Re: Glucose... and relatives

[Guest guest]

Magda,

I actually only use honey now. I don't think that a baby started on a

NT diet would need sweetner until after an age that honey is no longer

a concern. (Personally, I have given honey to my infants on that rare

occassion without ever giving it a second thought!) I don't know what

to do with glucose!

An alternative to the chamomile tea that is so popular is Oatstraw

tea. We have found this to be so much more relaxing. I think it comes

down to allergies though. Chamomile is a grass, and Oatstraw is a

grain. (And we are allergic to both!)

And lastly, attempt to educate! When that fails, limit times you spend

with that person eating (unless you are preparing the meal), or offer

to bring something (and bring something your kids know is " safe " to

eat.) Some of our families just don't want to be educated. And they

refuse to learn or change, or make substitutions...and we love them

anyways.

On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 03:39:56 -0000, Magda Velecky <velecky@...> wrote:

>

> My mom insists glucose is good for children instead of granulated

> sugar. She apparently gave my brother and I water with glucose to

> drink when we were little (she only breastfed for 3 months). She now

> bought a box of this stuff and says it would be good to have on hand

> when we start feeding , my 4 month old (it won't be for another

> 2 months at least). The only thing it would be good for in my

> opinion would be tea (special chamomile tea for kids) and maybe

> grits (traditionally fed to children in Eastern Europe). So is

> glucose better than traditional sugar? What would I use as a

> sweetener for a child? I guess the answer to these questions will

> eventually lead to an even bigger question: how do you deal with

> relative that don't eat (or in this case plan to feed) NT?

> Magda

[Guest guest]

Well, I agree that no infant should have bread. Fermented milk is also

questionable. Feeding such foods so early is begging for allergies to

things like gluten and casein, among other things. But, you are

a local chapter leader of the WAPF, correct? How can you advocate sugar

to developing teeth? Regardless of anything else:

1. Sugar causes dental caries, ESPECIALLY in the young. It doesn't

matter the virginity of the source.

2. Sugar calories displace nutrient rich foods. There is no requirement

for such foods in the human diet.

Deanna

ChrisMasterjohn@... wrote:

> In a message dated 11/22/04 7:33:53 PM Eastern Standard Time,

> hl@...

> writes:

>

> > With all due respect to the obvious concern you have for your

> > child(ren), why would you ever " need " to sweeten food with

> concentrated

> > sugar source like maple syrup to an infant? What would Weston Think

> > (WWWT)? Children are so easy to please with whole foods at this age.

> > In fact, even mainstream pediatricians ask parents to hold off on

> fruits

> > until vegetables are introduced during the 6-12 month stage

> ______

>

> ~~~~~> I initially thought this was a good point, until I read over

> Anabel's

> post and realized she was sweetening yogurt with it. Breast milk is

> sweet

> enough because it is loaded with simple sugars. Infants normally

> would drink

> milk from the breast, not fermented, so it would seem that their

> tastes would be

> adjusted to the sweetness of sugary breast milk rather than to sour

> foods like

> plain yogurt. I wouldn't feed an infant bread at all, but if yogurt

> is being

> used for some reason over breast milk, it would seem reasonable for it

> to be

> sweetened a little.

>

> Chris

>

> ____

>

> " What can one say of a soul, of a heart, filled with compassion? It is a

> heart which burns with love for every creature: for human beings,

> birds, and

> animals, for serpents and for demons. The thought of them and the

> sight of them

> make the tears of the saint flow. And this immense and intense

> compassion,

> which flows from the heart of the saints, makes them unable to bear

> the sight of

> the smallest, most insignificant wound in any creature. Thus they pray

> ceaselessly, with tears, even for animals, for enemies of the truth,

> and for those

> who do them wrong. "

>

> --Saint Isaac the Syrian

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/21/2004 7:41:41 PM Pacific Standard Time,

velecky@... writes:

What would I use as a

sweetener for a child?

We used maple syrup when we needed to sweeten something that our 6-12mo

infant would eat. We didn't use it often, except when baking bread or sometimes

to

make plain whole fat yogurt a little more sweet. Once she turned 1 we added

honey to the lineup.

