form.



So I read Johanna the recipe listed on the Weston Price Foundation 
website.



http://www.westonaprice.org/children/recipes.html

She noted that it has no folic acid.  The added fats are good, but it is

unknown what effects these sources (coconut oil) would have on the baby.

bifidobacterium infantis is good.  There is NO folic acid listed, and 
this

is a CRITICAL nutrient.



It is NOT heat treated, so protein is not modified for baby to digest.

There is no added iron.



In her opinion, she would strongly recommend use of a commercial 
formula,

rather than homemade.

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