I would like to celebrate and explore the health benefits of original home cooking.

The first food we receive upon entering the world is breast milk; a food so perfectly balanced to provide nutrition, hydration and protection that it is impossible to replicate it synthetically. Breast milk confers many health benefits on infants and nursing mothers, and yet the World Health Organization has suggested that it is one of the world’s most underused resources and that reversing the decline in breastfeeding could save 1.5 million lives every year. Many women in the West choose not to eat, experience difficulties, or cannot easily eat after returning to work. In the rest of the world, unscrupulous formula companies or perceptions of Western culture may encourage women to believe that their babies will be healthier and happier with Western-style infant formula, and that breastfeeding is a obsolete and impoverished method. practice. However, breastfeeding confers a multitude of health benefits for both mother and baby;

Breastfeeding supports the child’s immune system. Some benefits last while the child is nursing as the baby ‘shares’ the mother’s immunity to disease. (In fact, breastfed babies have 15% fewer GP visits than formula-fed babies.) Some effects can last a lifetime; offering protection against heart disease, Crohn’s disease and insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes, with research adding more diseases to this list each year. It appears that the longer a child is breastfed, the stronger the protective influences, and longer breastfeeding is linked to a reduction in atopic dermatitis and asthma, other allergic conditions, and a lower risk of childhood obesity. There is also preliminary evidence to suggest that breastfeeding protects children against some types of cancer and certain autoimmune conditions. Artificially fed babies suffer from ear infections, urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal infections and allergic conditions more frequently.

The mother also benefits from breastfeeding; Harvard Medical School has done research showing a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes in women who breastfeed, and the longer they breastfeed, the lower the incidence. Breastfeeding mothers also reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and osteoporosis.

Breastfeeding women do not need to increase their caloric intake, as used to be suggested, but it is important to support lactation through healthy eating and drinking plenty of water. Be careful when consuming trans fats, as they reduce the amount of nutritious ‘cream’ in breast milk. Make sure your breasts are supported at all times by wearing a well-fitting bra and, especially during exercise, a good sports bra (www.lessbounce.com).

Keep in mind that breasts typically change in size during pregnancy, lactation, and weaning, so you may need to spend more than one sports bra to cover the period from early pregnancy to weaning; Having a sports bra that fits you well is paramount and well worth the investment.

Until next time, stay healthy,