Feeding Babies
Any effort to ensure optimal
nutrition of your baby must begin long before he or she is conceived. The wisdom of primitive peoples is vastly
superior to our own in this regard, in that a common practice among isolated
groups is the feeding of special foods to both men and women for a period of
time before conception occurs. Dr. Weston Price’s studies revealed that these
foods--including organ meats, fish heads, fish eggs, shell fish, insects and
animal fats--were rich in fat soluble vitamins A and D as well as macro- and
trace minerals. Couples planning to have children should eat liberally of
organic liver and other organ meats, fish milk and other seafood, eggs, and the
best quality butter, cream and fermented milk products they can obtain for at
least six months before conception. A
daily cod liver oil supplement is also advised. Organic meats, vegetables,
grains and legumes should round out the diet, which is necessary for the
prevention of birth defects and spina bifida.
A good rule for pregnant women is
two eggs, raw milk or bone broth, and cod liver oil daily, and liver at least
once a week. Appropriate amounts of superfoods, such as high-vitamin butter
oil, evening primose, borage or black currant oil, bee pollen, mineral powder,
wheat germ oil and acerola powder, will provide optimal amounts of nutrients
for your unborn child. Best kvass and
kombucha, with their liver-supporting properties, are useful in preventing
future morning sickness—as are foods rich in vitamin B6, such as appropriately
prepared raw fish and raw meat.
A cleansing fast, undertaken six months or more before conception, is a good idea, but during the six months before conception and nine months of pregnancy it is vital to consume nutrient-dense foods. Every attempt should be made to enhance the digestibility of the diet through meat broths and the inclusion of lacto-fermented grains, beverages and condiments. All empty calories and harmful substances should be eliminated—sugar, white flour, hydrogenated and rancid vegetable oils, excess of polyunsaturated oils, tobacco, caffeine and alcohol. Oral contraceptives should be avoided during this preparatory period as these deplete many nutrients, particularly zinc, the “intelligence mineral.”
The importance of breastfeeding your baby, especially during his first few months, cannot be overemphasized. Breast milk is perfectly designed for your baby’s physical and mental development. Breastfed babies tend to be more robust, more intelligent and free from allergies and other complaints, especially intestinal difficulties, than those on formula. In addition, colostrum produces by the mammary glands during the first few days of a baby’s life helps guard him against colds, flu, polio, staph infections and viruses.
It must be emphasized, however, that the quality of a mother’s milk depends greatly on her diet. Sufficient animal products will ensure proper amounts of vitamin B12, A, and D as well as all-important minerals like zinc in her milk. Lactating women should continue with a diet that emphasizes liver, eggs and cod liver oil. Whole milk products and stock made from bones will ensure that her baby receives adequate calcium.
Pesticides and other toxins will be present in the mother’s milk if they are present in the diet. So all care should be taken to consume organic foods of both plant and animal origin during pregnancy and lactation. Organic foods also provide more omega-3 fatty acids needed for a baby’s optimal development. Hydrogenated fats should be strictly avoided as these result in reduced fat content in the mother’s milk. Trans fats accumulate in mother’s milk and can lead to decreased visual acuity and learning difficulties in the infant.
Breastfeeding should ideally be
continues for six months to a year. If
mother’s milk is not adequate or of good quality, or if the mother is unable to
breast feed for whatever reason, a homemade baby formula, rather than a
commercial formula, can be used. Commercial infant formulas are highly fabricated concoctions composed of
milk or soy powders produced by high-temperature processes that overdenature
proteins and add many carcinogens. Milk-based formulas often cause allergies while soy-based formulas
contains mineral-blocking phytic acid, growth inhibitors and plant forms of
estrogen compounds that can have adverse effects on the hormonal development of
the brain and the nervous system.
Fortunately, it is possible to
compose a formula that closely resembles mother’s milk. Whenever possible this
formula should be based on raw organic milk, from cows that eat food
appropriate to cows certified free of tuberculosis and brucellosis. The milk should come from cows that eat food
appropriate to cows, which is green grass in the warm months and hay and root
vegetables in the winter, not soy or cottonseed meal. Ideally, the milk should come from the
Both our milk-based and meat-based formulas have been designed to provide maximum possible correspondence with the various components of human milk. Our milk-based formula take account of the fact that human milk is richer in whey, lactose, vitamin C, niacin, manganese and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to cows milk but leaner in (milk protein). The addition of gelatin to cow’s milk formula will make it more digestible for the infant. The liver-based formula also mimics the nutrient profile of mother’s milk. Use only truly expeller-expressed oils in the formula recipes, otherwise they may lack vitamin E.