When my mom wanted to feed my daughter something that I wasn't comfortable, I

would usually provide a substitute. So if she were trying to add glucose to

something, I'd ask her to use maple syrup instead, and off-handedly explain

that it has more vitamins and minerals. I've found, with my parents and

in-laws, that if I do off-handed explainations of things, and sound

authoratative

(like I've done my research), then they tend to accept it. After all, they

raised their children a while ago, and they know that science, and our world in

general, has changed, so it makes sense that child-rearing and feeding practices

may have changed too. Like when my parents were questioning our choice of

cloth diapers ( " Pampers were good enough for you! " ), I just point out that

Pampers then and Pampers now are two totally different products, and that I

don't

want the new-fangled gel crystals anywhere near my child's delicate parts. They

accepted that completely.

I hope that helps.

Good luck!

Anabel

[Guest guest]

> On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 03:39:56 -0000, Magda Velecky <velecky@...>

> wrote:

>>So is

> > glucose better than traditional sugar?

_____

~~~~~> Yes. Ordinary table sugar (sucrose) is half fructose, and a high

consumption of fructose appears to be much more harmful than other sugars, and

worsens glucose metabolism over time.

It would be better to use maple syrup and maple sugar, which, I believe, is

mostly or all maltose, which, iirc, is made of two glucose monomers. Raw honey

is also good-- even though it contains about 1/3 fructose, it is less than

sucrose, and it is loaded with all kinds of healthy goodies. If 1 or 2 tbsp of

sugar are used, I'd make it raw honey where usable (in terms of taste and

texture), and if more than that are used, I'd make up the balance in maple sugar

or maple syrup. If neither are workable in terms of taste, I'd go with glucose

over sucrose (regular sugar.)

Chris

____

" What can one say of a soul, of a heart, filled with compassion? It is a

heart which burns with love for every creature: for human beings, birds, and

animals, for serpents and for demons. The thought of them and the sight of them

make the tears of the saint flow. And this immense and intense compassion,

which flows from the heart of the saints, makes them unable to bear the sight of

the smallest, most insignificant wound in any creature. Thus they pray

ceaselessly, with tears, even for animals, for enemies of the truth, and for

those

who do them wrong. "

--Saint Isaac the Syrian

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/22/04 7:33:53 PM Eastern Standard Time, hl@...

writes:

> Why not sweeten

> with freshly made applesauce from one year onward?

____

~~~~~> Why would you? Applesauce is loaded with sugar, insofar as it's

sweet, and isn't it mostly fructose? In that sense, I'd think it would be worse

than table sugar, gram for gram. What would be it's advantage over maple syrup?

Chris

____

" What can one say of a soul, of a heart, filled with compassion? It is a

heart which burns with love for every creature: for human beings, birds, and

animals, for serpents and for demons. The thought of them and the sight of them

make the tears of the saint flow. And this immense and intense compassion,

which flows from the heart of the saints, makes them unable to bear the sight of

the smallest, most insignificant wound in any creature. Thus they pray

ceaselessly, with tears, even for animals, for enemies of the truth, and for

those

who do them wrong. "

--Saint Isaac the Syrian

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/22/04 7:33:53 PM Eastern Standard Time, hl@...

writes:

> With all due respect to the obvious concern you have for your

> child(ren), why would you ever " need " to sweeten food with concentrated

> sugar source like maple syrup to an infant? What would Weston Think

> (WWWT)? Children are so easy to please with whole foods at this age.

