I am sorry if my post about breastfeeding made you uncomfortable, it was never my intention to glorify breastfeeding, to make mothers that formula feed be uncomfortable of to imply that they are not good mothers. Each of the posts I write is more about data based on scientific studies than anything else, it is not about feelings, it is not about moral goodness, and I do my best for this to show through the blog. This is a blog about health and environment, and each post is aimed to those two topics.

I know how it goes when you have a new baby: your breasts are too big, the baby’s mouth too small, the nurse tells you it should not hurt, so you must be doing something wrong, which makes you feel terrible. Your baby is too sleepy and does not want to nurse, starts loosing weight (most likely because you had an IV, but most of the medical field still refuses to acknowledge this fact) and the nurse tells you to supplement.  You are sent home with some free formula “for you to supplement if you need to”, which you use because the nurses told you to, and then you have a very hard time reaching your full supply. Plus soon you hit the first growth spurt, your baby wants to feed all day, you are afraid you do not have enough milk, your nipples are in pain, you send your husband to pick up some more formula and then you really never achieve full production. Soon you have to go back to work and are so tired and still trying to breast feed the baby, but it is not working, so you just decide that bottle feeding is not that bad after all and that your baby will be fine.

And your baby will. This does not make you a bad mother at all! You do what you need to do to make things work for you and your family. Also, this does not mean that breast milk is not the best when it comes to nutrition, antibodies, osteoporosis, breast cancer, diabetes type 1 and environment. Those are just facts which have been published in scientific and medical journals. Those facts have nothing to do with feelings, with emotions and with making life work. And listing those facts so a future mother can decide what she wants to go for was my only intention when I wrote about breast milk being the best.

I had a very hard time when breast feeding my baby, and I might write about that some day so other struggling mothers realize that they are not alone and maybe I can share what I did to make it work. I know it is hard, and I know that had I chosen to bottle feed my baby when it seemed the only option I would not be a bad mother, just a mother making things work for the three of us.

Breast milk is the best for your baby’s health.

Breast milk has everything your baby needs, it contains the right proportion of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. In the same way that cow’s milk is just perfect for her calf, a mother’s milk is perfect for her baby. Formula companies have refined the recipe to a point that a formula fed baby is healthy enough, but formula is derived from cow’s milk or soy and does not have everything a baby needs, most importantly it does not have the antibodies that the mother transfers through her milk. Unlike formula, breast milk is never contaminated (except if the mother has a disease such as AIDS, but in most other diseases a mother can still breast feed) and it is not dangerous for the child. If the mother is sick, it is unlikely that the virus of bacteria will be transmitted through the milk, but the antibodies that she has generated will, protecting her child from becoming sick.

Research shows that breastfed babies have less chances of developing diabetes type 1, which is unrelated to diet and lifestyle (so detractors cannot attribute this to healthy habits that the mother teaches), also a reduced risk of SIDS, lower chances of orthodontics problems which are related to bottle feeding, a correct development of tongue and jaw muscles that leads to less speech problems as the child grows, and less chances of stomach ulcers as adults. And these are just some of the benefits!

Breast milk is the best for the mother’s health.

The longer a woman breast feeds along her life (for her different children) the less chances she has of developing breast cancer. A breast feeding mother will, contrary to what might be thought, have a higher bone density and be protected against osteoporosis, compared to a non breast feeding mother. Besides this, breast feeding and skin to skin contact both release “feel good” hormones which can help fight or avoid postpartum depression. Additionally, some hormones released while breast feeding fight stress, helping the mother to relax… and let’s face it, any new mother needs some relaxing times!

Breast milk is the best for the environment.

There is no manufacturing, no polluting techniques, no packaging to dispose of in the landfill. Need I say more?

Breast milk is the cheapest.

