Breast Milk is a Super Food.....

A local Tsimane woman and her children

Of all the many crucial components which make Breastmilk a super food, it is the Omega Fatty Acids which I believe to be the most important. Why? Because our industrialised diets are so lacking in these vital healthy fats. These are the oils and fats found in fresh oily fish, nuts and seeds, fruits like avocado, and organic cold pressed olive and coconut oil. Our westernised diets are too wrongly obsessed with canola oils, trans fats, and highly refined prepackaged snacks. 

A baby and young child's neurological development depends heavily on the provision of these healthier fats in order for the brain to develop. The nervous system is an extension of the brain and plays a vital role in the physiological, emotional and physical development of a child's wellbeing.

In a recent scientific study done on Tsimane women living in Amazonian Bolivia found that their breast milk contained significantly higher percentages of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is crucial for infant cognitive and visual development. In fact "the Tsimane mothers' average milk DHA percentage was 400 percent higher than that of the American mothers, while their average percentages of linoleic and trans fatty acids were 84 percent and 260 percent lower, respectively".  Incredible!

These Tsimane women consume a diet primarily of locally grown staple crops, wild game, wild berries and freshwater fish. Obesity does not exist in these communities. Anywhere!Children are also breastfed beyond 2 years of age, when the cognitive and emotional development of a child's brain is most crucial.

This is not a debate of whether breast is best, we all know that it is! But it doesn't work for everyone. Baby Formula's are sadly based on the analysis of typical U.S breastfeeding mother's milk, which is devoid of these essential elements. Arguments have been raised about basing formula's on the milk of mothers who may not contain all the essential nutrients that a natural, healthy and adequate diet can provide. Ie a westernised diet Vs a more primitive natural diet.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask yourself: What oils am I eating? Am I eating a variety of nuts and seeds, tahini, nut butters, avocados, goat cheese, coconut oil, flaxseed oil? How often do I include fresh oily fish in my diet? What you eat is what your milk becomes, and what your milk becomes is the foundation of which your child will thrive!

If you want to read more on this study follow this link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120609152436.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fhealth_medicine%2Finfants_health+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Health+&+Medicine+News+--+Infant+Health%29