I’m currently reading a fascinating book, The Fever of 1721, about the first time that inoculation against smallpox was used in Colonial America. The man who proposed inoculation was the Reverand Cotton Mather, of Salem Witch Trial fame. He had read about it in the Proceedings of the Royal Society and one of his sons was among the first people inoculated.
One of the most striking things about Colonial society was the sheer amount of death. Mather himself buried 10 of his 15 children and two of his three wives. In the age when all children were breastfed, all food was organic, and everyone exercised, the average child lived until … death from infectious disease.
[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]When it comes to breastmilk substitutes, infant formula is the gold standard.[/pullquote]
Nothing screams “privilege” louder than our collective amnesia about the deadliness of the all natural lifestyle. Perhaps that’s why actress Kristin Cavallari is boasting about feeding her baby goat’s milk, which comes from an animal that routinely eats garbage.
Cavallari tells People Magazine:
I would rather feed my baby these real, organic ingredients than a heavily processed store-bought formula that contains ‘glucose syrup solids,’ which is another name for corn syrup solids, maltrodextrin, carrageenan, and palm oil …
Because her sons have “sensitivities to cow’s milk,” the former Laguna Beach star uses goat’s milk powder for her homemade formula. Other ingredients include organic maple syrup and cod-liver oil (see below for the full recipe).
Yeah, that’s certainly better than real organic Camphylobacter and Listeria bacteria found in goat’s milk. NOT.
When it comes to breastmilk substitutes, infant formula is the gold standard. Nothing else even comes close to a product that is pasteurized to remove bacteria, fortified to include every vitamin and mineral a human baby needs, and subject to rigorous purity standards. Anything else is not only inferior, but potentially deadly.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends infant formula as the ONLY acceptable alternative. Making your own formula is specifically noted to be dangerous. Pediatric gastroenterologist Mark Corkins asks:
Why would you want to use an alternative formula when there are well tested and tried formulas widely available?
There are two reasons women like Cavallari use homemade formula. The first is ignorance. Putting goat’s milk in your baby’s bottle is no better than putting Mountain Dew in your baby’s bottle, but these women are so bewitched by the word “natural” that they never stop to think that most of the children who ever existed ate “real organic” ingredients and died in droves. There is NO health benefit to organic ingredients, a fact that has been demonstrated over and over and over again. Just because something is natural doesn’t make it healthy to consume. Tobacco, cocaine and heroin are all natural and all of them kill.
The second reason is that wacky “natural” substitutes are status symbols among the privileged. Goat’s milk is to the all natural crowd what a Gucci handbag is to New York socialites. A designer handbook is not better than a standard handbag in any way, but it is far more expensive And therefore conveys social status.
People Magazine includes Cavallari’s recipe for goat’s milk formula. If I were their legal counsel, I’d recommend that they get rid of that ASAP before a baby dies as a result.
That leads to another question. Why would anyone with more than two functioning brain cells take medical advice from an actress instead of a pediatrician? If you wouldn’t let the average actress pilot your next flight, or draw up the architectural plans for your new home, why would you let her tell you what should be in your infant’s formula? It takes less education and training to be a pilot or an architect than it takes to be a pediatrician.
Unfortunately, our culture worships celebrities. We breathlessly consume news of their romances and breakups, marriages and divorces. We buy the products for which they shill and read the books and blog posts that they write on topics they don’t understand. (Gwyneth Paltrow, I’m talking about you and your vaginal steaming!) And we ape them slavishly, wearing what they wear, eating what they eat, and dosing ourselves with deadly nonsense that they promote.
But let’s leave our babies out of it since their lives depend on medical advances like formula and vaccinations, not nonsense dreamed up by people whose claim to fame is their personal attractiveness.
For most of human history, the average woman gave birth to 8 or more children and the population grew very, very slowly. Why? Because most of those children did not survive long enough to have children of their own; all natural childhood is deadly.
Only countries with easy access to infant formula have low rates of infant mortality. That’s because any breastmilk substitute besides formula is unsafe.
Massive rates of infant and child death are 100% natural. Don’t take infant feeding advice from anyone who is clueless about that fact.
OT, maybe? but today a friend of mine posted on Facebook a picture of Nicky Hayden bottle-feeding a baby goat. It’s so rare to see anything on Facebook these days where my only reaction is “Awww, that’s sweet!”
It looks like the People article has been removed. I’m getting a page not found message.
That seems to be the case, and if you search her name on the site, that article doesn’t come up. If you’re going to have a segment called Great Ideas, erasing that article is up there. Although not running it in the first place would have been an even better one.
And then there is this abomination….
The foremost reason a baby doesn’t do well is poor rations. And to remedy that, here is a formula one can use:
15 ounces of barley water
10 ounces of homogenized milk
3 ounces of corn syrup (As the Romans had honey, 2 ounces of honey may be used instead of corn syrup, if desired. Do not use lactose [a sugar found in milk, used in infant foods] as a substitute.) The amount of syrup should be varied – depending on the baby – some like it weak – some take it stronger.
The most to know about the baby is not to tire him or her unduly for a week or so, feed a protein formula if mother not breast feeding. This formula is most like human milk. I picked it up in Roman days and have used it since — 15 ounces of barley water, 10 ounces of homogenized milk, 3 ounces Karo syrup (this can be multiplied by any number according to the number of bottles desired but the ratio remains the same). Evaporated or condensed milk and heavy sugar make fat not bone. *Protein* is the thing that heals and makes strong growth. Modern hospital formulas and patent mixes for babies are not just bad, they are criminal.
Thanks, L. Ron Hubbard.
At least Anne McCaffrey knew she was writing fiction
At least Anne McCaffrey had some writing talent.
I never read any of hubbard’s work, but it’s good to know I’m not missing anything.
Oh good lord. I tried and failed – it is SO terrible. Think of a pompus MRA thinking that using lots of the longest words he can think of means he’s reeel smart.
at least philosophers are trying to be as clear as possible when they come up with their polisyllabic words. (i read several to a blind philosophy student.)
Ah, how nice. Give your baby some botulism from honey.