It’s free!! You do not have to go buy it, your body makes it. Yes, you need to eat to produce it, but you would be eating anyway. While breast milk takes about an extra 500 Kcal. to be made, there is no evidence supporting that you need to eat more to make it. Research shows that for milk production to be compromised, a woman has to be in starving conditions, so while I personally would not diet while breast feeding I see no problem with limiting your calorie intake. Plus think of all those calories being burned to produce milk as a way to manage your post pregnancy weight!

Breast milk is the most convenient.

Yes, I know, we’ve all heard about how awesome is that dad gives baby a bottle in the middle of the night. I call shenanigans on that! Let me tell you what: been there, done that… and I would breast feed for convenience any day! Breast milk is already made in you, it is at the right temperature and requires no cleaning. When Ignacio was bottle fed I remember having to get up in the middle of the night, get the formula out of the fridge, which I had prepared before going to bed, warm it up making sure it was not too hot for him, then in the morning clean all the bottles and nipples… added to everything else I was going through as a new mom, it was exhausting!

Also, need to go out? Your diaper bag is so simple to pack! No need to prepare bottles, nor put them in heat isolating bags, no need to clean afterwards. Your breast milk will be there for your baby at any time, as many times as you need! My diaper bag is one pocket in my purse in which I put the diapers and wipes. That’s about it, and I love it that way!

So, while ultimately it will be each mother’s decision what to feed her baby, and that will greatly depend on what works for her family (breast feeding long term can be challenging if you need to go back to work too soon!) it is important that every woman and her partner knows the facts about breast milk. There is heavy advertising by formula companies that aims to make people believe that it is the same (or even better! *shudders*) to give formula or breast milk to a baby. It is not. It is important that a mother is informed so she can make the right choice based on facts.

Do you have any insight you would like to share? Please, leave a comment, I would love to read!

Sources:

La Leche League International.

Breastfeeding Made Simple. 2010. Kendall-Tacket and Morbacher

Mayo Clinic.

American Academy of Pediatricians.

Variety pack: apple, banana, mango, apricot, pineapple, and cherry. You can win these by entering the giveaway!

Sometimes we just want a snack, something sweet and small… but at the same time we want to keep it healthy and natural. Fruit is many times my snack of choice, and I absolutely love dry fruit! It was great to get to review dry fruit by Peeled Snacks. This dry fruit is organic so if you need a sweet fix, you need not to worry about the effects on you.

I was sent a variety pack containing six different bags, each with a different fruit. The packaging is lovely, attractive and vibrant, very attractive for a visual person like me! and it has a window through which you can see the fruit you are about to eat. I really like how each bag is one serving, so you do not have to be guessing how much you ate, you don’t need to count pieces of fruit and you just can focus on enjoying the fruit you are eating. They were very sweet, especially the tropical varieties, as mango and pineapple, which was perfect for a late afternoon snack when my sweet attack comes around!

Dried apples by Peeled Snacks.

Follow Peeled Snacks in Facebook to learn about news, specials of the month and tips.

Buy it! Where? You can buy them in Starbucks in Canada and United States, among other retailers. You don’t live in either country? No worries, they have an online store too!

Or win an Organic Fruit Picks Variety Pack by entering the giveaway by filling the rafflecopter in Sensibly Green’s Facebook!

Mangoes and pineapples were my favourite!

Selecting the right cup for each occasion is of importance for mate lovers!

Joshua, from Mate Factor sent me some samples to try and give my opinion. I got the original Fresh Mate, Dark roast and Chai. I took advantage of Christmas day since my friend Eduardo (also from Argentina) and my dad were here, because mate is meant to be shared. Edu was in charge of preparing the mate.

Eduardo opening the pack. Oh, the anticipation!

Upon opening the vacuum packed leaves we noticed that the leaves were very finely ground, and there were no sticks and very little powder (that is good, for mate connoisseurs), the very finely ground leaves can be a mild annoyance if you are planning to take the mate the traditional way, in a gourd and with a straw, because the leaves can go through the holes of the mate straw, however, it is irrelevant if you are planning to prepare it in any of the other many ways suggested by Mate Factor (I really liked that the package suggests how to prepare it in so many different ways!).

