Hello,
The book I am reading, 'The Womanly Art of Breast Feeding' by the La
Leche League International, says that although breastmilk is low in
iron, it is *highly* absorbable, at like a 50% rate, compared to 2%
for iron supplements. So, even though breastmilk is low in iron,
breast fed babies get plenty, even up to 1 year old. In addition,
there is the whole system of sequestering iron to keep it away from
harmful bacteria in our bodies, so, if you overload a baby with to
much iron, it can actually lead to illness.

I'm 33 weeks pregnant, and counting. I've been doing *a lot* of reading lately.
Camille


> Date:    Mon, 6 Mar 2006 16:50:54 -0800
> From:    michael raiti <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Solid Foods for Baby
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> What are some examples of iron-bearing foods that
> would be appropriate for a 6 month old baby?  Does
> this only imply meat or are there paleo veggies that
> would be iron-bearing?  Also, how significant is the
> level of phytates in rice (especially compared to the
> amount found in gluten grains)?
>
> Mike
>
>
> Date:    Fri, 3 Mar 2006 22:03:29 -0700
> From:    "Dr. Ron Hoggan" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Solid Foods for Baby
>
>  Re: "many doctors believe that babies aren't supposed
> to even eat any solidfood until one year old."
>
>  Thus, it would appear that we evolved to begin eating
> iron-bearing foods at about 6 months. Unfortunately,
> a common practice is to start babies on rice which is
> not only low in iron, but may contain phytates which
> would further compromise iron absorption.
>
>
--
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