I had a good friend the other day asked me the following question:
“If you don’t drink DAIRY, what do you feed your babies once they are weaned?”
This is a wonderful question…and I thought the answer would make a great BLOG.
So here you go…
I nursed my first two children for about 16 months. (I will see what my third child needs when that time comes).
I never felt that I needed to wean my children to another milk when they were done drinking mine. What we do in our society is actually kind of weird when you think about it… (the info below is taken from a prior blog found here).
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Every mammal on Earth- whether it’s a dog, a cat, a whale, a cow, a hippo, a giraffe, a tiger or a human being, large or small, omnivore or carnivore- eats his first food from his mother’s breast. Each species has its own milk that is unique to that species and no other. This highly nutritious milk it is the best possible food during infancy.
Every mammal stops drinking milk once it is weaned, except human beings.
We not only continue to drink milk after infancy but we choose to drink milk from an animal that is not even remotely close to us in size. Does this seem a little off to you? If we were to drink another mammals milk- we would be better to drink chimpanzee’s milk since they are most like us genetically…right? Actually studies have shown that the human body digests goat’s milk far better than a cow’s, since their digestive tract is more similar to ours.
So why did we choose a cow?
Cow’s milk is genetically formulated for its young, it is the food for a 90 lb. calf at birth, which will eventually reach the weight of somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds in only 2 years. Human milk is genetically formulated for its young; it is the food for a 5 to 10 lb. infant who will eventually reach the weight somewhere between 100 and 200 lbs. in 18 years. In other words, cow’s milk is specifically designed for an animal that will grow very large, very fast. So when speaking logically, if we want to get real big, real fast, like a cow…we should drink their milk.
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So what should you do if you are ready to stop giving your child formula…or you are ready to stop nursing…and you feel your child is still needs nourishment through a bottle?
I know of some mother’s who have turned to raw goats milk. I have read some good things about this type of milk (it’s definitely more like our’s than the milk from a cow). This might ring true to you…if so- research it.
What would I do?
If my child was over a year old…I would turn to: NUT MILKS
(your baby should be at least 8 months old to try these).
There are so many WONDERFUL & AMAZING things about RAW NUTS! (see blogs here & here)
Nut milks are super nutritious…and they can provide calcium & protein (BUT not Vitamin D….so you can purchase a supplement if you are worried about that).
Did you know that raw SESAME SEEDS are the most calcium dense whole food on the planet?
And what’s wonderful about this type of CALCIUM is that it is ABSORBS so efficiently in the human body (it has been found that only 32% of the calcium in COW’s milk is absorbed).
So why not make NUT MILK using some sesame seeds…and have a whole food CALCIUM drink for your child? Doesn’t that sound AWESOME!!!
Here is a wonderful recipe that I have used for all my children. There are some variations that I will add later to our recipe section.
(I will post a picture soon)
ALMOND MILK
Ingredients
1/2 cup soaked almonds
1 TBS raw sesame seeds
1 cup water
OPTIONAL:
1 tsp real maple syrup or 2 dates (to make is slightly sweeter)
1 shake Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Vanilla
DIRECTIONS
Soak almonds overnight in water. Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until very smooth.
When your child is still drinking through a bottle- you will need to STRAIN the pulp from the milk so it will pass through the bottle without getting stuck.
TO STRAIN: Purchase food grade cheese cloth and pour the liquid thru the cloth into a bowl. The pulp will remain in the cloth for you to discard…or eat for yourself.
NUT MILK will stay good in your refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Source: WFM 1-10