> In fact, even mainstream pediatricians ask parents to hold off on fruits

> until vegetables are introduced during the 6-12 month stage

______

~~~~~> I initially thought this was a good point, until I read over Anabel's

post and realized she was sweetening yogurt with it. Breast milk is sweet

enough because it is loaded with simple sugars. Infants normally would drink

milk from the breast, not fermented, so it would seem that their tastes would be

adjusted to the sweetness of sugary breast milk rather than to sour foods like

plain yogurt. I wouldn't feed an infant bread at all, but if yogurt is being

used for some reason over breast milk, it would seem reasonable for it to be

sweetened a little.

Chris

____

" What can one say of a soul, of a heart, filled with compassion? It is a

heart which burns with love for every creature: for human beings, birds, and

animals, for serpents and for demons. The thought of them and the sight of them

make the tears of the saint flow. And this immense and intense compassion,

which flows from the heart of the saints, makes them unable to bear the sight of

the smallest, most insignificant wound in any creature. Thus they pray

ceaselessly, with tears, even for animals, for enemies of the truth, and for

those

who do them wrong. "

--Saint Isaac the Syrian

[Guest guest]

> We used maple syrup when we needed to sweeten something that our 6-12mo

> infant would eat. We didn't use it often, except when baking bread or

> sometimes to make plain whole fat yogurt a little more sweet. Once

> she turned 1 we added

> honey to the lineup.

>

> When my mom wanted to feed my daughter something that I wasn't

> comfortable, I

> would usually provide a substitute. So if she were trying to add

> glucose to

> something, I'd ask her to use maple syrup instead, and off-handedly

> explain

> that it has more vitamins and minerals. - Anabel

> ---------------------------------

Anabel,

With all due respect to the obvious concern you have for your

child(ren), why would you ever " need " to sweeten food with concentrated

sugar source like maple syrup to an infant? What would Weston Think

(WWWT)? Children are so easy to please with whole foods at this age.

In fact, even mainstream pediatricians ask parents to hold off on fruits

until vegetables are introduced during the 6-12 month stage. And breast

milk is sweet enough to get them interested. I guess I just think it

sets up teeth issues and sugar cravings that just don't even need to be

introduced until well into the toddler stage, if ever. Why not sweeten

with freshly made applesauce from one year onward?

Once you've been off sugar completely, as I have, you see how

disgustingly sweet it really is and realize the havoc it wreaks on many

bodily systems. Of course, it takes years for this to manifest, so I

reason, why start kids off so young on the sugar express?

All the best,

Deanna

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/22/2004 4:33:53 PM Pacific Standard Time,

hl@... writes:

With all due respect to the obvious concern you have for your

child(ren), why would you ever " need " to sweeten food with concentrated

sugar source like maple syrup to an infant?

You know, that's a really good question. It's probably just because I like

my yogurt slightly sweetened. I almost always end up eating the leftovers, and

I'm not crazy about the strong tang of plain yogurt. I added syrup more to

calm the tang than to actually make it sweet most of the time, but, honestly,

my daughter likes the plain just as well.

In other cases it was more because she started eating my food, which I had

been sweetening with honey until that point. I switched to maple syrup, and she

just ate it with me. Like oatmeal, for example. I know WAP and others say

not to use any grains until the child is 2, and I see my daughter's desire for

mostly fats (cheese, and butter by the handful!) and meats, but we use grains

to stretch the budget more than anything else.

What have other NT parents experienced?

Anabel

[Guest guest]

Grind apples. That, to me anyway, is applesauce. But like I said,

better yet, babies need no sweets beyond fruit which should be introduce

late in their infancy. Do you have kids? They will be bombarded with

them soon enough. Do infants need sweeteners, Chris? The advantage of

fruit over pure sugar is fiber and water - less gram for gram sugar per

volume than maple tree sap reduced of its water 30 times so that you

have mega doses of dense sugar and little else.

Deanna

ChrisMasterjohnm wrote:

> In a message dated 11/22/04 7:33:53 PM Eastern Standard Time,

> hl@...

> writes:

>

> > Why not sweeten

> > with freshly made applesauce from one year onward?

> ____

>

> ~~~~~> Why would you? Applesauce is loaded with sugar, insofar as it's

> sweet, and isn't it mostly fructose? In that sense, I'd think it

> would be worse

> than table sugar, gram for gram. What would be it's advantage over

> maple syrup?

>

> Chris

>

>

[Guest guest]

Deanna-

>But, you are

>a local chapter leader of the WAPF, correct? How can you advocate sugar

>to developing teeth? Regardless of anything else:

>

>1. Sugar causes dental caries, ESPECIALLY in the young. It doesn't

>matter the virginity of the source.

>

>2. Sugar calories displace nutrient rich foods. There is no requirement

>for such foods in the human diet.

Inasmuch as mother's milk naturally contains a non-trivial amount of

lactose, some sugar (or at least some lactose) would appear to be necessary

for nursing babies. That's why Sally's breast milk replacement recipe in

NT includes lactose.

But as a more general rule, of course babies shouldn't be fed sweets!

-

[Guest guest]

I do understand what you mean! All of my children have eaten family

meals off my plate until they were ready to want to sit at the table

with their own plate (about 15 months). I have gotten used to

preparing my plate with that thought in mind, but it is still my plate

and subject to my tastes! And the babies are going to get it the way I

like it in the long run when the nurse! Every child is different, and

you do things slightly different because of it. I would never force a

child to eat grain. (Who would?) I will actively avoid and discourage

grains (oldest dd and myself have brain allergies to them). But when

they are at a family meal, I will not start a fight about it. And

since grains have almost no flavor, I will adjust for my

tastes...extra fat, cream or milk, cheese, and sometimes fruit or

honey.

L. - who has a really expensive food budget for our income, and

nobody seems to understand why!

>

> You know, that's a really good question. It's probably just because I like

> my yogurt slightly sweetened. I almost always end up eating the leftovers,

> and

> I'm not crazy about the strong tang of plain yogurt. I added syrup more to

> calm the tang than to actually make it sweet most of the time, but,

> honestly,

> my daughter likes the plain just as well.

>

> In other cases it was more because she started eating my food, which I had

> been sweetening with honey until that point. I switched to maple syrup, and

> she

> just ate it with me. Like oatmeal, for example. I know WAP and others say

> not to use any grains until the child is 2, and I see my daughter's desire

> for

> mostly fats (cheese, and butter by the handful!) and meats, but we use

> grains

> to stretch the budget more than anything else.

>

> What have other NT parents experienced?

>

>

> Anabel

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/22/04 10:11:14 PM Eastern Standard Time,

hl@... writes:

> But, you are

> a local chapter leader of the WAPF, correct? How can you advocate sugar

> to developing teeth? Regardless of anything else:

>

> 1. Sugar causes dental caries, ESPECIALLY in the young. It doesn't

> matter the virginity of the source.

_____

