Benefits of Breastfeeding Depend on Weaning Diet
Published in the Journal of Pediatrics, a study by Paneau et al supports the role of early childhood diet in perpetuating the benefits of breast feeding into adulthood. In this cohort, the child’s diet was evaluated at 10 months and at 2 years, and then every 2 years until age 20 when parameters of physical health including body mass index, were assessed.
The diet at 2 years of age can serve to “undo” the benefits of breastfeeding with regard to adult risk of obesity. Specifically, low fat diets put these children into a metabolic pattern that may set them up for later life weight gain.
They conclude:
A imbalanced diet after breast-feeding can compromise the benefit provided by breast milk and explain the controversies over its protective role against the risk of obesity.
If breastmilk is the perfect food, at least for babies and children, we must use the 55% saturated fat composition as a template for what is needed for optimal child growth and development.
As was recently supported by Canadian guidelines, pastured meat, egg yolks, bone broth, avocado, and even wild salmon roe make perfect first foods for babies. Ditch the difficult to digest and inflammatory processed grain cereals, the processed dairy, and sugary snacks. For nursing moms, consider the role of your diet in setting your infants palate, especially for the first three months. Teach your baby and child how to approach food, not as a “fix” but as life-sustaining information.
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