Au Naturale- Nutrition Edition! (Loose Ends and Baby Formula)

If you missed Sunday's introduction, click HERE!

Monday's post about sugar and dairy, click HERE!

Tuesday's post about eggs and butter, click HERE!

Wednesday's post about salt and yogurt, click HERE!

Thursday's post about soaked grains and FCLO, click HERE!

DISCLAIMER: I am not a nutritionist, doctor or even a scientist.  My only expertise is that I love food and am highly motivated to do what is best for my family!  It can be difficult to read various studies all of whom demonize the other side and claim to be right.   I am trying to find the truth about nutrition, and am using this series to document and share what I've learned and concluded

ODDS and ENDS:

Meat: I buy our meats from the local butcher shop, as opposed to the main grocery store. In an ideal world, I would have room for a big freezer and would purchase half a cow straight from the farmer! I try to buy meat that is pasture raised, grain finished, and steroid/antibiotic free.  My butcher told me that, as a general rule, if you find a chicken that weighs more than 3.5 lbs, it probably has exposure to steroids.  

Once again, my affinity for rare beef has paid off!  When tender portions of beef are eaten rare, their enzyme content is still intact!  Red meat is full of zinc, magnesium and vitamin B12 and other trace minerals.  

To save money and reduce eating processed foods, I make my own lunch meat.  When I plan the month's menu, I plan one roast or chicken (or something of that nature) a week.  The extra meat is then sliced thin or made into chicken salad for sandwiches for the rest of the week.  Here are some yummy and nutritious sandwich ideas!

For the last couple of months, I have begun preparing liver once a month.  Abigail was my motivation here!  It's cheap, easy and so packed with nutrients.  If I smother it in caramelized onions and make a yummy desert afterwards, we can handle it once a month!  

To prepare it I soak it in lemon juice for several hours.  This removes any impurities and improves the texture.  I dredge it in flour, cook it in butter, and cover it with sweet vidalia onions.  For Abigail, I simmer it in a little bit of water, then puree it with butter and a little sea salt.  I freeze it in ice cube trays and give it to her once a week.  (I don't want to give her too much iron!)

Honey: I buy raw, local honey which helps combat allergies.  Raw honey is full of amylases, which is an enzyme that helps digest carbohydrates.  Adding honey to your oats or toast is ideal!

Olive oil: Rich in antioxidants, Omega-6 and Omega-3 linoleic acids, olive oil is ideal for salads or low temperature cooking.  If cooking at high temperatures, olive oil goes rancid.  

Ghee: This is new to me; I haven't tried it yet.  Ghee, or clarified butter, is an excellent alternative to olive oil when cooking at high temperatures.  Here's a video on how to prepare it.   You simply heat up the butter and scoop out the foam.  It is stable at room temperature, too.  I can't wait to try it!

Baking powder: This one's new to me, too.  Most baking powder contains aluminum compounds.  This leaves a metallic taste.  Some studies show there is a link between aluminum and Alzheimer's.  (This is one of the main reasons I've switched to homemade deodorant.)  Go here for more than you ever wanted to know about baking powder!  (Aluminum-free baking powders are available.)  (Thanks, Robyn, for this tip!)

Maple syrup: There are mixed reviews on this.  For decades, maple syrup was collected using formaldehyde.  This practice was prohibited in the 1990's, but there are strong rumors that many still use this method.  Buying organic maple syrup should prevent this (and other) additives in your syrup.  I'm not sure where I stand on this issue, but think it's interesting to consider. 

FEEDING BABY!

Obviously, breast milk is best.  

But when that isn't possible, available or do-able for whatever reason, I have become convinced that this homemade formula is almost as good as breastmilk, and far better than canned formula.  

Canned formula, even the organics, contains soy.  There are many toxins in soy, including "phytic acid, which blocks absorption of minerals, especially zinc; protease inhibitors which block the digestion of protein; and high levels of aluminum, fluoride, MSG and manganese, all of which can have adverse effects on the brain and nervous system" (Nourishing Traditions, pg. 603).  Soy also has extremely high concentrations of estrogen compounds, which is especially dangerous for boys and could possibly explain why girls reach puberty at a much earlier age in recent times.

Recently I also learned about the harm of artificial DHA and ARA in commercial baby formula.  See this video for information on the origin of the DHA and ARA.  

