tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2179063136322123581.post3547409542668489699..comments2023-11-05T00:18:29.473-07:00Comments on Jessica on Babies: Let's Talk About Breastfeeding - Part IJessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02223070781345804093noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2179063136322123581.post-45399254801088232242011-03-29T21:29:06.707-07:002011-03-29T21:29:06.707-07:00Thank you, Gaidig! I had hoped that would come thr...Thank you, Gaidig! I had hoped that would come through to an extent. <br /><br />I was reading something recently about people in Appalachia who used to use molasses as their everyday sweetener. This meant that they had good iron levels and helped keep them healthy. But as they started to modernize and be "connected," they also started eating refined and processed foods, including using white sugar instead of molasses for sweetening. Suddenly, there was an epidemic of anemia in a place that had never seen problems with anemia before.<br /><br />The same sort of thing happened with infant formulas. It's "modern," it's "perfectly balanced," it's based on "science;" therefore, it must be healthier, right? Unfortunately not. <br /><br />It may be that one day someone will create an artificial human milk substitute that really is better than breastmilk. If so, I think that day is many many many years away.Jessicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02223070781345804093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2179063136322123581.post-48428219111155773142011-03-29T20:50:31.904-07:002011-03-29T20:50:31.904-07:00I really like your emphasis on the fact that scien...I really like your emphasis on the fact that scientists really don't know everything about the composition of breast milk yet, nor do they fully understand what pieces give which benefits, and that they are unable to suitably recreate it. This fact about whole foods in general is one of the things that really struck a chord with me when I read Michael Pollan's book, <i>In Defense of Food</i>. I think that at a certain time in our recent past, people thought formula was better because it was standardized, and it was created by "experts". It's sad that so much damage was caused because we have overrated the extent of our knowledge.Gaidighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11137796009019992269noreply@blogger.com