~~~> Does the sugar in breast milk cause dental caries?

_____

> 2. Sugar calories displace nutrient rich foods. There is no requirement

> for such foods in the human diet.

____

~~~~> I don't think adding maple syrup to yogurt would displace any

significant amount of nutrient dense food in the diet. I doubt that the

addition of

maple syrup to the yogurt would cause the baby to decrease her or his

consumption of the yogurt to attain a fixed amount of calories. Beyond that,

there are

many non-sugar foods that are no more nutrient-dense or are less

nutrient-dense than maple syrup or raw honey.There are also many non-sugar foods

that are

nutritious but are not as nutrient-dense as some foods that could be said to be

displacing more nutrient-dense foods. For example, muscle meat could be said

to be displacing organ meats.

I'm not sure why the yogurt was being used, but it would make sense to

sweeten it if the baby wouldn't eat it otherwise, and it is normal for babies to

consume sugar in the form of lactose. However, I'd add lactose to it if she

wasn't also drinking breast milk, because the galactose is important for brain

development apparently, and I'd be concerned that the fermenting would eliminate

too much of it.

Chris

____

" What can one say of a soul, of a heart, filled with compassion? It is a

heart which burns with love for every creature: for human beings, birds, and

animals, for serpents and for demons. The thought of them and the sight of them

make the tears of the saint flow. And this immense and intense compassion,

which flows from the heart of the saints, makes them unable to bear the sight of

the smallest, most insignificant wound in any creature. Thus they pray

ceaselessly, with tears, even for animals, for enemies of the truth, and for

those

who do them wrong. "

--Saint Isaac the Syrian

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/22/04 10:13:10 PM Eastern Standard Time,

hl@... writes:

> Do you have kids?

____

~~~> Nope.