Dr. Amy, I’m afraid you’re looking at this from the wrong angle. While the article appears to be about using goat’s milk as a formula replacement, the truth is even more terrifying. Kristin Cavallari has unwittingly fallen into the hands of Big Maple and has turned shill for maple syrup. The signs are all there:
– it’s maple syrup season right now, the sap is running and so is the propaganda
– Big Maple has a cartel that ensures high prices and consistent supply through the Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve*
– giving babies their first taste of maple at an early age will ensure a life-long addiction to the sweet, sweet syrup
– there’s a War on Sugar. Big Maple has to fight back to ensure its continued existence.
Spread the truth!
*there really is a Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve. A few years ago, thieves managed to steal 30 million dollars worth of syrup from it. It was a sticky one to solve.
“If your baby gets constipated, add more blackstrap molasses”
Huh? Sugar for constipation?
Doctrine of signatures, perhaps?
Only if you plan to use so much sugar that it acts as an osmotic laxative and draws water into the colon…
Like scaphism!
When my preemie was constipated his Ped. told us to add a couple teaspoons of brown sugar to each bottle. I guess molasses would have worked as well. (I wanted to use a little apple juice like I had with my other babies but he said we were looking to *add* calories to each feed, not start giving him less calorie dense stuff like apple juice.)
Ever heard of a milk and molasses enema?
Modern Alternative Mama also has a homemade formula. It suggests using raw cow’s milk.
I’m not a doctor or scientist, but I’m smart enough to know that’s a terrible idea…
Raw… oh ffs.
Not all that long ago I watched, and said nothing, at a party when a rn actually recommended raw goat milk to a new mom. I was so upset I knew if I spoke up about how insane that was I would embarrass the friend who invited me. Should probably have said something….
Because e-coli isn’t dangerous enough to an adult, let’s give it to infants!
Was her baby adopted? In terms of status, that would seal the deal.
I’m fairly certain that she’s a home birther and an anti-vaxxer.
Yes I looked her up to check.
Celebrities and their tendency to accessorise with adopted babies is a thing for me.
Would that mixture emulsify? Pretty icky if it separated as it was being consumed. The cod liver oil would make it taste vile, too, regardless of how much maple syrup was in it.
I’d worry about the amount of vitamin A in it from the cod liver oil too.
Assuming the mom who is making formula from goat milk is also NOT boiling or and pasteurizing it before feeding it to her sensitive little spawn?
Yeah, no. They all hold stuff equally well.
Some are really heavy though, which isn’t good.
Some have handy pockets and compartments for keeping all the stuff separate-most of us should be carrying a lot less stuff, btw.
And some are just pretty, which is a perfectly fine reason to buy them.
Not into recognised ‘designers’ myself, but a beautifully made handbag is a pleasure to own and use.
Right, but the designer name adds nothing but expense. There are very attractive non-designer bags, and bags with good workmanship and features, etc.
Can you give a girl some brand names? I switched to Kate Spade when I finally got sick of my target bags falling apart in two weeks and would love a lower cost alternative…
I like Cath Kidston bags.
Full price is probably a bit much, but I have a couple of the oil cloth bags (a small shoulder saddle bag for out and about and a bigger day bag for work) in unpopular/unseasonal patterns that I got for 40% off in the sales- lasted me for the last 3 years with almost daily use.
There is a sale on now with some bags under USD$60 if you want to check out the website. Not to everyone’s taste, but I can’t fault the workmanship and practicality.
I’m not hip – I’m a fan of Sherpani for handbags and Ogio for backpacks. I recently have started traveling more for work, and picked up an Ogio women’s Soho backpack – it’s attractive, low-key, and has a ton of useful pockets. I also recently picked up a Sherpani Millie for an everyday bag. Both are fabric rather than leather, which I like for both aesthetic and ethical reasons.
I’ve been eyeing off Kate Spade bags for when I return to work, as they look nice and practical, and one of my friends loves them. Like you, I just want something that isn’t going to fall apart on me after a few uses.
Upvote that!
I had a baby, who was put on a mutton broth, boiled mutton, arrowroot, some vitamins and water. It had an awful smell and looked like chocolate milk. Many a person took me to task in cafés or the park when I bottle fed her this formula, that was given to me by a paed doctor as the baby was allergic to soy goats and cow and routine formula that was available at the time, I am going back forty years plus. She survived. Needless to say the smell of lamb/mutton cooking even today is not one I enjoy.
Wow. Lately it’s been popular amongst a certain segment of the pet-owning crowd to snub processed food formulated by Big Pet Food in favor of making your own at home. Take a guess how often that’s done correctly. There is a lot of overlap between human and veterinary woo, but homemade infant formula isn’t one I thought I’d ever see.
They often don’t vaccinate their pets or treat for worms etc. Poor critturs get all types of bugs here in the subtropics.
And then have their homes fumigated, but only with ‘natural’ poisons, so that’s fine.
*shrug* Break out the botulinum toxin.
It’s all fun and games until your toddler catches roundworm. *shudder*
It happens, or so I’m told. I can’t get over what they’ll do to rid their house/yard of (recurring) fleas, but won’t just give the cat/dog a treatment every month or so.
Or hookworm (it can wind up in the lungs and migrating under the skin). Tapeworm is particularly nasty, that’s why I quarantined our kitten.
Oh, but if you visit a ‘natural’ vet, they can sell you this vitamin and mineral supplement that you just add to the homemade food that they just gave you the recipe for, and then conned you into believing will cure everything wrong with your pet because raw milk is magic! There’s a reason that vet didn’t last overly long in the practice I used to work at.
At the clinic where my wife works now, there used to be a “holistic” quack.
True story: after the quack left, and my wife started working there, the clinic got a call from the cremation service, asking them if the clinic had any problems with their service or something, because they weren’t sending nearly as many dead animals as they used to. Was something wrong?
Seriously, this guy was killing so many animals that the crematorium got concerned after he left due to the drop in business. It went from something like 2 – 3 per week down to 1 – 2 per month.
That’s horrific.
That is impressive (and terrible). Ours started okay but ended up with quite a few clients only coming in when the practice owner was in, which kind of defeated the purpose of hiring a second vet. Between that, his pushy sales and crappy diets, and only washing scrubs in cold water (no soap) even after being sprayed by expressed anal glands, trying to avoid using soap and detergents, and preaching the Way of the White Wizard to everyone; he had to go.
