> On Sun, 21 Dec 1997, Cherie Moore wrote:
> >Milk IS Nature's perfect food! That is the milk from your own species.
The
> >milk of a cow is perfect for a baby cow and the milk of a human is
perfect
> >for a human baby. This is where this "perfect food" comes from. Human
> >babies handle human milk wonderfully
>
Angel wrote:

> Not always...I've known women who had problems nursing, turned out
> their babies were allergic to the mother's milk...

I am yet to see documentation of a baby "allergic" to its own mother's
milk. The common problem that exists here is the ignorance of those who are
diagnosing this situation.A Certified lactation consulant is the only one
truly qualified to assess a baby's difficulty in breastfeeding. Babies are,
however, often allergic to many foods that the mom is eating-I have a list
if you are interested. The number one food on the list is DAIRY (of
course). The different protein ratio in cow's milk (which babies can not
absorb properly) find their way directly into the breastmilk. The babies
are not allergic to human milk, but what has become a part of the human
milk because of the mother's diet.
>
Angel wrote:
>
> But if one is allergic to cow's milk, what is one to do?  There aren't
> that many lactating women out there donating their breast milk to a
> chef to make vichyssoise...
>
> You don't need a baby formula to replace cow's milk in an adult's diet.
Baby formula and cow's milk are actually completely different. Baby formula
is simply a replacement (although missing alot of valuable components) for
mother's milk until the baby can completely receive all of its nutrition
from solids. No human needs to switch to the milk of another species after
weaning (in which the natural age is 2-7 years according to Katherine
Dettwyler's anthropological research at Texas A & M). Nutriiton needs can
easily be met for anyone without cow's milk, but the rice milks and soy
milks have definitely made recipes and eating cereal more fun! These
varieties are usually more nutritious than a baby formula. Most baby
formulas contain saturated fats (coconut oil is the worst) and simple
sugars like corn sryup. In addition, I would not give a penny to an
industry who has "convinced" many new moms that they can or shouldn't do
the single most nutritious thing for their baby!
Thanks-Cherie
>