Unique vacuum sealed packaging.

Please, appreciate the grinding of these leaves! No sticks and low powder!

You can also see that once the water is added the mate still looks low in powder and has no sticks

This mate is not processed the traditional way, it is different than other brands because it is not aged and non smoke cured, preserving the antioxidants and keeping a flavor that I find more herbal. The aroma is sweet and mild, and the flavor is accessible, sweet and very mild. It would be the perfect mate for those that are interested in this beverage but are not quite fond of the traditional bitter flavor. The after taste is sweet and pleasant, and the leaves last many rounds of water not loosing their flavor (this is for those using a mate gourd).

Out of courtesy, the person preparing the mate takes the first one. This ensures that the "worse" mate is not given to any friend.

Dad appreciating the mate falvor.

We all agreed that it would be an ideal introductory mate for an American public, given that traditional mate is really an acquired taste and most American people frown their noses after trying it the way we like it back home. It might be like wine, you’ll start with a sweet, mildly fragrant leaf and end up with a strong and bitter one Another crowd that will find this mate agreeable is the white tea people, especially with the flavored varieties. The Mate Chai reminded me strongly of white tea, the spices were very nicely balanced and flavorful! Finally, the Dark roast had a bolder flavor and more body than the fresh loose leaves, it is suggested for people that want the coffee boost but not the crash. Whatever the reason, mate is a great treat, give it a try and let me know that you loved it!

Also in tea bags, the preparation is just like for tea, except you must not boil the water.

Why would I want to use organic lip balm? Well, if you take a look at your regular balm you might find that there are a lot of chemicals on them that can lead to allergies and immunotoxicity, developmental and reproductive toxicity, and also be related to ecological and occupational hazards… yes, this coming from the top cosmetic brands too (oh, and some of them have the word “Naturals” in the name!). So given that I take health quite seriously and I think a developing baby should be protected from as many risks as possible, I have decided that I do not want to kiss his little mouth with a balm that is full of chemicals that I would not want on me in the first place!

Eco Lips makes lip balms that are just want I want! Jen sent me the balms just in time for the dry Pittsburgh winter, for what I am very grateful!

Ecolips are made with ebe wax. For those that rather go vegan they have an option too!

The company:

In the early 90′s Andrea started making lip balms using all natural ingredients, she would then give these balms away as gifts to friends and family. She gave a sample to Steve who, like in a romantic movie, fell in love with the product, then fell in love with Andrea, and encouraged and coached her to build up a company! The company was successful and their sales representative Jim completed the team by helping develop a unique lip balm that would be organic, and sellable.

Eco Lips is successfully growing and still handcrafted! They are also concerned about the environment and besides using organic ingredients they donate 1% of their sales to organizations that take care of it. Besides that they have the “cause balm” which donates $1 of each sale to the cause of choice. I love companies that give back to the community!

My impressions:

Jen sent me a bunch of balms to try, which was incredibly generous from her: Eco Lips Gold, which is an all around balm; Medical, especially formulated for lip sores; two Eco Tints, which are colored; and Orange and Spice, to revitalize and neutralize free radicals. I don’t think I can explain the incredible variety they have, it is truly overwhelming when you look at their catalog and have to choose from it! This means that you will surely find one balm that perfectly matches your needs!

Because my husband is always suffering from dry, breaking lips, especially when he goes run at 6:30 AM in the freezing temperatures of Pittsburgh’s winter, I handed him the Gold and Medical balms. He is really happy with them, so far his lips have stayed hydrated and soft, and he has been using the Gold balm every day. When I gave him the Medical one, he looked at me as if I was giving him poison, but when he started to read the ingredients he said “Oh, it’s all natural!” and was pleased to get to try it. It smells like spearmint really nicely too!