Which reminds me…
Lol, yes. My dogs are lovely, but they will eat horse poop and their own vomit. Kibble is by far the healthiest thing they get in their mouths.
My cat will only eat dry food. The few times I gave her canned food or tuna, she lapped up the juice and looked at me as if to ask “Where is the rest?” She turns her nose up at raw or cooked meat. She’s a very healthy, petite 11-year-old, so it can’t be that bad for her.
Yeah, I know someone who does this, and does it badly – they don’t even know which ingredients are off-limit to dogs. Apparently eating that special diet gives the dogs the ability to magically handle foods that are bad for them. Just because they scoff it down doesn’t mean it’s OK for them! I’m expecting a tragedy in the not-too-distant future. Ugh. 🙁
You learn new things everyday. That sounds tedious but makes for a good story in the end.
http://www.mtcapra.com/discover-how-this-homemade-goat-milk-infant-formula-changed-my-daughters-life/ I just found the brand of goat’s milk Kristin recommends posts their own recipe. At least they promote putting vitamins in it…but still! I noticed the developer of this recipe has an MS after his name. Someone in the comments referred to him as “Dr.,” and he never corrected them. Ugh!
My only quibble with this fine article is that calling Kristin Cavallari an actress seems aggressive.
WORD
I have no idea who she is. The only reality stars that PCMs have to learn about are Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice and Richard Hatch.
Only familiar with Carrie Underwood, was Bo Bice on AI too? (Richard Hatch was on Survivor, right? I am a failure at reality tv, I only watched the Kardashians until the birth of Kourtney’s first kid and Real Housewives of NJ in 2010 when my brother was living there.)
Carrie Underwood beat Bo Bice in the AI final. That was the year with Chris Daughtry and Bucky Covington
Chris Daughtry’s “I’m coming home” song is very dear to my heart. My brother would play it non stop and leave me messages with it playing in the background in the days before his visits when he lived across the country. Oh wow, thanks for sparking that memory, gives me something else to be grateful for.
Don’t feel bad. If it’s not someone on Game of Thrones, How I Met Your Mother, or Late Night Comedy, I don’t know who ANY TV personalities are.
Kale Cuoco was on that show with the Great John Ritter when he died. And Doogie Howser was on How I Met Your Mother along with that chick from Buffy and the guy from Freaks and Geeks.
I think Kaley Cuoco was on 8 Simple Rules with John Ritter….
Yeah “former reality TV star” or “spoiled rich asshole” is far more accurate. It is sad that she is so willfully ignorant when she probably had access to the best education money could buy.
The longer I live, the more I long for a time when you need some facsimile of talent to be famous. Though I’d rather live in a time where “I was on TV at one point” isn’t enough for anyone to give a shit about what you have to say about anything that isn’t being on TV.
She is also married to Jay Cutler, a football player, quarterback for Chicago I believe.
Was commercial goat milk formula not available?
You poor thing–you are clearly Not Educated and have been brainwashed by The Man.
😉
Goats eat garbage? I raised goats, and they seemed to prefer brushy plants, or garden plants and yard plants when they escaped. Sure they ate the vegetable peelings we threw out, but so did the cows. Now, I’m definitely NOT feeding goats milk or homemade formula to my 1yo. He’s drinking pasteurized cows milk, not the raw milk my mom keeps suggesting! In my woo-filled childhood, the myth was that goat’s milk was the best replacement milk if breast milk wasn’t available. For animals as well… Thankfully, I don’t know anyone who actually tried it!
They eat if there is nothing better available (like, goats which roam villages and cities in developing countries; they are used to eat whatever people throw out, and since nowadays they throw out not only vegetable peels but plastic bags, goats eat them too).
Point taken. 🙂
When I was young my grandparents had a little hobby farm. My grandfather was a big softy and always bringing random animals home, so of course at one point we ended up with a goat (who thought he was a dog).
He would (try to) eat anything. Clothes off the line, chicken feed, grocery bags, the padded seat off my bike…
A very cute kid at a baby animal petting zoo tried to eat my then 3 year old’s tutu. The child was a bit traumatised by the clothing consumption, and the kid was traumatised by her response.
We also raised goats and we did NOT feed them garbage. They got oats, hay (not straw, that’s a plant used as bedding rather than animal feed). At one time, we had enough goats to sell the milk – after it had been hygienically millked by hand (wash your hands and the udders with warm soapy water, scour the buckets that would catch the mik with hot water and soap), and then pasteurized before being sold.
It’s not an easy process or a fast one, but we were strict about hygiene. You didn’t just milk the goat and put the stuff in the fridge.
Yeah pretty sure most pigs don’t eat garbage either, at least not on industrial farms. There’s standardized pig feed, like there is goat and cow feed. I worked on a dairy for a bit in college and the farmer always had a couple of pigs for personal use (pig roast every summer), but even those pigs didn’t eat garbage, unless you count the milk that couldn’t go in the main tank as garbage. Usually that milk was from fresh cows, and was tinged with blood, so not for people, but not really garbage.
We had 3 piglets every year, and what they got was pretty much the same thing our goats ate.
If people are THAT squeamish, they should just become vegetarians.
It’s true that modern domesticated farm animals don’t eat garbage (not pigs, not goats), but note that “goats eating garbage” is a standard historical trope. For pete’s sake, the kids’ song “Bill Grogan’s Goat” is based on the goat eating clothes off the clothesline, and “goats eat tin cans” is such a common trope that it is actually the subject of a Snopes page (it’s false). So no, modern domestic goats don’t eat garbage.
But historically, I’m sure they did. Running loose on the farm, goats would eat whatever they could rummage. It’s not a stretch – most animals do. Pigs will root whatever they can find, too. Hell, so will dogs, for that matter (the dog eating approach is basically summed up as “eat everything you can find; if it’s not good you can gak it up later”). Our first dog’s claim to fame was when he ate my wife’s shoe.
So scrounging, hungry goats won’t be all that discriminating, just like all animals. However, if they have access to food, they won’t bother with eating crap.
Well, goats are known for eating about anything organic or inorganic if it’s in their reach. I’ve heard stories of a goat eating drying linen on the rope, a straw hat, chair stuffing…
A goat once tried to eat my purse.
