by
Paul
Benhaimthe diet affects the next generation. DHA - an omega-3 fatty acid -
is especially critical in infant development. Research has shown
that when infants receive reduced amounts of DHA, they have
slower brain development and may also have poorer visual
responses to light. How does an infant get DHA? Before a baby is
born, omega-3 fatty acids are transported from the mother's blood
to the placenta, where it is used for membrane development in the
brain and retina. Therefore, the amount of omega-3 fatty acid in
the mother's diet is the determining factor in how much DHA the
baby will receive. After the baby is born, the primary source of
DHA is breast milk. Numerous studies show that babies who are
breast-fed have better brain development than those who are
bottle-fed. DHA also plays a vital function in developing vision
sharpness, or acuity. DHA is found in high concentrations in the
photoreceptors of the retina and supplies lipids to the retinal
membrane. During the first six months of life, a baby's retino-
cortical system - which enables it to distinguish between light and
dark -matures rapidly. Healthy, full-term infants show an average
20% improvement each month between the ages of 2-7 months.
It is such a great shame that people feel the need for
concentrated proteins, fats and carbohydrates, especially when
we find that the breast milk of mothers is over 85% water with only
a small percentage of fats, sugar and carbohydrates. (It has been
found that calves fed on pasteurised milk were either dead or
dying within 90 days!)
If the mother becomes too tired to breast-feed, then seed
or nut milks (such as hemp and almond - or if not possible then
cow/goat/sheep/soy milk made up to the correct concentration - is
recommended) are an excellent source of nutrition, and continue
to be useful after the first year.