For babies and their mothers, breastfeeding offers many health benefits, but not everyone is willing (or wants) to breastfeed. Breastfeeding has been a problem for some moms, for one reason or another. In these cases, good baby formula can step in to help. Unfortunately, it is challenging to find a good infant formula. According to Alula experts, finding a good formula requires parents to find ala to benefit their health.
Parents mostly give their babies formula for several reasons. Also, in some cases, it is prescribed medically. In other cases, moms may believe they don’t have enough breast milk to feed their babies while they are fine. For some mothers, breastfeeding is more comfortable than for others. But for other moms, even when they do all they can with diet and lifestyle, it just doesn’t work. It doesn’t work well enough to get the baby to latch, manage the chapped nipples, and ultimately satisfy their babies’ nutritional requirements. Therefore, parents need an alternative to breastfeeding, which is baby formula. Thus, there are various things you should consider when looking for baby formula.
Selecting the right formula
According to experts at Alula, the formula comes with risks since it is like medication. Hence parents have to know the risks to make significant decisions on its use. The use of formula can shorten the breastfeeding relationship and increase health risks for the mother and child. Thus, parents should look at their circumstances and decide where formula use will outweigh the risks. Here are some things to consider and how to pick the best formula for your infant.
Ingredients to avoid in a formula
- Partially Hydrolyzed Whey protein
Whey protein is derived from cow milk which is a common cause of food allergies in children. The reactions include Diarrhea, hives and swelling of the lips.
- Corn Maltodextrin
It is also used in snack foods like chips and crackers as a cheap food additive. It may be derived from GMO maize. And it’s a sweetener as well.
- Soybean Oil
It is inexpensive, meaning that it is used in almost all processed foods. Like maize, it most probably comes from GMO sources unless otherwise noted. It’s a highly acidic oil, so it’s partially hydrogenated by food producers to increase the melting point and preserve it so that it won’t turn rancid. As a result, altered chemical composition and trans fats are formed.
- Palm Oil:
Studies have shown that babies are unable to absorb palm oil properly. It reacts with calcium, leading to hard stools and decreased bone mass in a baby. Palm oil is also a highly unsustainable oil that threatens ecosystems and destroys animal habitats.
- A high concentration of oils: (safflower and sunflower)
Since they are cheap, safflower/sunflower oils are prevalent in packaged foods. They are also processed with the contaminant and have a high in pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids. If these oils are dangerous to adults, why would we feed them to babies?
- Nanoparticles
A new study has found that super small nanoparticle engineered particles are contained in many baby formula brands. The health effects of nanoparticles are not fully understood since the studies are mainly on animals. The report’s researchers argue that nanoparticles can pose health risks, including DNA damage, inflammation, and impaired immune cells.
- Aluminum
A review of 30 baby formula brands in the UK found that they all contained toxic levels of aluminum, at least double what is required for drinking water in the European Union.’ The authors suggest that aluminium in the formula is a global issue and limited to the UK. Heavy metals like aluminium can raise our risk of neurological disorders.
How to choose a baby to breastfeed, you can’t breastfeed; you need to look out for a few things when choosing a baby formula. The formula is mostly made to have the same ingredients as human breast milk. It provides nutrients and calories that infants require. Nutrients found in the formula include vitamins, phosphorous, minerals such as iron, calcium, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, folic acid, etc. Many formulas also add nutritional ingredients such as DHA, Lutein, iron and prebiotics.
Here are some of the ingredients that are required in the formula:
- Milk-based, iron-fortified formula
For babies younger than 12 months, cow’s milk is not recommended because it is difficult to digest and does not provide infants’ complete nutrition. However, most formulas made from cow’s milk have been modified for human babies. It helps make it easily digestible, proteins are modified, milk sugar (lactose) is added to resemble breast milk, and butterfat is replaced with vegetable oil. Since iron is so essential for baby growth and development, most pediatricians recommend an iron-fortified formula.
- Whole Foods
For growth and development, baby formulas need to include carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Since newborns cannot digest whole food, all the baby formula ingredients go through some processing to some degree. I say ingredients that are not synthetic when I speak of baby formula made of ‘whole foods.’
- Organic ingredients
While organic is not necessarily equivalent to good, at least you know that you mostly get non-GMO ingredients and probably fewer pollutants. Natural formulations often contain almost the same ingredients as regular brands, only organic. For added sugars, palm/canola oil, etc., you will also need to read labels on organic formulas.
- Goat milk
Goat milk is more like human breast milk than cow milk, so for those who want to avoid traditional cow milk, this may be a choice.
Conclusion
You should consider the above when choosing a formula for your baby. Consulting your pediatrician is recommended since your newborn may have specific allergies that would require a different formula. Pediatricians and Companies such as Alula recommend that babies be fed iron-rich formula to reduce the chance of having anemia. Additionally, when you start using a new formula, you should try it for a week instead of regularly switching when the baby spits up. Switching often will create digestive problems for your baby.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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