Funny story, a friend of mine (back when we were stupid teenage smokers) used to dump his ashtray out his bedroom window where the goats in his backyard would enthusiastically destroy the evidence.
Kristin Cavallari is a reality show star. I’m extremely skeptical that she’s actually making that formula and feeding it to her baby. More like something she’s saying to up her crunchy cred and sell merchandise. Which would be even worse because then she’d be deliberately misleading other parents to do something dangerous.
I’m going to be a bit of a cynical conspiracy theorist for a second. I’ll bet she fell for the woo and couldn’t (or didn’t want to) breastfeed. But to stay popular with other woo people, she had to make sure that others know she is using NATCHERUL formula, second in bestness only to breastmilk. Kind of like waving the woo flag, screaming, “I’m still one of you!!!”
I’m surprised she didn’t mention cloth diapers as well (though even some hard core woo-ers shy away from poo.
“It’s hard,” she [Cavallari] told us while at the Gillette ask Chicago Couples to
‘Kiss & Tell’ event on Jan. 29. “It was the hardest part of the
whole thing and no one tells you that. I was a slave to pumping. Now we
are giving him a goat milk concoction that Jay found.”
http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/01/30/kristin-cavallari-breastfeeding-baby-camden-stopped-slave-breasts/
heroin is synthetic
Opium is all natural. Same problem
But is it organic or GM? That’s what I really need to know.
Is it gluten free?
Isn’t it hypoallergenic? Never heard of anyone with a heroin allergy
Do you think that she would be horrified to know that my two year old likes to eat powdered formula straight from the tub? Should I just give her goats milk and syrup? Never in my life did I think I would have to put my formula under lock and key from my kids.
LOL
My daughter, who’s three now, likes to eat dry Ovaltine with a spoon. It’s been her bedtime snack for the past couple of nights, actually. Funny thing is, I used to eat it that way when I was a kid too. Must be genetic.
I used to hide and eat sugar from the sugar bowl so maybe this is the only thing she can get to at this time and it is probably genetic.
I actually don’t understand why one would make your own formula when there is a nutritionally complete goat milk formula on the market that is manufactured to the same safety standards as other formulas, assuming you were determined to give your kids goat milk.
I happen to use goat milk formula (Nanny Care, produced in NZ) and just checked ingredient list. Noooo, there are so many ingredients I can’t pronounce at first glance and, according to Food Babe, you have to avoid such Evil Chemicals at all costs.
Poor baby, I suspect that when he will start on solids, he will be subjected to at least a few fad diets.
Change ‘at least a few’ to ‘nothing but’ and I’m with you.
Meanwhile, will he be deprived of toddler ambrosia? By which I mean goldfish crackers.
Annie’s Organic Bunnies. Cost 3x more, taste slightly worse.
My daughter loves those darn bunnies. I think it’s the shape.
Goldfish are *wonderful*. Add fruit and/or chocolate and my kid will follow you anywhere.
LOL, too true. “I want fishies!” is pretty much a battle cry around my house.
Maybe she read somewhere that goat milk is the perfect food for kids.
**rim shot***
http://instantrimshot.com
10/10
Because she probably has her nanny or chef make it and it makes her special. She does not have to put the work into it that would make a person who would have to do all of that crazy.
But you can buy formula at SAFEWAY. Just walk up to the shelf and pick it up like an Everyday Plebian.
I’m in Canada, and was never able to find a source of goat’s milk formula here, but I understand it is available in some other countries. My now 4-year old ended up on goat’s milk (pasteurized certainly!) When he was about 9 months old when we finally realized he was reacting to the regular formua (he was breastfed with formula supplementation until he went on strike at 6 months and I was only willing to pump for so long). I tried soy formula, but he refused (admittedly, I wasn’t willing to try it it smelled so bad and at 9 months he was *rather* opinionated.) He was also eating a full and varied diet of solid food, so at his age/stage it wasn’t worth it to force the issue of getting him to drink a formula he couldn’t stand the taste of. I would have loved to have access to a goat’s milk formula instead of just goat’s milk though. He had some (and still does to some extent) sort of weird GI reaction (watery diarrhea, upset/site stomach) that the allergist had no explanation for.
Apparently older babies often refuse the nutramagin (or similar) formulas as they also taste bad, but it’s also rare that a baby who reacts to cow’s milk doesn’t also react to goat’s milk. Guess I got lucky in that my kid could tolerate goat’s milk (he can now tolerate highly processed cow’s milk (UHT processed) and cow’s milk products, but still can’t handle ice cream or regular pasteurized milk). It’s not something I would recommend to the general public though, as the only reason we could take that route is because he was/is a great eater
You made a reasonable choice that made sense for your particular circumstances, and there’s nothing wrong with that. We started our LO on cows’ milk a month or two earlier than recommended because she refused to take formula or even breast milk from a bottle. She was a good eater at the time, but not any more. Now we give her cows’ milk with Ovaltine in it, which she seems to be thriving on (she’s 3 now, but that has been her staple since she was 1).
I don’t see a point to it here. Where we are, there’s a large greek community and there’s ready availability of goat’s milk. Odd thing, nobody uses it to feed infants. They all seem to use formula or breastfeed.
Well, I can see someone using it if religion prohibited cow’s milk based or if there’s a family allergy history and you thought it would trigger less allergy. That’s about it.
I don’t think even hinduism forbids drinking cow’s milk
The opposite – that’s why cows are revered.
Because then you can’t mix up organic maple syrup, COD LIVER OIL, and goat milk and call it good to go.
Because the manufacturers ruined it by pasteurizing it?
This is a horrible idea in every way, but it appears she is using powdered goat milk, which ought to be less likely to be contaminated with bacteria than fresh raw goat milk.
And not processed at all, of course!
For the formula, yeah, but the article also said that she was feeding her older children foods made with raw goat milk.
Plus maple syrup, goat’s milk, and cod liver oil is not equivalent to the vitamin/mineral compound of actual baby formulas.
Any ideas as to why her doctors would recommend this? I’m wondering what that conversation sounded like- were they pressured into agreeing and giving a recipe, knowing she’d just look something up on the internet? Are they quacks who are technically doctors who support homemade formulas? There was a similar case published recently about that baby who was eating a doctor-recommended, home-made nut-based formula who ended up with scurvy… why aren’t these doctors endorsing commercial formulas?
