I don’t really know how to make it, and quick Googling didn’t give me much, but I seem to recall hearing/reading that in China people often made and fed newborns a sort of thin rice gruel as a substitute for breastmilk when necessary. Obviously we could do better since I assume this will neglect many important micronutrients and may have a poor macronutrient profile such that the baby may need to eat much more thin rice gruel than breast milk, but it does suggest we have options that are still cheap but don’t rely on such actively negative choices as in formulas of the past and (possibly) the present.
I find this topic interesting because I myself had to be formula fed due to lactose intolerance from birth; that is, unlike most people who initially produce lactase and then either mostly lose the ability (most people) or retain the ability but at a decreased level (Europeans, Tibetans, some Bantus), I simply seem to have never been able to produce lactase at all. If I had children it seems likely they would inherit this trait since it seems to be genetic. This does make me wonder too why, in the absence of lactose intolerance, we don’t instead generally feed newborns who have difficulty breast feeding non-human milk (even if we first dehydrate it to make it portable the same way formula is)? It wouldn’t have helped me or help my potential offspring, but it does seem strange that we should be so focused on plant-based formula given that most people have neither a medical need nor an ethical preference for it over milk.
Formula is typically based on cow’s milk. Human milk has higher sugar (lactose) content than cow’s milk. The nutrition for building baby cows and baby humans is different enough that infants shouldn’t just be fed a balance of nutrients that works for other mammals. Some cultures use this or other mixtures like sugar water out of necessity, but it’s not a good idea if you can avoid it. Around one year, once the child is eating other foods, is when they start recommending adding cow’s milk.
I’m confused. Here is a quote from a UK website: “Infant formula is usually based on processed, skimmed cow’s milk. Added ingredients include vitamins, fatty acids and prebiotics (carbohydrates that can stimulate the growth of ‘good’ bacteria in the digestive system).” Are things very different in the US?
Maybe my experience of it is skewed, but there are lots of plant-based formulas sold in the US or primarily plant-based with small amounts of animal products added for nutritional reasons rather than as a base.
I don’t really know how to make it, and quick Googling didn’t give me much, but I seem to recall hearing/reading that in China people often made and fed newborns a sort of thin rice gruel as a substitute for breastmilk when necessary. Obviously we could do better since I assume this will neglect many important micronutrients and may have a poor macronutrient profile such that the baby may need to eat much more thin rice gruel than breast milk, but it does suggest we have options that are still cheap but don’t rely on such actively negative choices as in formulas of the past and (possibly) the present.
I find this topic interesting because I myself had to be formula fed due to lactose intolerance from birth; that is, unlike most people who initially produce lactase and then either mostly lose the ability (most people) or retain the ability but at a decreased level (Europeans, Tibetans, some Bantus), I simply seem to have never been able to produce lactase at all. If I had children it seems likely they would inherit this trait since it seems to be genetic. This does make me wonder too why, in the absence of lactose intolerance, we don’t instead generally feed newborns who have difficulty breast feeding non-human milk (even if we first dehydrate it to make it portable the same way formula is)? It wouldn’t have helped me or help my potential offspring, but it does seem strange that we should be so focused on plant-based formula given that most people have neither a medical need nor an ethical preference for it over milk.
Formula is typically based on cow’s milk. Human milk has higher sugar (lactose) content than cow’s milk. The nutrition for building baby cows and baby humans is different enough that infants shouldn’t just be fed a balance of nutrients that works for other mammals. Some cultures use this or other mixtures like sugar water out of necessity, but it’s not a good idea if you can avoid it. Around one year, once the child is eating other foods, is when they start recommending adding cow’s milk.
I’m confused. Here is a quote from a UK website: “Infant formula is usually based on processed, skimmed cow’s milk. Added ingredients include vitamins, fatty acids and prebiotics (carbohydrates that can stimulate the growth of ‘good’ bacteria in the digestive system).” Are things very different in the US?
Maybe my experience of it is skewed, but there are lots of plant-based formulas sold in the US or primarily plant-based with small amounts of animal products added for nutritional reasons rather than as a base.
You can certainly buy plant-based formula, but most of the typical formulas you’ll find on Amazon or at a US grocery store are based on cow’s milk.