No, this is not going to be a debate on formula vs. breastfeeding.
Inspired by the milk home-delivery thread, I got to wondering how human milk compares to cow’s milk. I still sometimes find it rather strange that I can produce a beverage and I got to thinking what else I could do. What is the nutritional content? When stored, human milk will separate like whole cow’s milk and the cream rises to the top. Could one make butter, cheese, or ice cream from it? Has anyone ever tried?
Human milk Has 1/4 as much protein, 1/6 as much casein, about the same amount of fat, more cholesterol, twice the lactose, 1/3 the sodium, half the chloride and potassium, 1/4 the calcium…
In general, it probably sounds a lot less nutritious. But it’s formulated just about right for human babies, with the right amounts of absorbable nutrients.
Cooking with breastmilk is something someone else will have to tackle. I’ve heard of making soap out of it.
This isn’t IMHO but I will confess that skeeves me out. No good scientifically rational reason for it. Just does.
Its wierd that this is so taboo. People will drink each other’s own urine for chrissakes but they go ‘eww’ at breastmilk? Sheesh, aside from a slightly different viscoscity and taste, its just milk. I don’t see what all the commotion is about
If someone marketed this, I’m sure there would be takers. Pasteurized, it would be milk with a gimmick attached. Of course, there might be issues on the supply end (as in, while a woman might be able to make a lot of money selling breastmilk products to curious people, she herself could only make so much of it at a time. And I can’t help but wonder what would happen to a woman’s breasts when they have been ‘milked’ over a long period of time, extracting far more of the stuff than a baby would normally consume )
JPeg Jones - really…to make breastmilk butter all I have to do is ‘shake vigorously?’ Hmmm…
in a container! A CONTAINER I SAID!
I might have to go try this.
Cranky I have to admit the idea of breastmilk kind of skeeved me out too, but I didn’t know why either. Actually the idea of drinking it from a cow sounds just as bad.