Maybe Dr Sears or Dr Gordon is their pediatrician?
“doctor”. There are a lot of people who aren’t doctors who call themselves doctors. Naturopaths, chiropracticors, etc.
She said “pediatrician,” which I assumed meant MD. Also, the case of the kid with scurvy, the writeup in Pediatrics says “medical doctor.” Maybe these are two isolated incidents, but it seems like recommending anything other than breastmilk or formula should just never happen.
USA regulation of naturopathy is on a state by state basis, but there is a
Pediatric Association of Naturopathic Physicians
http://www.pedanp.org/
that provides “board certification” in naturopath pediatrics.
See this too–there are naturopaths that call themselves peds
http://www.vitalianaturalmedicine.com/faqs/#6
Thanks- that’s scary, but good to know.
Omfg.
There’s a “holistic pediatrician” who’s a regular at a shop I hang out in. She’s a naturopath and offers her opinions on variations for mammograms, contrails, and an assortment of other nonsense. The look she gave me when I told her i would be vaccinating my 1st was just the same as any one else would give me if I said I was going to have 7 rum-and-cokes to celebrate my fetus’ anatomy ultra sound.
Hi all- I’m a board certified pediatrician and regular lurker here. I just had to comment on a large problem with goat milk as opposed to cows milk that Dr Amy did not touch upon. Goats milk is very deficient in folate and children who drink it exclusively end up with wicked anemias. Also that formula recipe is horrifying to me as a childcare provider in this day. Absolute privileged ignorance.
The powdered kind I’ve seen is fortified with folate (and vitamin D) but probably not with the appropriate amounts for a baby, but I’m sure it is synthetic, and I’m not sure how it’s any different than infant formula being fortified.
The formula that was published in People called for goats milk powder, not goats milk based infant formula. Along with that, the formula included olive oil, coconut oil, cod liver oil, molasses and maple syrup. And a probiotic, mustn’t forget that. No mention of a vitamin supplement. The formula you have is probably as regulated as any other formula and therefore somehow worse than this inane cocktail of potential malnutrition, failure to thrive, poor brain growth swill she is feeding to her poor children. May I ask what brand of formula it is?
I don’t use goat’s milk formula at all. My point, which I didn’t state very clearly, is she avoids actual infant formula because of the ingredients while she uses powdered goat’s milk, which I’d argue is a processed food, that is supplemented with synthetic vitamins just the same as infant formula, but not even in appropriate amounts.
Ah! Gotcha. I agree that the goats milk powder should be seen as ‘processed’ by the crunchy crowd. The powder that she uses looks like it doesn’t have any added fortifications at all, unfortunately. Most of the goats milk recipes I’ve had my patients bring in call for goats milk, not the powder, or God forbid the raw unpasteurized goats milk they get from their farm.
Maybe the “powdering” process involves unicorn farts : )
Wait, crunchy mother rejects formula because it’s “processed” and has ingredients like fish oils that you don’t find in regular milk… But then she goes and makes her own recipe, with powdered goat milk (processed!), cod liver oil (not in milk!) and so on. It’s a big no-no for Big Pharma, but okay for her. Maybe she can transfer some of her magical momminess in the process…
But that maple syrup is organic!!!11!!! That alone makes it superior to all formulas, don’t you know? /s
Well you know, its more work for crunchy mother, so you know she’s a better mom than you.
No, I am referring to powdered goat’s milk (Meyenberg), not infant formula made of goat’s milk. To be clear, I was not defending or promoting its use as infant formula or even implying that it wasn’t lacking in many vitamins and minerals. In fact, I stated the folate probably wasn’t in the right amount.
Gotcha. The brand they refer to in the article is CapraMilk, which from the looks of it is unfortified with any vitamins or minerals at all.
You are right, that brand appears to just be goat’s milk. That’s even scarier.
If you’re troubled by goats eating garbage you might want to put down the bacon…
Are you talking to anyone in particular, Brooke?
One would think the author? But how is she to know if Dr. T even consumes bacon? Just another one of her mindless “stick it to the man” rants…
I think she’s like the lactivists’ Jehovah’s Witness. Continued tolerance of her is conditional on the promise that she go into the lion’s den and preach nonsensical bullshit to the masses. Or she’s attempting to maintain her street credit.
Meanwhile, Kristin Cavalleri specifically brags in the People article that she eats and gives her children nitrate free bacon.
Dr. Amy is Jewish. I don’t know if she’s kosher, but if so, that makes Brooke’s comment even funnier.
Actually, it makes me think Brooke was trying to sneak in an anti-Semitic insult. Asshole.
You give her way too much credit.
Shh, if Brooke turns out to be a vegan too I get asshole bingo.
I don’t get the whole vegan thing. How on earth do you get all 8 essential amino acids?
It’s not difficult if a lot of your calories come from legumes, vegetables, grains etc. Of course, if you eat a careless vegan diet you are more likely to have nutritional deficits than if you eat a careless diet that includes some animal products.
Ja, if you combine legumes with grains, you get all the essential (your-bod-won’t-make-them-for-you) amino acids. Legumes can fix nitrogen, it’s a nice trick.
By combining many different vegetables and fruits from all over the world. I’m okayish wth veganism for ethical or scientifically based health reasons (although for the former I find it overkill, as, if raised in a humane environment, there really isn’t anything harmful about acquiring milk after a calf has weaned or unfertilized eggs), but anyone claiming it’s “natural” is a freaking idiot, as it wouldn’t be even remotely possible without modern globalization and greenhouses.
Yup.
You can have a low-carbon footprint, organic, locavore, seasonal vegan diet, or you can have a nutritionally complete, tasty and interesting vegan diet but it is going to be very, very hard to have both.
Prove it.
If you mean prove that it requires carefully combining multiple foods from wide locals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_nutrition
If you want proof that it’s not possible without modern technology, I refer you to the above, and ask how you would fill some of these nutrient needs in a premodern world where you are limited to only what grows in the local climate or can survive the trade routes of your trading partners. Moreover, for proof it is not natural, I refer you to the biology of human beings, including our omnivore dentition with a mixture of incisors, canines, and molars; our stomach that can handle some but not all types of vegetable matter, yet also lacks the stronger acids found in pure carnivores; and, perhaps most importantly, our inability to produce key amino acids on our own, relying on our diet to provide them. In the millions of years we existed prior to the development of agriculture, how would we have survived a purely plant based diet?
