A reader emailed me a few days ago asking which formula is closest to breast milk since she was going back to work and would no longer breastfeed.
My email reply suggested that learn how to make homemade baby formula. While not as good as breastmilk from a well nourished mother, it is the next best alternative and certainly better than any commercial formulas on the market.
This reader emailed back saying that she didn’t have time to make the homemade formula or use a breastmilk donor bank and pressed for a commercial formula recommendation.
I responded that I could not recommend any commercial formulas, not even the organic ones. She really needed to find the time to make the homemade formula or have a relative or friend make it for her. The long term health of her baby depended on it!
The reasons for avoiding commercial formula both dairy and nondairy go far beyond the fact that they are highly allergenic concoctions of denatured milk proteins and rancid vegetable oils.
Is soy formula dangerous for a baby too? Absolutely considering that multiple studies indicate the potential for lifelong endocrine disruption and fertility issues.
Here’s another big issue few parents seem to know about ….
Arsenic in Organic Baby Formula
According to reports from researchers at Dartmouth, organic baby formulas contain levels of arsenic six times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers safe for the water supply.
These high levels of arsenic are due to the inclusion of brown rice syrup, which is the top ingredient in the organic formulas.
Nature’s One, the manufacturer of organic baby formula, wrote in response that their California based supplier of brown rice syrup:
… uses qualified, world-renowned, third-party, independent lab to test arsenic levels in their organic brown rice syrup. Their testing results report undetectable amounts of arsenic at laboratory testing limits.
Nature’s One went on to say that:
As an organic manufacturer, Nature’s One’s primary concern is the amount of environmental chemicals ingested by infants, toddlers and children. Parents can rest assured that Nature’s One® will test arsenic levels for every lot of organic brown rice syrup and organic rice oligodextrin prior to production.
Who to believe??
Should we believe the researchers who found dangerous levels of arsenic in the organic baby formulas or the manufacturer who insists that undetectable levels of arsenic are in the brown rice syrup they use to manufacture the baby formula.
Best not to try and figure out the truth in this situation and just make your own homemade baby formula with wholesome, natural ingredients.
When food is processed in a factory, there is always the risk of something going wrong even when organic ingredients are used.
For your precious, vulnerable baby, the risk from any factory produced foods is too high. Remember the baby that died just a few weeks ago from tainted commercial formula that the mother purchased at Walmart. A parent carefully preparing a homemade baby formula in her own kitchen will always be an infinitely better, safer, and healthier choice than anything that is produced in a factory.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Source: ABC News, A Hidden Arsenic Source
Yes, local nonhomogenized low temp pasteurized whole milk recultured with piima or yogurt cultures and then using this as the base for the formula would be a better option than the powdered formulas.
If that doesn’t work or causes upset, use the homemade broth based, hypoallergenic formula.
Hi, Sarah! I’m wondering how to I make my own baby formula when I have no way of getting Raw Milk? It is illegal to sell in my state and my family cannot afford a herdshare, as it is almost $18 per gallon of milk. We’re on a tight budget with two children and it’s very hard to justify paying that much for raw milk. Any suggestions? Thank you!
after watching “Thrive” I am skeptical of any “research” group at all, especially when they pinpoint organics. That being said, I encourage all mothers to breastfeed as long as possible.
OMG! Genocide to our new generations! Horrible !
Read that this morning, too. 🙁 I agree…homemade formula is next best alternative. Did that for my last baby, using raw milk, until we discovered she had dairy allergies. (prior to the raw milk intro) Got her on goat milk when she was able, and she did much better.
It’s in the soil so it’s going to be in the food, esp. stuff bought at walmart , as China has lots of air pollution from all the factories .
Sadly I have supplemented with this formula because I am a nursing mother that had to report back to work full time. It makes me sick and feeling defeated. I tried so hard to go the route of making my own, if though purse strings were tight, for purchasing the ingredients. I could not find a raw milk source anywhere near me. It is illegal in my state and I had no help when I contacted local WAPF ‘leaders’ in my area, 75 mile or so radius I looked up and contacted all listed 🙁 I was disappointed none of them were interested in trying to help me locate a raw milk source and I don’t know if it was because the sale of raw milk is illegal on OH or what?
*Even though
Did you try sourcing grassfed pasteurized/unhomogenized milk and re-culturing it with pima or yogurt? In a pinch one of my girlfriends sometimes uses non-ultrapasteurized goatmilk when she runs out of raw (fortunately we have a semi-local farm that supplies our Whole Foods) and adds the raw liver for b12.
Even pasteurized (non-ultra) milk is better than powdered.
We do have a fairly close dairy that sells grassfed unhomogenized milk but I wasn’t sure if that was acceptable or would be too harsh on his stomach. I am wondering, he is 11.5 months now — wondering if it would be better to just work on switching him to this milk period? Or is it too soon. I am about all but dried up. :/
If you culture the milk it should bring it back to life somewhat and especially if it isn’t unhomogenized, he should handle it well. You can always try goat milk if the cow’s milk doesn’t work well. Anne Marie from Cheeseslave gave her daughter the raw milk formula until she was 2 or so. I think her reasoning was that had she been able to breastfeed she would have until her daughter was at least 2. Read the WAPF page for all the information
I understand the feeling. We used to live in OH and I tried my best to find local raw milk. It was frustrating because we lived in a rural area with farms but they refused to sell it, because yes, it’s illegal. We moved to PA and it’s totally different story here..you can even purchase raw milk from the local stores.
In OH, you must buy a herdshare to get raw milk legally. Look at realmilk.com to find a source. The WAPF chapter leader in Columbus recommended a source to me a couple years ago, and I also found it on realmilk.com. I get my milk in Mt. Gilead for a less money than it would cost to buy non-homogenized, lightly pasteurized organic milk at the store, and I share driving with others so I only have to make the trip less than once a month.
Exactly. I used this organic Natures One Babys Only formula for 6 months at the recommendation of a holistic pediatrician saying that it was the best on the market. I had twins and couldn’t produce enough milk for them both despite my best efforts. And now this…………Wtf?!
I’ve had a flood of emails in the past 12 hours since this report came out via ABC News about where to find raw grassfed milk from frantic mothers who need to immediately stop using the organic baby formulas that they thought were safe!
Reason #153,159,541 why I will never, ever feed my babies commercial formula of ANY sort. NO guesswork is to be involved in ANYTHING that goes into my babies’ precious bodies. I have to KNOW I’m giving them only the very best, no matter what sacrifices I may have to make.
Not to mention, it takes 10 minutes to make a batch. Plus you can freeze it for times when you truly don’t have time (not very often).