_____

> Do infants need sweeteners, Chris?

_____

~~> I would think they wouldn't need anything except breast milk.

_____

> The advantage of

> fruit over pure sugar is fiber and water - less gram for gram sugar per

> volume than maple tree sap reduced of its water 30 times so that you

> have mega doses of dense sugar and little else.

_____

~~~~> I don't think there is a significant advantage to the fiber, enough to

outweigh all the fructose. An infant's diet (breast milk) normally contains

glucose (from milk), but does not contain fructose (unless there are small

amounts in milk?). The water is of no benefit at all, because if one were to

add

it to bread, the water would be evaporated during cooking, and if one were to

add it to yogurt, the yogurt would contain enough water to make the water in

the applesauce insignificant. While the sugars may be less dense, it is also

less sweet, so one would have to add more to get the same sweetness. Or, one

could add less maple syrup, or honey, or whatever.

Chris

____

" What can one say of a soul, of a heart, filled with compassion? It is a

heart which burns with love for every creature: for human beings, birds, and

animals, for serpents and for demons. The thought of them and the sight of them

make the tears of the saint flow. And this immense and intense compassion,

which flows from the heart of the saints, makes them unable to bear the sight of

the smallest, most insignificant wound in any creature. Thus they pray

ceaselessly, with tears, even for animals, for enemies of the truth, and for

those

who do them wrong. "

--Saint Isaac the Syrian

[Guest guest]

And at this point I have to ask if you consider there to be any reason

for fruit for anyone? Why don't we all just consume a spoonful of

maple syrup when we feel the urge for an apple!

>

> > Do you have kids?

> ____

>

> ~~~> Nope.

It's obvious.

> _____

>

> > Do infants need sweeteners, Chris?

> _____

>

> ~~> I would think they wouldn't need anything except breast milk.

What age do you consider an infant? This is a variance that needs to

be cleared up in this conversation. I realize that the original

question involved a 4 month old, but since we are now generalizing to

all infants, can we please specify an age!

> > The advantage of

> > fruit over pure sugar is fiber and water - less gram for gram sugar per

> > volume than maple tree sap reduced of its water 30 times so that you

> > have mega doses of dense sugar and little else.

> _____

>

> ~~~~> I don't think there is a significant advantage to the fiber, enough

> to

> outweigh all the fructose.

And at this point I have to ask if you consider there to be any reason

for fruit for anyone? Why don't we all just consume a spoonful of

maple syrup when we feel the urge for an apple!

An infant's diet (breast milk) normally contains

> glucose (from milk), but does not contain fructose (unless there are small

> amounts in milk?). The water is of no benefit at all, because if one were

> to add

> it to bread, the water would be evaporated during cooking,

which makes it a great sweetner and " oil " !

and if one were

> to

> add it to yogurt, the yogurt would contain enough water to make the water in

> the applesauce insignificant. While the sugars may be less dense, it is

> also

> less sweet, so one would have to add more to get the same sweetness. Or,

> one

> could add less maple syrup, or honey, or whatever.

>

Or stick to the fruit and not introduce the concentrated sugar until

way into the toddler years, or later, or never.

L.

>

>

> Chris

[Guest guest]

Masterjohn wrote:

>

> ~~~> Does the sugar in breast milk cause dental caries?

I don't think so, Chris. Interesting about human milk and breast

feeding in general for dental health. First, the sucking action takes

the milk away from any erupted teeth (I nursed for a total of 4.5 years,

so I have some experience with it . Teeth erupt in humans around,

what, 6-12 months. It does vary. Anyway, there was a recent study that

demonstrated artificial nipples on bottles and pacifiers changes the

shape of the dental arch. I don't know if they somehow also contribute

to tooth decay. My boys have had 1 cavity each in their lives and need

no orthodontics, for whatever it's worth.

> ~~~~> I don't think adding maple syrup to yogurt would displace any

> significant amount of nutrient dense food in the diet. I doubt that

> the addition of maple syrup to the yogurt would cause the baby to

> decrease her or his consumption of the yogurt to attain a fixed amount

> of calories.

I don't know about this. Babies when being introduced to foods other

that milk (from mom) will show a definite preference to sweets. Like I

said before, pediatricians advise waiting to introduce fruit late in the

game, as infants (0-18 or 24 months would be my definition) will shun

all other foods for it. But then, they also advocate rice cereal first

thing, and that can not be good either.

I would think kefir would be a better choice than yogurt microbially and

nutritionally for babies. In any case, infants fill their little

bellies quick and feed often. Milk from humans should provide the

majority of calories. Mom should be eating highly nutritious foods,

especially fish, eggs, meats vegetables and some dairy. Yes, infants

will get enough sugar from breast milk. That should be the first choice

for them. Introducing other sources of sweets may provide a competition

to milk, which is just not a good thing from a nutritional standpoint.

Breast milk should be given a minimum of 12 months in the human diet.

Deanna

[Guest guest]

> ~~~~> I don't think there is a significant advantage to the fiber,

> enough to

> outweigh all the fructose. An infant's diet (breast milk) normally

> contains

> glucose (from milk), but does not contain fructose (unless there are

> small

> amounts in milk?). The water is of no benefit at all, because if one

> were to add

