Melissa asked:
Q: I have a 3 month old daughter and wanted to know if is there are GMO free soy baby formula? I have been using Simulac Soy for the reflux benefits and cannot find any information on whether or not it is GMO free.
A: First, I wouldn’t recommend you feed your daughter an infant formula at all, especially not one based on soy. Soy contains xenoestrogens and other compounds that can negatively impact the health of adults let alone young babies. It is particularly poor for the developing endocrine system and has been linked to the development of autoimmune thyroid disease. Nevertheless, I understand that there are likely to be other reasons beyond my knowledge that may have prevented you from exclusively breastfeeding her. Motherhood is a tough road, but a blessing nonetheless.
First, boost your milk supply or consider relactation.
If you’re breastfeeding her even partially and just looking to supplement with infant formula, there’s some great botanicals out there that can help boost your supply to some degree. When my milk supply was waning, I had moderate success with motherlove’s more milk tincture special blend coupled with Vitanica’s Lactation blend and fenugreek. I used these when my supply started to wane and they enabled me to continue to pump until my son was about 11 months old when I simply could no longer pump a drop (I’m a working mom.), I was able to continue nursing him until he self-weaned a few months after turning 3. If you’re not breastfeeding at all, I strongly urge you to consider pursuing relactation and kellymom is a great source for breastfeeding support and information.
Second, consider a mother-to-mother milk share.
If neither boosting your milk supply or relactating is possible, consider a mother-to-mother milk share arrangement. If you find a healthy mom who is on a dairy-free diet and is willing to share her milk with your daughter, your little one will reap the rewards of breastmilk and that is very, very important as I’m sure you understand more than anyone else. You can find a mother-to-mother milk sharing arrangement.
Third, consider a homemade goat’s milk formula.
Alternatively, many moms have had great success with a homemade milk-based infant formula. Since your daughter is cows milk intolerant, choosing goats milk might work very well for her as many babies who cannot tolerate cows milk can tolerate goats milk. Check out this recipe for a homemade infant formula by the Weston A. Price Foundation.
Fourth, consider a hypoallergenic formula.
Should that option not appeal to you, consider using a hypoallergenic formula instead of a soy-based formula. While not Organic and not necessarily GMO-free, it’s still likely to be better for your little one’s health since she won’t be relying on soy with its numerous negative health impacts for the bulk of her nutrition. Excessive intake of soy probably poses a greater risk to her long-term health than limited intake of GMO-derived ingredients. You should know, however, that hypoallergenic infant formulas are expensive.
If the lactose is the problem, and not the casein as is commonly the issue, you could consider Baby’s Only Organic Lactose Free Formula. It does contain soy oil and soy lecithin, but at least her consumption of soy would be more limited than if you were to choose a soy-based formula. This infant formula is GMO-free.
Lastly, there is a GMO-free soy-based infant formula available.
And, lastly, if your still feel that a soy-based formula is the right choice for your daughter, you should know that Baby’s Only Organic Soy Formula is GMO-free . And, to my knowledge, Similac does use GMO-derived ingredients in its infant formulas.
As a last note, baby’s have leaky guts so take great care to delay solids until after six month or longer and definitely no rice cereal! Take Care and enjoy your precious little girl.
If you have a question about traditional foods, natural living or anything else, please contact Jenny. I love to hear from readers.
© Jenny for Nourished Kitchen, 2009. |
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