When we began the adoption process, it didn't take me long to google homemade formula.  Why?  Because I'm frugal!  And I like to make things myself!  But the recipe I saw over and over again was overwhelming and contained ingredients I knew nothing about.  I couldn't even pronounce some of them, much less know where to get them or what they were for!  I was quite intimidated and decided to just buy the commercial stuff.  

I started with Enfam.il Gentl.ease, but was disgusted to discover the number one ingredient was CORN SYRUP SOLIDS.  No wonder A chowed it down!  I work so hard to keep HFCS out of our diet, and yet it was the number one ingredient I was feeding my newborn.  

After a few months I switched to Ear.th's Bes.t Organic.  It had glucose solids as opposed to corn syrup solids, but the research showed that was slightly better.  I still didn't feel good about it.  

Meanwhile, I kept learning more and more about nutrition- as I have detailed this week- and had become familiar with most of the ingredients in the formula recipe.  One day I sat down and researched each individual ingredient and it's purpose.  Here's what I found:

• 2 C  milk
• ¼ c liquid whey (minerals and disgestive bacteria)
• 2 T cream (lots of good fats, like mother's milk)
• 2 t yeast flakes (B complex, protein, riboflavin)
• 1 t sunflower oil (omega 6 and 9)
• 1 t extra virgin olive oil (monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidents)
• ½ t cod liver oil (Vitamins A and D, EPA and DHA)
• ¼ t bifodobacterium infantis (probiotic)
• ¼ t acerola powder (vitamin C)
• 1 7/8 cups water (2 cups minus 2 T)
• 2 t gelatin (aids in the digestion of the milk)
• 4 T lactose (assists in growth of good bacteria)
• 2 t  coconut oil (lauric acid, medium fatty acids for energy and stimulates thyroid)
• ¼ t butter oil (vitamins K and E and coQenzymes)
  When I compared this list to the ingredients in Ear.th's Bes.t they shared many of the main ingredients, including whey, lactose, coconut oil, sunflower oil, and milk.  Here's the difference- Ea.rth's Best ALSO contains soy, non-fat milk, artificial DHA/ARA, and tons of preservatives.  The ingredients in the homemade formula are whole, fresh, and top quality.  The ingredients in the canned formula have been processed into an oblivion and resemble nothing like their actual name.  
  
  
  I came to realize that this homemade formula was simply whole milk with extra cream, whey and gelatin to help baby digest it.  (Calves are much bigger than babies and have additional stomachs to help digest their mother's milk!)  The additional ingredients provide vitamins and minerals to mimic mother's milk.  
  
  
  I bit the bullet and made a huge order from Radiant Life, where they had a package deal!  All the necessary ingredients were available here.  We bought a 3 month package and took a leap of faith.  
  
  
  

  

  Everything I need for one batch of formula.

  When it arrived, I was once again totally overwhelmed. It was a huge box!  I got to work separating and labeling each ingredient.  I wrote how much was needed directly on each ingredient's package so that I wouldn't have to look it up.  I put one of each in a box, so that I could just grab the box in the morning when making formula.  I didn't want to have to gather each ingredient on its own.  I looked each item over carefully, becoming familiar with it.  I even quizzed myself!  "Quick!  Find the acerola powder!"  (Yes, I'm that dorky!)  I also bought stainless steel measuring spoons on a ring and keep them with a 1/4 cup measuring cup in the box, so I don't have to look for anything.  And...it paid off!  The next morning it took me TEN minutes to make that formula!  Ten minutes!  That is totally do-able!  I'm more than happy to invest ten minutes a day into my daughter's nutrition!  I whip up a batch, pour it into bottles, and I'm done!  
  
  
  Abigail is thriving on this and I feel GREAT about it. I've tasted it myself and it's kind of sweet and thick with cream.  It's quite good!  I feel so good knowing everything that she's eating has nutritional value.  Here's a video on how to prepare homemade baby formula.  
  
  
  
  
  IN CONCLUSION:
  Nutrition and food are subjects that fascinate me.  I will continue trying to learn the truth about what the Lord intended for our bodies to work properly.  In the end, I try to eat things as the Lord made them: 
  • eggs whole and free-range (yolk and all!)
  • dairy- full fat and free-range
  • salt, honey, syrup and yogurt unrefined and unprocessed
  I'm not one hundred percent sold on soaking all grains, taking FCLO supplements and not cooking with olive oil, but time will tell!  
  
  
  I hope this series has been helpful to someone.  It was helpful for ME to sit down and focus on why I do each step!  I've learned a lot just writing this!  

Taste and See that the LORD is GOOD!

Psalm 34 - 9