On the other hand, if you want proof of my opinions, and the prior post wasn’t good enough for you, I really don’t know what to tell you.
The Jewish author of this piece? :p
That’s exactly what I was thinking. 🙂
In all fairness, there are plenty of ethnically Jewish people out there who don’t practice the religion, and plenty practicing Jewish people who don’t subscribe to Kosher laws.
My college roommate once took a picture of me holding matzoh in one hand and a strip of bacon in the other. “Is bacon kosher for Passover” is a recurring question in my family, at least it was until we stopped following Passover altogether. A close friend of mine identifies himself as a “Secular Jewmanist.” What I’m saying is, this community is the best 🙂
Secular Jewmanist- I love it! Oh, and I love both bacon and matzoh ball soup, but I was raised Lutheran.
One of my fave memories at college was my Jewish roommate being unhappy with the Passover meal choices in the dining hall and coming back to our table with the Easter ham and mashed potatoes being served that day.
One of my closest friends is technically Jewish and celebrates as many holidays as possible by eating bacon wrapped shrimp.
Oh, for sure, I’ve seen Jon Stewart eat a bacon McMuffin on his show often enough. I just was amused at that particular ‘comeback’ from Brooke.
It’s not amusing if she meant it on purpose to be anti-Semitic.
Absolutely. I used to live with one. However, I’d still make enquiries before presuming a Jewish person consumes bacon.
I’m not troubled. Pass the BLTs, please. And the goat cheese.
Brooke has a point; pigs are much filthier than goats. Hopefully, no one will try to make pork-based baby formula.
Stop giving them ideas.
Sow’s milk formula? From free-range, organic Heritage breeds, of course.
Unless they are planning to use their pet pot-bellied pig as the milk source….
Nope, from Yorks. It is “the mother breed”
I like Chester Whites and Berkshires myself.
When I was in college, the pigs on the pig farm were SPF pigs (specific pathogen free) and we had to use shoe covers and disinfectant when we had to go out there.
Personally, my favorites at the Hamps. But, as I said, the Yorks are the Mother Breed, so clearly the best choice for milk.
True. I wouldn’t want to milk one though. Maybe another breed would be a better milker, but wouldn’t have the cachet of being the Mother Breed.
“I only use an organic, GMO-free sow’s milk formula for my LO. It is very expensive to produce, so it MUST be the best!”
We should use Malk instead. It’s full of vitamin R.
Isn’t Rainier beer referred to as vitamin R? I’m going to bet it would be a better choice for infant feeding than that bloody awful-sounding homemade formula concoction.
Pigs are filthier than goats? Since when?
Soy formula is natural, but I guess it’s not fashionable (or expensive) enough for her.
Chances are fairly high that her kids are also allergic to soy. I forget the precise percentage, but my pediatrician said it’s fairly common for infants to be allergic to both.
Actually, most of babies allergic to cow milk are allergic to goat milk too (and soy, and beef). There are exceptions, though, and goat milk is a feasible choice then (it costs arm and leg, but I suspect that hydrolized or amino-acid based formulas are not cheap either).
Yeah, but for those kids there are specialty formulas like nutramigen. I have heard of a few cases of children who are intolerant to all the commercially available formulas, though, and their parents use homemade formula *in consultation with actual, science-based pediatricians.* It is a very rare scenario.
I would be terrified to have to make my own formula. Do they have it made at a compounding pharmacy or something like that?
The ones I knew (from internet groups) made it at home. But they were very clear on the risks and had doctor approval. I’ve never heard of a compounding pharmacy doing formula.
Me either but I know that they can mix certain medications so I thought maybe that was an option? I have no clue about it though.
My guess is that they aren’t allowed to mix food in the same facility as medicine. Just a guess. But the homemade formulas can include meat and produce, and if you’re preparing that for human consumption you probably have a whole other set of inspections and guidelines you need to meet.
True.
That is interesting. My friend growing up was and is still allergic to cow’s milk and dairy but she could drink goat’s milk. Allergies and the body are so different. No wonder it is hard to figure out how to deal with them.
They are indeed very expensive. Before our boys started solids, there were weeks when they would go through 3-4 cans of hydrolized formula a week. At around $20 a can, it was painful. We could afford it, and fortunately, doctor’s can write prescriptions for hydrolized formula to offset the cost for families who couldn’t afford it. WIC covers it too.
Insurance will often pay for Nutramigen or Alimentum. I don’t know if it will pay for commercial goat milk formula.
Where I live, we have single payer healthcare system, and I have no idea what happens if mom can’t breastfeed, baby is allergic but family can’t afford special formula. Private insurance for sure doesn’t cover it (healthcare for children is supposedly free, so no insurance cover children at all), maybe, just maybe, you can get discount if pediatrician prescribes it.
You’re being too kind. She’s antivax and she categorizes her kiddos’ reaction as milk “intolerance,” so I’m willing to bet this is special snowflakism and her kids don’t have a true allergy. My 15 month old has a cow’s milk allergy, and tested negative for soy, so she’s on soy formula until 2 years. I asked our ped allergist about using goat’s milk, and she gave us a hard no, saying it was too cross-reactive. Goat’s milk is far closer to cow’s milk than soy is.
Question: Is goats milk pasteurized and processed and……….whatever else it is that they do to milk to make it fit for human consumption? If not, why would that be? Sorry guys, I actually don’t like the taste of milk, never have. The only time I use it is in cooking and baking, so I don’t know much about it.
You can probably get it pasteurized. Even if you get it raw, you can boil the heck out of it. I do know that if you find the milk in a grocery store in Ohio, it *must* be pasteurized. My favorite brand of goat cheese is, too. (I checked when I was pregnant the last time around)
Thanks. I live in California. I have no clue what the laws are here with regards to the sale of unpasteurized dairy. I can’t imagine it would be thought of too highly.
I went to a goat farm here in MA, where they generally made cheese and fudge from the milk, but it was run just like a regular cow dairy. Milk/products were pasteurized. I don’t know if they sold and/or drank the milk straight up though.