A wise supplement for all babies—whether breast fed or bottle fed—is an egg yolk per day, beginning at four months. Egg yolk supplies cholesterol needed for mental development as well as important sulphur-containing amino acids. Egg yolks from pasture-fed hens raised on flax meal, fish meal or insects are also rich in the omega-3 long-chain fatty acids are essential for the development of the brain. Parents who institute the practice of the feeding egg yolk to the baby will be rewarded with children who speak and take directions at an early age. The white, one year. Small amounts of grated, raw organic liver may be added to the egg yolk after six months. This imitates as their first food. Liver is rich in iron, the one mineral that tends to be low in mothers’ milk.
A pinch of sea salt added to the yolk will also facilitate brain development. Salt is necessary to activate the formation of glial cells in the brain, the cells that make connections and help us think faster. Unfortunately, salt is often left out of commercial baby food, in the mistaken belief that salt should be avoided. As you add other foods to baby’s diet, be sure that they are salted with unrefined sea salt.
An unfortunate practice in industrial societies is the feeding of cereal grains to infants. Babies produce only small amounts of amylase, needed for the digestion of grains, and are not fully equipped to handle cereals, especially wheat, before the age of one year. (Some experts prohibit all grains before the age of two.) Baby’s small intestine mostly produces one enzyme for carbohydrates—lactose, for the digestion of lactose. (Raw milk also contains lactase.) Many doctors have warned that feeding cereal grains too early can lead to grain allergies later on. Baby’s earliest solid food should be animal foods as his digestive system, although immature is better equipped to supply enzymes for the digestion of fats and proteins rather than carbohydrates.
Carbohydrate in the form of fresh mashed banana can be added after the age of six months as banana are rich in amylase enzymes and thus are easily digested by most infants. Some pre-industrial societies give a gruel of cereal grains, soaked 24 hours, to babies one year or older. Soaking in an acidic medium neutralizes phyates and begins the breakdown of carbohydrates, thus allowing children to obtain optimum nourishment fro m grains. It also provides lactic acid to the intestinal tract to facilitate mineral uptake
At the age of about ten months,
meats, fruits and vegetables may be introduces, one at a time so that any
adverse reactions may be observed. Carbohydrate foods, such as potatoes, carrots, turnips, etc., should be
mashed with butter. (Don’t overdo on the orange vegetables as baby’s immature
liver may have difficulty converting carotenoids to vitamin A. If your baby’s skin develops a yellowish
color, a sign that he is not making the conversion, discontinue orange
vegetables for a time.) Lacto-fermented taro or other roots make an excellent
carbohydrate food for babies. It is wise to feed babies a little buttermilk or
yoghurt from time to time to familiarize them with the sour taste. Above all,
do not deprive your baby of animal fats—he or she needs them for optimum
physical growth and mental development. Mother’s milk contains over 50 percent
of tits calories is fat, much of it saturated fat, and children need these
kinds of fats throughout their growing years.
It is unwise to give baby fruit juices, especially apple juice, which provide only simple carbohydrates and will often spoil an infant’s appetite for more nutritious foods. Sorbitol, a sugar-alcohol in apple juice, is difficult to digest. Studies have linked failure to thrive in children with diets high in apple juice. High-fructose foods are especially dangerous for growing children. The best beverage for a growing child is whole raw milk, which can be introduced slowly as the baby is weaned from the breast or homemade formula.
Remember that babies should be
chubby and children should be sturdy and strong, not slim. Babies need body fat
to achieve optimum growth. The fat around their ankles, knees, elbows and
wrists is growth fat that ensures adequate nourishment to the growth plates at
the ends of the bones. Fat babies grow up into sturdy, well-formed adults,
neither too tall nor too short and either slender or stocky depending on
genetic heritage.
Keep your baby away from processed junk foods as long as possible—but do not think that you can do this indefinitely. Unless you lock your children in a closet—or live in a closed community of like-minded parents—he will come in contact with junk foods sooner or later. His best protection is the optimal diet that you have given him during his infancy and your loving example and training in later years.
See our Recipe page for formula recipes.
