formula can labels

Why Breastfeed? Formula Can Label

Formula label, want a scare?

Here's one of the best reasons to breastfeed

"Enzymatically hydrolyzed reduced minerals, whey protein concentrate, palm olein, soy, coconut, high-oleic safflower oils, lactose, maltodextrin, patoassium citrate, calcium phosphate, calcium chloride, salt, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, potassium iodide, soy lecithin, mono and diglycerides, inositol, choline bitartrate
sodium ascorbate, alpha tocophyeryl acetate, naicinamide, calcum pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, phylloquinone, biotin, vitamin D3, vitamin B12, taurine, L-carnitine"

That's what's in formula!

Whey, one of the main ingredients in almost all formulas, is a waste by-product of producing certain dairy products, particularly cheeses.  Aren't you glad that the manufacturers now have a profitable way to dispose of their former waste products??

Palm, coconut and safflower oils are some of the least expensive oils, and so are used in many snack foods, and such things as movie theatre popcorn. 

And it's not always available, of course.  Disaster can befall you and your baby anywhere, and you don't need to run to the store to get breastmilk.  The following was excerpted from Milk, Money & Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding (Bergin & Garvey), 1995.  ((c)1995 Naomi Baumslag and Dia L. Michels. All rights reserved, may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without permission.)

"Jennifer Stolpa knows the miracle of breastfeeding. Stranded for 8 days in Nevada by a winter storm that buried the region, Jennifer's son Clayton is a thriving child today only because she chose to breastfeed. After spending five nights in their snow-bound truck, James left his wife and five month old son in a cave while he sought help. Jennifer melted show in her mouth, held Clayton snugly, and nursed him throughout the ordeal. The family survived with little more than frostbite and weight loss. Experts agree that breastfeeding saved Clayton's life. Heidi Lunn also knows the wonders of breastfeeding. Her Florida house was destroyed in Hurricane Andrew. She was nursing her three-month old baby when the storm hit. Living near the eye of the storm, her neighborhood and all the surrounding communities were destroyed. "We were trapped," Heidi recalls, "we had no water for a week, no fuel, debris covered everything. We couldn't have bought formula then had we wanted to. Thank God I was breastfeeding!" Most people don't expect to have a disaster befall them. But acts of war, environmental accidents, and natural disasters are part of life. Floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and ice storms can bring life as we know it to a halt. Breastfeeding mothers in Kuwait, Somalia, and Bosnia know the importance of their food supply, as do all the women who have raised children on breastmilk in concentration camps, refugee camps, and during periods of famine. No one hopes to find themselves in a desperate situation, but knowing you can take care of your child when an emergency hits can help you and your infant survive."