> it to bread, the water would be evaporated during cooking, and if one

> were to

> add it to yogurt, the yogurt would contain enough water to make the

> water in

> the applesauce insignificant. While the sugars may be less dense, it

> is also

> less sweet, so one would have to add more to get the same sweetness.

> Or, one

> could add less maple syrup, or honey, or whatever.

>

> Chris

Breast milk is the food for humans. I am honestly not that well versed

in biological sciences, but the idea that foods have to be sweet is just

false. Better to forgo the sugar and try egg yolks or some other

nutritional food that isn't sour like yoghurt. Why not try creamed

spinach on baby with butter? No need to sweeten foods. If baby won't

eat yoghurt without sweetener, maybe baby knows best and should be

offered something else.

Deanna

[Guest guest]

>And at this point I have to ask if you consider there to be any reason

>for fruit for anyone? Why don't we all just consume a spoonful of

>maple syrup when we feel the urge for an apple!

Well ... an apple is full of fiber and pectin, which seems to help build

butyrate

when it is digested in the gut. Also the colors in fruit are potent

antioxydents and anticarcinogens. Fruit is so LOADED with good

stuff, much of it hasn't even been identified, that our craving for

it makes a lot of sense.

Heidi (who loves to pig out on mangos ...)

[Guest guest]

Apples also contain malic acid. (As do some other fruits.) According to this

article, " deficiency of malic acid has been hypothesized to be a major cause of

physical exhaustion " .

It's also been very helpful in clinical studies of FM patients.

http://www.diet-and-health.net/Supplements/MalicAcid.html

It's my impression there are elements in fruits we would have trouble getting

without eating them.

Carol

>>Well ... an apple is full of fiber and pectin, which seems to help build

butyrate

when it is digested in the gut. Also the colors in fruit are potent

antioxydents and anticarcinogens. Fruit is so LOADED with good

stuff, much of it hasn't even been identified, that our craving for

it makes a lot of sense.

Heidi Jean<<

[Guest guest]

True words from my own heart! I have learned so much from changing my

diet to match my babies instincts! And we are all much healthier from

the trials! Perhaps since the babies are born with instincts, and not

screwed up from being taught, they really do know best... the theory

of unschooling from a different angle.

L.

If baby won't

> eat yoghurt without sweetener, maybe baby knows best and should be

> offered something else.

>

> Deanna

[Guest guest]

Hey Deanna,

I can't remember.... Do you have any little ones still nursing? I was

thinking that my saying I've nursed for 4.5 years straight isn't quite

accurate. 4.5 years would be 54 months, and I have only been nursing

for 52 months now. I am still nursing though...

I guess I was wondering how many of us long term nursers there are on

this list, and what the record is at this point! Just a trivia

question....

- who just realized that I am WAY off topic on this thread!

(I nursed for a total of 4.5 years,

> so I have some experience with it . > Deanna

[Guest guest]

my point exactly.

L. - who prefers black grapes and fresh grapefruit juice.

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 08:58:16 -0800, Heidi Schuppenhauer

<heidis@...> wrote:

>

> >And at this point I have to ask if you consider there to be any reason

> >for fruit for anyone? Why don't we all just consume a spoonful of

> >maple syrup when we feel the urge for an apple!

>

> Well ... an apple is full of fiber and pectin, which seems to help build

> butyrate

> when it is digested in the gut. Also the colors in fruit are potent

> antioxydents and anticarcinogens. Fruit is so LOADED with good

> stuff, much of it hasn't even been identified, that our craving for

> it makes a lot of sense.

>

>

> Heidi (who loves to pig out on mangos ...)

[Guest guest]

Aven - 4.5 years

--- In , Lillig <catzandturtles@g...>

wrote:

> Hey Deanna,

> I can't remember.... Do you have any little ones still nursing? I was

> thinking that my saying I've nursed for 4.5 years straight isn't quite

> accurate. 4.5 years would be 54 months, and I have only been nursing

> for 52 months now. I am still nursing though...

> I guess I was wondering how many of us long term nursers there are on

> this list, and what the record is at this point! Just a trivia

> question....

> - who just realized that I am WAY off topic on this thread!

>

>

> (I nursed for a total of 4.5 years,

> > so I have some experience with it . > Deanna

[Guest guest]

,

I've been nursing for 25 months, am pregnant and due to deliver any minute

now, have nursed through the pregnancy, and plan to keep going strong once

this baby is born. Once this baby is born I will being studying to become a

lactation consultant and midwife.

KerryAnn

Re: Glucose... and relatives

Hey Deanna,

I can't remember.... Do you have any little ones still nursing? I was

thinking that my saying I've nursed for 4.5 years straight isn't quite

accurate. 4.5 years would be 54 months, and I have only been nursing

for 52 months now. I am still nursing though...

I guess I was wondering how many of us long term nursers there are on

this list, and what the record is at this point! Just a trivia

question....

- who just realized that I am WAY off topic on this thread!

(I nursed for a total of 4.5 years,

> so I have some experience with it . > Deanna

[Guest guest]

Sugar in breastmilk doesn't cause cavities UNLESS there are simple

carbohydrates on the teeth from other sources. Yet another reason to avoid

grains until the child is older, since breastmilk is by and large the

preferred food. Brushing will take care of any concern, though, unless

there is something else going on like malnutrition or gluten intolerance.

HTH,

KerryAnn

-----Original Message-----

From: ChrisMasterjohn@... [mailto:ChrisMasterjohn@...]

