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.Â
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. Â Remember the baby that died just a few weeks ago from tainted commercial formula that the mother purchased at Walmart. Â 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
If she doesn’t have time to pump and continue breastfeeding, and she doesn’t have time to make the formula recipe you recommended to her, she could use just plain real raw goat milk. That’s what I did if ever I couldn’t breastfeed for a time. Sometimes I even added an egg yolk to the goat milk and blended it in by hand with a wire whip. But I never gave up breastfeeding entirely with any of my three kids. The goat milk, however, would still be a better answer than anything processed. Wonder if she would have access to it?
I posted that same article on my forum last night. There is also cupric sulfate in even the organic baby formulas, as well as the algae concocted DHA and ARA which is now causing problems, as well. Something about mold, but I couldn’t find the article to share it here.
Still, powdered formulas are loaded with synthetic vitamins (they use dl-tocopherol or even dl alpha tocopherol for the vitamin E – most, maybe all vitamin E supplements are derived from soy) and they use vitamin D2 instead of D3 (but lots of young people don’t realize there is a difference) not that D2 is bad, but it’s simply not the same thing as D3. I am not a fan of too many supplements in the first place, but synthetic supplements – really? Does a baby’s body know what to do with those? Heck, MY body doesn’t know what to do with those! That’s why we try to eat well-rounded meals and not worry too much about supplements. But babies don’t have that luxury, so when mom foolishly stops breastfeeding (so many women can’t, so it’s always a shame to see someone stop) the baby is the one who suffers. I see it all the time though, and it breaks my heart.
I just heard the report last night and am sick to my stomach… I breastfeed as much as I’m able to but my supply has been low from the beginning and I’ve had to supplement. I would say on average, 40-50% of my daughter’s bottles since one month of age have been Baby’s Only Organic, on the recommendation of the Weston A. Price Organization. I feel duped. I know that hurting our babies was not the intention of WAP or Nature’s One, but who can we trust anymore?? I spent $250 on ingredients for the homemade formula, $100 speaking with nutritionists to ensure it was indeed safe and healthy for my daughter, and countless hours culturing my milk since I also don’t have easy access to raw, and as it turns out, my daughter can’t stand the stuff! She absolutely refused her bottles and would only eat at the breast or if I filled them with Baby’s Only. So, I can say with a clear conscience that I have done all I could do to give her the best nutrition possible, and it seems I’m being roadblocked at every turn. I agree with those who chant “breast is best!”, and I give her as much of my milk as I’ve been able, but now that this formula has come out as being tainted, what am I supposed to feed my baby girl? She is eight months old… what is the absolute minimum age to convert to regular milk? I will attempt the broth formula this weekend… I am willing to do whatever I have to to make sure she receives the best nutrition possible. Thank you in advance for any advice you may have.
Please note that the Weston A. Price Foundation ONLY recommends Baby’s Only as a STOPGAP until all ingredients for homemade formula can be procured. Never ever ever ever ever ever as a formula to use long term.
Almost everyone in America who can’t get raw milk can STILL can get access to low temp nonhomogenized whole milk by asking their local healthfood store to order it in for them in glass bottles. This can be cultured with piima or yogurt or kefir cultures and then used as the base for the homemade formula.
As I mentioned, I did all of that, made two double batches of the formula using cultured milk, and was forced to throw it all out because my daughter would not eat it. I’m just trying to elaborate that there are reasons beyond selfishness and lack of time or initiative that force some parents to need an alternative food source to the homemade formula.
Thank you for the reply.
There are online communities where those women blessed with excess milk, and a desire to help other babies, donate and sell their breast milk! if you can buy that, why buy formula? Here is one:
http://www.onlythebreast.com/
I would love to do that Molly, but my husband has been laid off for three years and I struggle to pay for the formula. I will find a way, however, if that’s the only healthy option – thanks for the recommendation!
Also, the WAP website could use a redesign. They are very vague on many aspects of the homemade formula (for instance, in regards to the Baby’s Only Organic, the website states “This stopgap formula can be used in emergencies, or when the ingredients for homemade formula are unavailable.” Okay, the last part of that sentence seems to confer that it is acceptable if the homemade is not an option, which is wasn’t with my baby as she hated it – never did I think this was not a long-term option from the information they provide on the site), and it is not very easy to get somebody on the phone. I’ve tried calling a few times for clarification on this or that and was always directed first to the website and next, to someone without voicemail that doesn’t seem to ever be at their phone. I love the fact that WAP is trying to educate people and offer healthier alternatives, but I think it can be dangerous to put incomplete or confusing information out there and leave readers to fill in the blanks on their own. It would be wonderful if knowedgeable people were available to answer questions whose answers are not clear on the website.
She’s amazing and that formula you make at home with healthy ingredients yourself. It’s the next best thing to breast milk.
For mothers looking for a healthy alternative to breast milk there is a homemade formula called “The Barley Baby Formula” by Adelle Davis. you can buy the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Healthy-Children-Adelle-Davis/dp/9991578315/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329492311&sr=1-8
That looks like a formula for gut problems. Grains aren’t recommended for children under the age of 1 and preferably 2. Why would any mother want to feed her developing infant Fortified barley water???
The FDA is claiming that raw milk is a health hazard as ridiculous as that is. People have been drinking it since time began and they’ve recently proved it’s super health benefits. The gov’t is attacking co-ops, farmers, sellers etc, whether they are legally selling or producing. My guess is that, like everything, if they don’t control it – they don’t want anyone else too. Monsanto being so intertwined with gov’t and policy and Big Food will ultimately ruin our food supply. GMOs are big money for them and this includes meats and dairy. If you google it there are tons of stories about them shutting down raw milk producers illegally and bullying them to keep quiet about the raids. The gov’t makes 20% if its economy from Big Food. Monsanto is a huge chunk of that. They are now trying to get their GMO products to be OK’d for organic use. Hopefully if enough of us stand up for our rights to clean, healthy foods, maybe it won’t happen.
We sell ours for $10, but most places around here are charging between 12-18 for a half gallon.
Living in the Dartmouth community, I can also say that the word that is spreading is that the arsenic is in the brown rice-period. After emailing Lundberg rice company directly, a friend discovered that they do not even test their rice. Bummer.
I only pay $5 for grass fed raw milk in Hadley MA. Guess I’m lucky and it’s so delicious even my non believer husband has made the switch
The very first time I read about formula was when I was in college, studying how Nestle used evil PR practices to get women in India to stop breastfeeding their children and use formula. As a result, many babies and children got sick because the women were using tainted water to mix in with the formula. They also targeted poorer women, who did not have access to cleaner water. Nestle has done (and does) this in other countries, as well. And they generally try to cover it up.
This alone was enough to help me decide to never feed commercial formula to my babies! We have been blessed to be able to breastfeed long term.
Nestle just keeps on going too! I was very shocked to go the regular grocery store and see that Nestle has a new product on the shelves. It’s marketed to the Hispanic population and is nothing more than more additives, preservatives, sterile food and high sugar (aka “garbage”). It’s made for younger children as some sort of a new “nutritional drink.” I can’t recall the name of it, but I did take a picture of it (because I was so appalled).
Last night, I read the article about arsenic found in baby formula. In addition to baby formula, testers found it in energy bars, rice syrup (of course) and a few different brands of energy gel. They said white rice is better to use, because the arsenic is more concentrated in the rice bran.
Thank you for posting this and for the links to homemade baby formula!
That’s an amazing price Juanita!!