Hi Lactnetters!  I just received my March issue of Vegetarian Times and
they had a blurb on the front about nutrition at different ages. Of
course I had to turn immediately to the infant nutrition section and
see if they got it right!  Here is what they printed:

{{{Birth to age 10
The formula makers may not like it, but even they admit it in their
ads:  Human milk is the best food for babies. Period. "Breast milk
alone provides not only all the essential nutrients, but it also
provides immunological factors and possible growth factors," says
Frances Stewart, MS, RD chief of clinical nutrition at Children's
Hopsital in Los Angeles.  "We don't know for sure yet, but some studies
have indicated that breast milk fosters intellectual growth as well as
gastrointestinal development."  Breast milk also may help prevent both
environmental and food allergies, and breastfed babies have fewer ear
infections than formula-fed babies.

Stewart is thrilled to see those rare women who breastfeed their babies
for at least a year (less than 6 percent of all mothers); in a perfect
world she'd have them nurse two to three years.  "There's a stigma in
the US about breastfeeding for more than a year, and we need to remove
that," she says, citing such benefits as stronger mother-child bonds,
effective comforting and continuing immunological protection for a long
as you nurse.}}}

I was so excited to read this article!  First of all, they used
Breastfeeding as one word--no hyphen!  And they mentioned that the
immunological benefits last as long as the child nurses---YES!  I am a
bit dismayed that the some of the benefits of breastfeeding were
downplayed in the quotes from Ms. Stewart. (using phrases such as
---"we don't know for sure yet" and "some studies have indicated").  I
guess I would have stated things more strongly, but then I am biased!

The editorial address for Vegetarian Times is:  Vegetarian Times, PO
Box 570, Oak Park, IL 60303.  Email:  [log in to unmask]

Laurie Dulle, BS, IBCLC  Dayton, Ohio   [log in to unmask]