~~~> Does the sugar in breast milk cause dental caries?

Chris

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/24/04 9:48:10 AM Eastern Standard Time, hl@...

writes:

> Breast milk is the food for humans. I am honestly not that well versed

> in biological sciences, but the idea that foods have to be sweet is just

> false. Better to forgo the sugar and try egg yolks or some other

> nutritional food that isn't sour like yoghurt. Why not try creamed

> spinach on baby with butter? No need to sweeten foods. If baby won't

> eat yoghurt without sweetener, maybe baby knows best and should be

> offered something else.

_____

~~~~> I'm assuming that if yogurt is being fed, it is because the baby for

some reason cannot have breast milk, or the mother at least for some reason

cannot produce breast milk, rather. I doubt that yogurt is the best

replacement,

but I don't see how creamed spinach and butter would replace the milk. Egg

yolks probably offer a *partial* replacement, but the sugars are important to

the baby's development, and egg yolks don't have any. I think that the sugar

portion of whatever is offered should contain galactose, and yogurt would have

some, but I imagine the baby is probably best off with a source of glucose

rather than without, and the maple syrup can offer this while the other options

you suggest cannot. Yogurt would have the disadvantage of fermenting some of

the galactose, but I imagine that added sugar would act as a galactose sparer,

so that less can be used for energy in the blood making the galactose available

for whatever its role is in the developing brain.

Chris