I kept one of the Ecotintand gave the other one to my friend Hope, much younger and modest than I. We both liked these because they have a mild color to them, and this color is given by Iron oxides, which are

All organic and FDA approved!

harmless for you (unlike Lead, for example) and even the darkest colors are attractive and subdued, enough for them to be noticeable but fit a modest type of girl too.

Finally, the Orange and Spice has a delicious smell and taste! You can seriously taste the orange oils! I made the mistake of using it before going to bed and I was tasting and smelling oranges for many hours! I still love it during the day, though.

All these are super creamy and rich. Both my husband and I agree that they are creamier than regular balm and that they are really good to keep your lips hydrated.

The giveaway:

Enter the Rafflecopter on Facebook for your chance to wine one (1) Eco Lips Gold Balm with an Ecoclip (100% recycled materials!).

Visit Eco Lips on Facebook today for promotions and great information!

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Choices, choices, choices....

Sometimes it feels overwhelming, you need to buy 15-20 (or more in my case!) cloth diapers, and it is a big investment. Yes, you do know that with time it will pay off, since in a few months you will cover the price of what disposables would have been for those months and the rest will be just “free” diaper time. But then you consider that you might spend $300+ in a set of pockets that later you won’t like, that are not the quality that you expected, they are too tight, too loose, you wish you would have bought all in ones, or maybe covers and prefolds… what if you loose all that money because then you are not happy with the product you bought? It really, really seems so daunting!

That is why there are many diaper stores that offer trial packs. You can buy a bunch of different diapers and systems that you would like to try, and after you have decided which ones are right for your family you can return those that you don’t want to the store and use the money you spent in store credit to get the diapers you did like. That way you get to try diapers before fully committing to a certain system or brand and you do not lose money.

Make sure you ask your favourite retailer if they do this. They will be happy to help you!

Congratulations Christine! We will be contacting you soon! Enjoy your nuggets and your TV show

French Vanilla and Almonds.

Granola. This is one of the words that I hear all the time as defining of healthy-eating people (and hippies) and with reason. Granola is one of those really good for you foods: it has grains galore, some natural sweeteners and it is just so good! But not all granola is created equal! Some of them have been turned into unhealthy HFCS and trans fats packed foods!

Nature’s Hand has released recently a new granola in six varieties, and I was really happy to get to try two of them! They sent me French Vanilla Almond and Maple Pecan. Nom!

The company:

Nature’s Hand was born from the passion of two people in Minnesota for the flavor of the old world. Being Bavarian immigrants they started to blend and bake their own granola mixes and, as many times happens, friends and family started to show a real interest for their recipe. This is when they started to think of commercialize it and they became locally successful. Years later they decided to retire and transfer the company to new owners that would respect the original recipe and market it to a wider public.

Nature’s Hand aims to make health conscious products and donates more than 10K pounds of granola to local shelters each year! They seriously have my interest!

The review:

I really like the packaging of Nature’s Hand. It is resealable and elegant, with a transparent window that lets you peak inside and see what you are about to eat. Nature’s Hand uses only premium

Wonderful texture, the way they are baked makes the oats cluster just right!

all-natural ingredients, which are full of fiber, protein and antioxidants.  The brand is low in sugar and contains no artificial colors or flavors, preservatives, cholesterol, trans fats or sodium.

These are pleasantly crunchy and tasty. The taste is nicely balanced, I really like how mildly sweet they are and the different flavor that they have to the other brands because of the soy oil and little sesame seeds (a very nice underlying flavor!) They are high in calories, since 1/4 cup gives you 140 calories, but as a healthy food in the middle of a hike in the forest, this is exactly what you need.

I have tried these alone and they are great, with milk for breakfast and I love the flavor they give to the milk, and they are also great with yogurt. Need ideas? Nature’s Hand has a recipes page to inspire you! French Vanilla is sweet and goes great with yogurt and bananas, Maple pecan has a drier smokier flavor, just delicious!

Good morning! Start your day with a nutritive breakfast