I saw a Raw Milk truck (as in, a box truck carrying raw milk, presumably for sale) heading south on 101 a few months ago. :p
It’s legal in California to sell raw milk. I live in the South Bay and have seen it at Sprouts and Whole Foods. In fact, the raw milk at Sprouts didn’t have the fact that it was raw clearly labeled. I noticed and sent in a letter of complaint explaining the dangers of giving raw milk to kids and that it needed to be better labeled to prevent people from accidentally buying it. 2 months later, the label was changed to say RAW MILK in big letters. I like to think it was because of me. 🙂
Now, if only they would put a more accurate label saying “Pathogens not inactivated, consume at your own risk” or the like…
I live on the peninsula, and I want to just have a T-shirt that says something along the lines of “I’ll have your gluten. It’s delicious.”
Raw milk is legal to sell in Vermont and New Hampshire. I’ve seen raw milk cheese in stores, but raw milk has to be bought directly from the farm. Vermont tried to pass a law requiring raw milk products to be labeled with warnings not to give it to children younger than 1. The farmers that showed up for the hearing were extremely offended at the idea that their product could kill a baby. Never mind that honey has the same warning.
“The farmers that showed up for the hearing were extremely offended at the idea that their product could kill a baby.”
Oh, I am, too. Funny that they think the problem is to not tell anyone, rather than to make their product safer.
I’ll take every victory I can get, but it would be great if they had a disclaimer on it.
I’m am glad the South Bay has fewer crazies than the Peninsula but unfortunately they still exist here. (My neighbor suggested I use EO for my postpartum depression.)
do i want to know what EO is? (‘though I’m going with zoloft)
Essential Oils.
I’d stick with your doctor-approved medication.
Thanks. I always forget that abbreviation. Actually, I *hate* strong, concentrated smells so i avoid them even when I’m playing with a full deck.
The magic of plants in Woo-land. Essential oils are basically concentrates of all the poisons plants make to deter plant eaters. EO are pesticides! But tell that to the “all natural” crowd, they’ll look at you as if you’ve sprouted a new head.
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Anonymous-tip-claims-raw-milk-caused-illnesses-at-Capitol-371487251.html
Raw milk became legal to sell in W.Virginia recently and some law-maker people drank some and then got sick. Could be norovirus…could be raw-milk contaminated with e.coli…who can say?
My mom used to go with her parents to get raw milk from some farm, back when she was in high school or college and my grandfather started having some health problems. She said it was set up so there was a huge vat in some barn and a ladle and you filled your own bottles. My mom is a microbiologist now. And doesn’t seem to think it’s as scary a set up that this humanities person thinks it was. I don’t get it. Any of it.
Goat milk isn’t always unpasteurized. I don’t know why she brought up food borne illnesses which something like 90% of chicken breasts and burgers have BTW, which formula has been recalled for, because goats milk powder would need to be processed and pasteurized in someway. Raw goat’s milk or raw milk in general the idea is that its supposed to be healthier because it still has probiotics, the proteins more easily digestible etc. I used to really enjoy raw yogurt and I’ve had raw milk and curds before (and look I lived!) but I’m skeptical of any magical health benefits. Milk isn’t all that healthy. My guess is this celebrity chose goat’s milk because her child is allergic to cows and soy milk based formulas or she read a bunch of stuff about soy being unhealthy.
It says she uses powdered goats milk. I’m pretty sure to make it into a powder, they use really high heat to evaporate the water out. I believe they begin with pasteurized milk anyway.
I can’t even wrap my mind around this. People often wonder what would happen if somebody from a couple centuries ago were suddenly dropped into today’s society, and what that person would think. Most people say things like “they’d be amazed at the speed of travel”, or “they’d have trouble understanding technology”. I think those people are wrong. I think the one thing that people from the past would be most shocked by, and horrified by, is the fact that we have the technology to save so many lives via modern medicine, vaccines and infant formula, yet so many people don’t just casually disregard those advantages, but actively fight against them.
Funny story only slightly on-topic. MrC is a pharmaceutical researcher. His primary area is formulation (so one group of scientists figure out that some compound can have some effect, then his department figures out how to get that compound into a pill or shot or IV, etc.). Back before the youngest kid weighed enough to take the lowest dose of pill available for the pain meds he’s prescribed post-op, his doctors prescribed the liquid version. My insurance suddenly decided that they were no longer going to pay for the liquid, since “kids don’t need narcotics.” Ummm, they do when they’ve just had a bone sawed in half, a tumor removed and then the pieces screwed back together. While I was arguing with the insurance company, MrC started digging through his solubility tables. He then told the doctor “Well, we have some left over pills from last surgery. I have the knowledge, skills and equipment to make the liquid from those if we can’t get the insurance to cover it.” Thankfully it didn’t get to that point, but I just laughed at the idea of making our own liquid. Of course, there’s a huge difference between making baby formula in one’s kitchen and dissolving pills in a properly equipped lab.
Aargh! Pet peeve alert… it infuriates me that the insurance company would say an infant isn’t entitled to adequate pain relief following surgery. Every person is. Also, they’re stupid, because there’s ample evidence that people who receive adequate pain relief do better post-op and recover more quickly. Rant over : ) I hope your LO has had no lasting ill effect.
Kristin’s goats only eat organic trash so it’s cool.
Well, the formula base itself would be a decent marinade if you left out the cod-liver oil. (I’m not a fan of fishy flavors).
I recently made pork chops in a Dijon mustard-molasses marinade. That sounds about as healthy as her homemade formula.
Quite a lot of the crunchy alternatives to things make nice marinades but not much else. That lemon, garlic and paprika thing some of them have instead of vaccines would go nicely with some chicken and broccoli.
I am horrified that People magazine actually published the recipe! How many doctors offices have this magazine (and unknowingly, this recipe) in their waiting rooms??
OMG. Just read the formula. There is SO MUCH SUGAR in that list. What on earth does Kristin *think* is in maple syrup and blackstrap molasses??? For pete’s sake. My grandmother, who back in the 40’s did make her own formula, would have a heart attack reading this. (Karo syrup, condensed milk was hers).
