Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants. Human milk
contains all the right ingredients - protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins,
minerals, and water - in just the right balance. No formula can make that
claim. Infant formula manufacturers attempt to artificially duplicate human
milk. Formula feeding is a practice that is relatively recent - about 60 years
- compared to the beginning of humankind (not to mention all other mammals)
relying on breast milk.
Formula does not contain the disease-fighting factors or the
digestive enzymes that breast milk has. The nutrients in formula are more
difficult for a baby to digest and absorb than the nutrients in human milk,
requiring the baby to handle excess waste. Some formulas may have a less than
optimal composition by containing too much salt and/or not enough cholesterol, fats,
lactose, zinc, and iron, among other nutrients. Did you know…
Formula-fed babies have a greater risk of:
Ear Infections
Diarrhoea/constipation
Pheumonia
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
Children who were formula-fed have a greater risk of
Obesity
Diabetes
Astma and allergies
Cancer
Increasing awareness that feeding baby's breast milk is beneficial and is an important promotion goal