My grandmother was born in 1920 her mother was unable to breastfeed so a goat was quickly purchased and a tremendous amount of work went into preparing the formula that kept her alive. My grandmother was mostly healthy but did have bone issues from a young age delayed walking, multiple fractures and eventually severe osteoporosis in old age. I have always wondered if that primitive formula contributed to these problems.
MAPLE SYRUP AND COD LIVER OIL! OMG, People Magazine, that is the HEIGHT of irresponsibility. this isn’t some celebrity’s Sunday pot roast recipe or favorite Christmas cookie. This is what people will solely feed their babies.
Off to write a letter to the editor.
Pit those ‘we killed our kids with marinade instead of medicine’ people who backtracked because of the sugar in maple syrup against her. Woo vs woo at least gives us an entertaining distraction from the harm they do.
Both of my sons had cow’s milk protein and soy allergies. We used Nutramigen with our first, Alimentum with our second. The whole reason that these formulas use corn syrup is because these babies cannot tolerate lactose, but they need carbohydrates for proper development! The level of willful ignorance is simply stunning. Human breastmilk is loaded with sugar too, because that’s what babies need!
Oh yes, maple syrup, cod liver oil and goats milk…
Why is that better than/ more natural than corn syrup, fish oil extract and cows milk?
Carrageenan is seaweed. Very trendy, very natural, no?
I wonder what the solute load of her homemade formula is like.
Anyhow, the bottle to ready to drink formula in my hand has: fat, protein, sodium, potassium, iron, long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin A, D,E,K, C, B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, folic acid, biotin, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, selenium, fluoride, zinc, copper, iodine, manganese and various other bits and bobs (inositol, taurine, choline, nucleotides) in levels which have been specifically designed to be safe and appropriate for infants aged between 6 and 12 months.
I’ll take that over whatever Cavalleri mixed up in her kitchen after a visit to whole foods.
Remember when carrageenan was something bad and unnatural?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyqe__2pBx4
Oh it still is. Don’t you know it causes colon cancer? (So says the interwebz anyway.)
Oh god, I remember those commercials. I guess it’s a little comforting to consider that the Ridiculous Natural Worship existed before the Internet.
I just remember the part about “carageenan” being some unnatural additive. As Dr K points out, carageenan is totally natural, and comes from seaweed.
Hey, it is what kept Alec and The Black Stallion alive after the shipwreck and they were stranded on the desert island.
Actually, carrageenan is currently on the woo sh*tlist (it’s on the ixnay list for paleo)
Do these people not realize if you were to break down the ingredients in human breast milk, it would be a bunch of stuff the average person wouldn’t understand?
I just can’t imagine screwing around with homemade formula when it comes to my baby. I admittedly have no clue really what vitamins and minerals an infant needs and how much. I don’t even know the ratios of macronutrients a baby needs. They are so small that an overdose would be so easy to do and I imagine could have dire consequences. Also, since formula is the only thing they eat for months, I’m sure it’d be very easy to accidentally leave a vitamin or mineral out.
Breastmilk = Mother’s love, immunizations, hormones, unicorn tears, rainbow sparkles, magic and more love.
Who doesn’t understand that?
/snarkasm
What is up with this complete ignorance regarding nutrition? “Glucose syrup solids” are in formula because the body needs glucose.
Furthermore, your body doesn’t care where nutrients come from. It doesn’t care if you get iron from formula, organic spinach, non-organic spinach, or a supplement. It just cares that it gets enough iron. This idea that natural/organic is somehow “better” is the height of privileged ridiculousness.
It’s like how pregnant women are always flipping out over having to drink glucose for the GD test.
My main problem is that I *hate* the flavor and the sweetness. Too bad I can’t do an apple juice binge and have that count.
I would have liked the flavor okay if it had been carbonated, but a flat, sweet drink is just ick.
I wonder if you could put it through a soda stream and still get the benefits?
Well, I wasn’t exactly going to bring a soda stream with me to the lab that administers the test!
You obviously don’t love your soda stream enough.
On the contrary, I love it too much to risk it getting damaged by taking it on a one mile hike through the city, getting bumped around in my bag and possibly dropped.
I’ve got the whole family addicted to plain seltzer water. My three-year-olds don’t even know sugared soda exists.
Ha, I was thinking just the same thing.
Carbonation will change the Ph a bit, you’d probably want to do a bridging study…
Mine was lightly carbonated, like a slightly flat orange soda. It wasn’t OMG tasty, but it didn’t suck, either.
I found it was slightly less gross if I got it as cold as possible and drank it through a straw. With #1 they told me to pour it over ice but then with #2 I was told no ice (same Dr. office). Colder seems to cut the sweetness a bit and the straw helped me with the flavor.
It tastes gross and sickly sweet! I would never choose to drink something like that, not to mention the sugar rush that left me feeling icky. But, jeez its one test and only lasts a little while. I can put my big girl panties on to know I don’t have GD.
See that’s funny because I find apple juice too sweet and I won’t drink it but the glucose drink was ok. Nothing I would drink by choice but not as bad as everyone said it was. I thought it tasted much like that cheap premade Koolaid type drink they used to have in milk jugs. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen those in the store.
The one they gave me for my GD test tasted exactly like the orange drink McDonald’s used to serve. Took me right back to my childhood.
So artificial! Not at all like that safe, all natural, gestational diabetes.
Well, I’ll grant her this much: I assume goats’ milk powder is at least pasteurized. I tend to lurk on the baby centre forums, and was jolted out of my late-night nursing doze a few days ago by a post from someone saying she was a bit concerned by all the ingredients she didn’t recognize in formula, and a ‘holistic nutrtionist’ had recommended a homemade alternative consisting of green celery juice and raw goat milk, and what did people think? (Thankfully, she hadn’t been convinced, but I wish there were meaningful sanctions for people who claim a professional-sounding title and make recommendations like that.)
In the olden days, when a woman died in childbirth with a live baby, or if she didn’t have enough milk, the family looked high and wide for a wet nurse. Goat’s milk was only a temporary substitute, at best. Women of high social status who weren’t expected to breastfeed hired one or more wet nurses well before the baby’s birth. As we know more about upper classes in history than about everybody else, one thing is absolutely clear: these women didn’t really on goat’s milk – no way! A healthy wet nurse with good supply was an integral part of raising a baby for many families, as is obvious when reading historical biographies, or Shakespeare, or even fairy tales.